The weeds in your lawn are trying to send you a message about your soil. You can shush them temporarily by killing them year after year, but until you pay attention to what they are trying to tell you and take action to correct the underlying problem, they are going to keep coming back. The [Continue]
Competition in the plant world is fierce. The techniques plants use against each other to ensure their own survival make the conniving in corporate boardrooms and reality TV shows look like child’s play. Some plants develop extremely dense or deep roots systems so they can steal water and nutrients from seedlings of any other species [Continue]
Here are some things to remember as this year’s growing season begins: • Gently stretch every muscle and body part you can think of before you go out for a day of lifting, bending, digging and planting. • Get a tetanus booster shot if it’s been more than ten years since your last one. Tetanus [Continue]
This time of year just about every grocery, department and drug store features a beautiful display of live miniature Christmas trees as soon as you walk in the door. They are beautiful, healthy-looking trees and include Norfolk Island pines, various cypresses, holly and rosemary. After they’ve served their purpose as winter decoration, many people hope [Continue]
Do you need a challenge to perk up your enthusiasm for gardening? Why not try a theme garden? A theme garden is a mix of plants related in some way. The connection between the plants may be very apparent or it may be a little more difficult for visitors to discern. The most obvious of [Continue]
This time of year, I cut the dried seedheads of the zinnias in my garden and save them to plant next spring. I’ve been saving and replanting these seeds for 29 summers now, and I got the first seeds from my mother, who had been saving them every year since she planted her first garden [Continue]
This summer has been a challenge in the yard and garden. I’ve given supplemental water to plants that I’ve never had to water in 21 years, and I’ve gotten lots of exercise walking between the rain barrels and the garden. There are several strategies you can use to help your garden through the toughest times. [Continue]
Fairy rings are dark green open circles, like hula hoops, that appear on your lawn. The dark ring itself may be a couple inches to two feet wide and the diameter of the ring can be from two feet to fifty feet across. Almost every culture has its own folklore relating to fairy rings. Stories [Continue]
Since the early 1990s scientists have been studying a science called “phytoremediation.” The word comes from the ancient Greek “phyto” meaning “plant” and the Latin “remedium” meaning “restoring balance.” Scientists have found that plants have the ability to clean up polluted water and soil by taking up the pollutants into their roots, stems and leaves. [Continue]
Have you noticed how many awards and prizes people give to each other? Grammys, Oscars, CMAs, Golden Globes, People’s Choice, Nobel Prizes, Pulitzer Prizes and the list goes on. We also give prizes to plants. Here are some of the award designations I found in just one seed catalog, and what the award means. • [Continue]