Compost Happens: tips for making it happen right
As the bumper sticker on my truck reads, “Compost Happens.” Sometimes, however, it doesn’t happen fast enough.That problem usually can be traced to some limiting factor in what a pile is fed, or to...
View ArticleAmaryllis makes a Christmas show
Ready, set, go. Just as soon as you have new amaryllis bulbs, pot them up, and in a few months the spectacular, colorful trumpets will unfold.(Technically, what are commonly called “amaryllis” are...
View ArticleThe sweet side of home-growing beets
Red orbs are rising out of the soil in my garden, demanding to be pulled. I will pull them, but not all at once.Beets can remain in place for weeks — even months — to come if leaves or straw are thrown...
View ArticleA comeback: Is there a gazing globe in your garden's future?
Did I see a glint of mocking laughter in a friend’s eyes when I mentioned the new addition to my garden, a gazing globe?These mirrored glass ornaments were popular until about 50 years ago, when they...
View ArticleEek, there's a foot in my pot! Growing rabbit's foot fern
There’s a fat, furry, tan foot creeping over the edge of the pot in the hanging basket over my desk. No cause for alarm. It just shows that my plant is growing happily.That foot is a hairy, creeping...
View ArticleBring your apple tree back to its glory
A neglected, overgrown, old apple tree does have charm, its gnarled, elbowed branches seemingly reaching out for a hug. The fruits, unfortunately, are more often than not too small, too high and too...
View ArticleHow to time tomato planting just right
Occasional warm, spring-like breezes and longer hours of sunlight kindle an urge in me to plant tomatoes, starting them indoors, of course.After all, the sooner the seeds are up and growing, the sooner...
View ArticleCrabapples come in many varieties (some aren't even crabby)
Crabapple branches drenched in white, pink or red blossoms are a strong enticement to go out and buy one of these trees. First, however, put a little thought into which variety you plant.There are...
View ArticleBelieve in seeds: They'll expand your gardening horizons
“Plant seeds” may seem like an inane suggestion for a gardening column. But I’m serious. More and more people who garden these days put plants rather than seeds into the ground.In the old days, the...
View ArticleHelping plants grow up by staking them
“Grow up.” That’s what I tell some of my plants.Upright plants, bathed in air, are less apt to get fungal diseases, and those bearing fruits — tomatoes, for example — are less likely to have their...
View ArticleCatalpa in bloom is like a tree full of orchid blossoms
I stopped to stare at some buckets of flowers at a farmers market last Sunday. The white flowers, their throats speckled purple and yellow and grouped together on stalks like a candelabra, looked...
View ArticleUse durable wood to make a great gate for garden
Visitors always admired the entrance gate to my vegetable garden, more than I ever did.Built from cedar branches, it did have rustic charm. But it really was too flimsy for its size and, as it sagged...
View ArticleKeep composting simple
Look on the shelves of almost any store or in any catalog selling plants and gardening equipment and you’ll find “compost activators” offered. These mixtures contain beneficial microorganisms,...
View ArticleClothe your soil: Cover crops help enrich it
Cover crops are plants that gardeners and farmers have, since the beginnings of agriculture, grown not to eat but for the good of the soil.Blanketing the ground to hold soil particles in place, a cover...
View ArticleAutumn Joy sedum is a plant that lives up to its name
For some visual joy in autumn, plant Autumn Joy sedum.The plants’ domed flower clusters now smile skyward like heads of pink broccoli. Autumn Joy is, understandably, a stalwart of the late summer and...
View ArticlePlant for posterity: Replace a giant tree with a giant-to-be
Nothing like some strong winter winds to remind one of mortality — tree mortality.No tree lives forever. Nothing does. But we humans sometimes don’t appreciate trees’ mortality, especially trees that...
View ArticlePruning: Get the right cut for the growth you want
In the short space that follows, I think I can guide you on how to prune any plant, from a midget marigold to a mighty oak.That’s because all plants respond similarly to pruning. Once you understand...
View ArticleDon't ignore forsythia just because it's gone green
The warm glow of forsythias cools down as their flowers fade and green leaves start to unfold. For the next 11 months, this plant that displays such cheerful color on the drab heels of winter will be...
View ArticleVegetable gardens can be pretty as well as functional
Considering the superior flavor of fresh-picked vegetables and the choices you get when you grow your own, it’s a wonder that more people don’t have vegetable gardens.Even a local farm or farmers...
View ArticleStaking trees: Do it only if needed, and do it right
To stake or not to stake?Too many gardeners answer this question in the affirmative. Who doesn’t want to lend support to a wispy, young tree?And there are situations when a tree can use some mechanical...
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