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Gardening Advice
Even though many seed companies have gone digital, I’m amazed at how many catalogs we still receive in the mail. If you think there are too many seed catalogs now, back in the late 1880s there were thousands of small seed companies. Although the cultural information and descriptions in old catalogs are helpful if you are researching heirloom plants, the artwork is the draw.Many of the…
Gardeners, no matter what their level of expertise, love to swap stories. The funny thing is that these tales almost always produce a lesson for everybody. Here are a few of my favorites!Pat was determined to feed her family of six from the garden. She had just read the book Five Acres and Independence (Dover Publications 1973) and was feeling inspired, so she had the whole backyard…
What’s in a name? Gardeners have a language all their own, and I don’t mean the language of flowers. Plants have botanical Latin names, which uncover a wealth of information. Apply the lore of Latin to your own garden!I had 5 years of Latin and find it fascinating, but I’m not too sure if anybody else will. I do have a lot of friends who only use Latin names when referring to…
This year, I grew five different cucumber varieties. Here are the results so far—plus, some ideas on how to use lots of cucumbers—from pickling recipes to natural health to cleansing!This Year’s GardenThis was an odd growing season for us here in New England. We called it a “Goldilocks Year.” First it was too dry and then it was too wet. Our cukes and summer squashes—vegetables you…
One vegetable that I love but had never grown before this year is the sweet potato. Sweet potatoes are tropical vegetables, so usually grown in southern states.My mother-in-law was a transplanted southern belle who longed to grow the foods she grew up with in the Deep South here in frigid New Hampshire. Sorry to say but she did not have any luck with lima beans, peanuts, okra, or sweet…
One of the joys of summer is attending garden tours. This time of year, many private gardens are open to the public, usually to support a local organization. One garden really knocked our socks off—featuring silver foliage plants to tie the garden together.Silver leaves add color and texture, ease the transition from one flower color to another, and offer visual interest when nothing is…
Asparagus has to be my favorite early spring vegetable. Though it is wonderful cooked. I think it is best eaten raw while working in the garden. Asparagus is often started from one-year crowns, however you can plant asparagus from seed, too! It’s not hard to grow asparagus from seed; it just adds an extra year onto the wait period until you can begin to harvest. We planted…
Interested in planting a flower garden? Here are some planting tips for flower beds—plus, suggestions on which flowers to grow.
We all dream of a lush, lovely flower bed full of colorful blooms all season long. What we end up with is usually a different story. Does your color run out when the heat hits? Do the plants clash and give the impression of clown pants? Do the tall…
Do you want to improve the landscape design of your yard and property? Here are some tips for coming up with a design plan and getting started.I’ll be honest—I’m not much of a planner, and this lack of forethought is reflected in my gardening style. My flower beds are in a constant state of change depending on what new plants I acquire each season. Many are planted and moved…
Several years ago, I was given a potted agapanthus or African lily. After waiting all summer for my agapanthus to bloom, I had to finally admit that maybe it was time to repot it.What is an Agapanthus?Also called the Lily of the Nile, the agapanthus is actually native to South Africa—nowhere near the Nile.There are seven species of agapanthus, which are in the same family as…
If you love Siberian and bearded irises, you have to give their Japanese cousin a try. They bloom much later than the tall bearded irises, extending the iris season from mid-July into early August.The blossoms of Japanese iris (Iris ensata) differ from those of bearded iris mainly because they do not have the tall, upright petals (called standards) in the center of the blossom. They…
In late spring, the rhododendrons are blooming! Here’s more about this stunning flowering shrub—which are easy to grow as long as you have the right conditions.
What Are Rhododendrons?
Rhododendrons are actually the most popular woody landscape plant in the United States. There are over 800 species of rhododendrons ranging from spreading groundcovers a few inches high to…
