By the time you read this, it will likely be safe to plant flower and vegetable transplants and seeds. Do check the forecast for the next week or so before planting though, just to make sure a cold snap isn’t imminent. Here are a few planting tips. When planting transplants from the nursery, first give [Continue]
Longer days and warmer temperatures signal that it’s time to begin serious planning of this year’s garden. Seed catalogs were mailed months ago and the big box stores have seed offerings on prominent display. It’s a good idea to begin with a list of everything you want to plant including seeds, purchased seedlings, and larger [Continue]
I hate to admit this even to myself, much less make it public, but this year I had physical limitations that changed the way I garden. I slipped on the ice last winter and unknowingly broke my back. It took many months for the pain to present itself, but when it did, oh boy! Gardening [Continue]
I was recently tasked with summarizing the principles of organic gardening on just a half sheet of paper. Given that there have been thousands of books and articles written on the topic, it was a tough assignment. A search of the Winnefox Library system turned up 231 titles! After some thought, I realized that [Continue]
One of the first flowers children learn to draw are tulips. A few curved petals, a stem, and two pointy leaves. There are some beautiful tulips that look just like those simple drawings, but others differ greatly. Some look like peonies or roses or carnations. Others look like no flower you’ve seen before. ‘Queensland’ is [Continue]
Some gardeners are scrupulous about pulling everything out or cutting everything back before winter comes. Others leave the entire job for spring. The ideal is probably somewhere in between. You should pull up and compost all annual flowers and vegetable plants. As an alternative to adding plant debris to the compost bin, dig big holes [Continue]
Mid-summer is a good time to take a look around your yard and garden and decide what you like and what you don’t. Go out to the street and approach your home from both directions, pretending to be a visitor. What do you notice first? Is there a plant that is too big, a container [Continue]
It was my own fault. In my defense, I didn’t know any better at the time. Here’s what happened that led to having to spend an entire afternoon digging every single plant out of one of my mother’s flower beds. Twenty-six years ago, my husband and I purchased a home that had many beautiful [Continue]
Tomatoes are the most popular vegetable garden plan and one of the easiest.to grow. Even people who don’t have a dedicated vegetable garden often plant a tomato or two in flower beds or containers. When buying young tomato plants, look for sturdy plants with healthy green leaves. Avoid leggy plants and those with yellowed [Continue]
As we build homes further out into what was once countryside, we encroach on the homes of many species of wildlife, including deer. With fewer undeveloped acres available to provide natural food, deer are forced to look at our residential landscapes for sustenance. Many of our home landscapes and gardens are virtual deer buffets. [Continue]