I was asked what vegetables a beginning gardener should not plant. One of the harder plants to grow is cauliflower. It has a longer growing season, however, head in cooler weather. Most plant varieties like to be blanched, tying of…
As with everything changing with the New Year, there are even new trends in the garden and flowerbeds. We are going back to the basics as in brighter colors in the flowerbeds with easy to grow plants. Many will be…
Got room on a dresser or counter and the area needs some color? Try African violets. I used a 3-foot fluorescent light on a counter and grew over a dozen plants. My plants came from Marion Burtz the violet lady…
What is bonsai? First, many people think that only certain plants can be used in bonsai. No, any tree or shrub can be made to grow bonsai. You can also buy dwarf trees and shrubs that were grown for bonsai…
Looking for a Christmas gift for a gardener? Newer products coming out in 2021 for gardeners can be found in many garden catalogs his year. Starting with the Smart Pot® which is a container 20-, 10-, or 5-gallon size. Made…
Every year the All-American Selection of vegetables and flowers comes out with winners of excellence in hardiness and breeding for the upcoming year. This year’s flowers begin with a celosia called Candela Pink. It has bright pink blooms with keep…
There are 3 types of remarkably similar cacti called Christmas cactus, Thanksgiving cactus, and Easter cactus. What separates them are the blooming times. The Christmas and Thanksgiving cacti need around 6 weeks of short days to initiate blooming. The Easter…
The most popular houseplant for the bringing in of Christmas is the poinsettia plant. The plant comes from the tropics so that should tell you it needs some warmth. The most common mistake is when you buy one and transport…
If you can not grow any plant indoors, try an air plant. The varieties come in many foliage colors, textures, sizes (2” to 12” tall), and flower colors. They absorb moisture and nutrients from the air through their leaves. This…
Small and large bales have been around for a long time. There is not an item that can be so versatile. There are some people that create hay or straw bale art. Small bales can be used for front porch…
Do not forget to feed the birds especially through the hard part of winter. Winter food should have a little fat, dried fruit, and sunflowers for ingredients. Suet becomes important for winter birds because of its fat content. Here is…
Dwarf conifer beds are becoming more popular. As the landscapes get smaller, everyone has an abandoned area they need to bring to life. They take less time to maintain overall compared with flowerbeds. Conifers (evergreens) provide beauty year-round with some…
Why would someone want to install walkway lights? When you tripped when young, everyone would point and laugh. Now everyone comes running to ask if you want an ambulance. I wanted something to light the way to my front door…
Success and Failures in the flowerbeds. Success: the tulips out bloomed the daffodils. The daffodils seem to be more prone to early heat and late freezes than tulips. The crocus and allium (flowering onion) did great. The mainstays like four…
I am a lazy gardener meaning I love working in the garden; however, I am all over saving time and energy. I do not have the environment to save vegetables in the house. You can leave some vegetables in the…