Why did nature evolve with hot peppers? Nature wants its plants to spread, so if an herbivore eats something, it will spread through its digestive tract. Mammals will not eat hot peppers, so how are they supposed to spread? By…
Hot Peppers
Category: Gardening & Landscape
Doing Stem Cuttings from your Lilacs
If you want to start another hedge of lilacs from your existing hedge, try tip cuttings. This is an easy and cheap way to increase your plants. Do this by selecting stem cuttings from your lilacs between 3 to 5…
Summer Blooming Bulbs
Wait until the soil temps are 55 or above to plant summer blooming bulbs. You can get a head start by planting your bulbs early. I have started cannas in 6-inch pots a month before placing them outside. Plant them…
Rodent Damage on Trees
People are seeing rodent damage on trees, especially young fruit trees. The worst-case scenario is if the rodent (whether mouse or rabbit) ate into the heart of the center wood circling the entire trunk, there is not much hope for…
Transplanting Garden Seedlings
Now we have seedlings growing in our containers, not what? It is time to transplant seedlings. After the seedlings get their first set of true leaves (the first leaf set is called seedling leaves and will turn yellow and die).…
Early Flowering Bulbs
This is pics of very early flowering bulbs in the flower bed. Should have taken pics of them before the cold and snow when they were blooming full force. These flowers are scilla siberica, jumbo crocus, and snow (star) crocus which…
Starting Garden Seeds
Starting your flower and garden seeds indoors is easy if you follow a few simple steps. Start with a seed starting soil mix, however, if use Miracle-Gro potting soil for larger seeds. Place the “soil” in a bucket and add…
Pruning Shrubs Made Easy
Last week we spoke on pruning fruit trees. Now let’s talk about pruning shrubs made easy (multiple stemmed woody plants). There are two types of shrubs: ones that bloom on old wood (lilacs) and ones that bloom on new wood.…
What is Espalier
An old way of pruning fruits against a wall, fence, or other flat area was called espalier. This French word means “something to rest on”. This art was a practice in Mt. Vernon and other spots in early colonial days.…
Prune Fruit Trees
This is now the time to prune fruit trees. Many people think this process is technical, however, there are 8 basic rules you can follow to make this process simpler. Remove any suckers growing around the base of the tree.…
Succulents
Succulents are mainly plants with thick water-filled leaves that store water. They have the ability to survive drought making them a good choice from busy people who forget to water the plants. There are many different varieties with different shapes…
A Study
I have just read a study that used two groups of people. One group had houseplants, bird feeders, a nice view of a yard or watch PBS garden shows. They were required to journal about these things of nature or…
Sunscald on Trees
I have noticed that there is a lot of sunscald on trees this year. Sunscald on trees usually happens on the south or south-west exposed bark where the sun’s warmth is stronger. The bark will die causing it to shed…
Fresh Kitchen Herbs
Keep your kitchen supplied with fresh herbs all year with varieties that thrive on a sunny windowsill or under grow lights. For good results, give each plant their own pot. That way they can grow more swiftly. Perennial herbs, such as rosemary, oregano, thyme, chives,…
Begonias make Excellent Houseplants
I’ve been personally perennializing my begonias for many years indoors. I can say from experience that it is super easy. Taking them in their pots in the fall, begonias make excellent houseplants. But before we get into the details, we…