With spring being here, we have recently been experiencing, many of us are anxious to get outdoors and start scratching away at Mother Earth, however, the beds and gardens are so muddy. Unpredictable is the single word that best describes…
If you’ve ever been out on a summer evening outdoors only to be startled by an inch-long, slow-flying beetle crashing into you, then you’ve encountered a June bug (which is actually a beetle) of which I have been receiving many…
To provide visual interest to a flower container, follow the concept of planting flower pots “Thriller Spiller Filler”. In that, you have to combine plants of different heights and sprawling habit in each pot. 1. Thriller Thrillers are tall, upright…
Bloodroot (Sanguinaria Canadensis) Bloodroot, one of the earliest Spring Wildflowers Bloodroot is more of a groundcover than a bedding plant, but its small, white flowers can really brighten a shady or woodland garden. After the flowers disappear, the blue-green leaves…
Dog ticks are everyone’s nightmare especially your dogs’. Keep areas free of tall grass, weeds and garden debris – you’ll also discourage small rodents, which transport ticks. Place outdoor play and entertainment areas in sunny, airy spots, away from tick-prone…
Plants that love sun in containers: 1. Lantana: It is great for a hot spot and the Lantana colors are nice too, with yellow, confetti and some lavender and white. It does good in sun and is drought tolerant. Try a…
Dandelions are so annoying. I dig them, they grow back and just keep popping up again. It makes you wonder if there is a secret to their multiple lives. Well, the secret is out. Dandelions have long roots that go…
Crabgrass is an annual grass with broad blades that are coarse, pointed and short. It doesn’t blend in with lawn grasses in color, habit or texture and can be very competitive. If left alone, it will invade your lawns, flowerbeds…
Wide row gardening is a technique that I have been using for years. I got the idea from a book called the Victory Garden. Basically, rather than doing skinny row planting, you sow blocks (mine are about 2 ft by…
Bug lights, although most of us want to avoid attracting insects to our light bulbs for mostly selfish reasons (insects = annoying). Overall, incandescent light bulbs pulled in the highest number of insects, followed by CFL, halogen globes, and cool-colored…
America began copying the lawn ornaments of wealthy Europeans around the 1870s as front yards and lawns became a middle-class thing. Gnomes showed up in the 1700’s in Germany, they began invading Europe. The most famous gnome is the Travelocity…
The basic idea behind Gardening by the Moon is that the cycles of the Moon affect plant growth. Just as the Moon’s gravitational pull causes tides to rise and fall, it also affects moisture in the soil. Therefore, it’s said that seeds will…
Pruning shrubs is easy, even to rejuvenate an old one that has lost its desire to bloom. You want to thin out the stems of your shrubs each year, so they do not get raggy looking. Start by removing an…
You do not need a BA degree in pruning trees either fruit or shade trees. Most trees do best when pruned and trained to a central leader tree (one main stem). This type of tree has a pyramidal shape with…
I have used a cold frame for years to grow and harden off my plants before placing into the garden whenever the temperature cooperates. It started off as a 2 X 12 box with a fiberglass top. I have tried…