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We’ve all done it…gotten overzealous in spring and overplanted or planted the wrong varieties for our tastes and needs. Make this the year you plan your garden for the best return on your investment. First, prepare a list before placing your catalogue order or making that first trip to the garden center. Without a bit of preplanning our carts end up filled with more seeds and plants than space available or varieties that are not suited to our growing conditions or our family’s taste. Make sure each plant you select provides the greatest retur...
Too much of a good thing can mean death for indoor plants. Overwatering is a good example of this and a common problem for indoor gardeners. For others it’s the opposite extreme, allowing plants to go too dry. Knowing when to water your indoor plants can increase gardening success and eliminate the stress of uncertainty. The first step is to throw away your watering schedule. Start watering plants based on their individual need not the date on the calendar. Consider the type of plant, container material and size as well as other growing c...
No matter the season, size of your garden or climate, you can inject homegrown flavor into your meals. Just clear a shelf, countertop or windowsill and get busy planting herbs, greens and even tomatoes to enjoy year-round. For quick results, grow microgreens. These nutrient packed edibles are ready to harvest in as few as 10 days. Plant microgreen seeds in a quality potting or seed starting mix. A recycled fast food container or other shallow pot with drainage holes works well. Plant the seeds according to label directions, moisten the soil...
Nothing says Happy Valentine’s Day like a fresh bouquet of flowers. Make sure your gift provides many days of enjoyment by selecting the freshest flowers and providing the best possible care. Take some time to evaluate the quality of the cut flowers you plan to purchase. Select fresh flowers with upright and perky flowers and lots of firm buds that are just starting to open. Avoid flowers sitting in foul smelling water with drooping leaves and discolored slimy stems. Consider color and fragrance as well as freshness. Many people love the s...
You love them both – your pets and houseplants – but it can be challenging to safely raise them together in the same house. Reduce the risk by selecting pet-safe plants and safely managing houseplant pest problems. Avoid problems by selecting plants suited to your home’s growing conditions and gardening style. Then narrow the list further to plants that are non-toxic specifically to the type of pets you own. Consult with your veterinarian and visit the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) website for a list of pe...
It starts with one plant on a sunny windowsill then morphs into an impenetrable jungle. You may feel you need a machete to reach each individual plant to water and tend. Clear the way to improved growing conditions and convenient care while showcasing every plant with style. Group plants with similar light and watering needs to make maintenance easier for you and increase humidity levels – something tropical plants need to thrive. Set plants on attractive trays filled with pebbles to capture excess water. The pebbles elevate the containers a...
Improve your indoor and outdoor container gardening success with a quality potting mix. This can be more difficult than it sounds since you can’t see or feel the product you are about to buy. Ask your gardening friends for recommendations and once at the garden center, check the package, and compare label information before making a purchase. You’ll find a variety of bags labeled as planting mix, potting mix, container mix and more. Check the label to see what the bag contains and recommendations for its use. Look for mixes, we’ll refer to as...
As garden catalogs are piling up and online versions fill your inbox, your thoughts may turn to the growing season ahead. With so many choices of beautiful flowers and scrumptious vegetables it can be overwhelming and hard to resist buying more seeds and plants than you have space to grow and time to tend. Start by flipping through the pages of various catalogs and searching gardening websites and online catalogs to gather ideas and inspiration. Narrow down your search by selecting plants suited to your climate and growing conditions. Quality...
Once your holiday celebrations have passed and the decorations go back into storage, it is time to deal with your real Christmas tree. Don’t drag it to the curb to be hauled away by the trash collectors. Give it a second, even third life, in your landscape. No live Christmas tree? Don’t worry! I’m sure your friends and neighbors will share theirs. Start recycling all those needles that landed on the floor. Sweep them up and use them as mulch in the garden. Place them directly on the soil or on top of the snow. As the snow melts, the needles wil...
The holidays are upon us and busy schedules often send us into a panic when looking for the perfect gift for those on our list. No matter your budget, there are affordable gift options your friends and family will love. Tools are always a welcome gift. Most gardeners are reluctant to invest in that cool new hand trowel, shovel or rake. And that’s what makes them a great gift. Or create a starter kit from your extra tools for a new homeowner or gardener. Clean them up, sharpen the blades and bundle them with a bow. Add a gift card from a n...
Homemade gifts are a wonderful way to show you care. Making them from items grown in your garden adds that extra personal touch. And just like the plant, decorations and gifts made from milkweed pods are gaining in popularity. Considered a weed by some, common milkweed is making a comeback as more gardeners are growing this important food source for monarch butterflies. Harvest the seedpods and craft them into wreaths, stars and indoor holiday trees. Remove the pods from the plants, separate the halves and allow them to dry as needed. If you...
The holiday tree is the center of many family celebrations. Ornaments collected over the years decorate the boughs while brightly wrapped gifts are carefully placed underneath. But the hunt for the perfect tree can be an important part of the tradition. Many try to find the right size and shape for the space allotted, a fragrance the whole family prefers and good needle retention for long lasting beauty. Load the family into the car or walk to the corner Christmas tree lot and let the hunt begin. Size and shape are important. Your tree needs...
Add some unique beauty to your indoor décor or give the gift of low maintenance splendor with the easy-care cyclamen. You’ll enjoy the colorful plain or ruffled white, pink, rose or lavender flowers that look like shooting stars hovering over heart shaped leaves with silvery highlights. Best of all, there’s a size for every home and occasion. Use miniatures as a place card holder at your next gathering, for added color in a terrarium or to brighten any small space. Dress up the dinner table, mantle or side table with one of the larger vari...
In just fifteen minutes you can plant a beautiful garden guaranteed to brighten your spirits and indoor décor this winter. All you need is a container with drainage holes, potting mix and some tulips, daffodils and other spring flowering bulbs. Once you have gathered the needed materials, you can get started planting. Select bulbs labeled for forcing, shorter varieties that are less likely to flop or bulbs that didn’t make it into the garden this fall. Plant a container of one type of bulb or use a combination for added color, texture, form an...
Let amaryllis fill your home with flowers for the holidays and keep the blossoms coming all winter long. When you plant several different types of amaryllis bulbs, from both the southern and northern hemisphere, you can be sure to get a long-lasting, colorful show that will brighten your mood and surroundings throughout the winter months. Kick off the holiday season with amaryllis bulbs that are imported from growers in Peru. As we enter autumn, it’s springtime in South America, and these bulbs are eager to start blooming. Pot them up before e...
It’s time to select and decorate pumpkins for your Halloween display. Get family and friends involved in a trip to the pumpkin farm and consider hosting a decorating party. Whether you grew your own or plan on purchasing one at a farm or garden center, select pumpkins free of holes, cuts and soft spots for decorating. Damaged fruit tends to rot faster, ruining your fall display. And always carry the fruit cradled in your arms not by the stem. Once the stem breaks away from the fruit, the pumpkin is more susceptible to rot and its beauty fades....
Raking fall leaves can seem like a chore and a never-ending one, at that. Reduce time and effort spent managing fall leaves by putting this valuable resource to work in your landscape. Use your mower to recycle leaves right where they fall. As you mow the grass, you’ll shred the leaves into smaller pieces. If they are the size of a quarter or smaller, your lawn will be fine. As these leaf pieces decompose, they add organic matter and nutrients to the soil. Another option is to attach a bagger to shred and collect the leaves with every pass o...
There’s no doubt that managing critters in the landscape can be a challenge especially as food supplies start to dwindle. If you are battling with rabbits, deer, groundhogs or other wildlife, don't let down your guard as the growing season begins to wind down. Be proactive. Start before they get into the habit of dining on your landscape. It is easier to keep them away than break the dining habit. Fence them out. Fencing is the best defense against most wildlife. A four feet tall fence around a small garden will keep out rabbits. Secure the bot...
MyersPick a few pansy flowers and add a smile to any occasion. No matter where you live, pansies provide color, and in some cases, fragrance to the garden and containers during the cooler months of the year. Pick a few flowers and freeze them in ice cube trays to serve in your favorite beverage. Or float them on top of your favorite seasonal punch. They will brighten any occasion, especially when snow is in the forecast. Set a few flowers on a bed of greens for unique flavor and added color. Or garnish your entrée. Just be sure to tell your...
Short or tall, big or small, ornamental alliums are a treat for flower gardeners and for butterflies, bees and other pollinators. Plant the bulbs in fall and enjoy months of colorful spring and summer blooms – this year, and for years to come. Just like their relatives, onions and chives, ornamental alliums are easy to grow and trouble free. Pest, diseases and even deer don’t bother them. Most types are reliably perennial and winter hardy in zones three to eight. Alliums prefer well-drained soil and full sun, though they will also grow in parti...
Nothing beats the flavor of fresh-from-the-garden tomatoes and when they’re left on the plant five to eight days after the fruit are fully colored, the flavor only gets better.Check plants regularly and keep harvesting, so the plants continue to produce throughout the fall. This also reduces problems with insects and disease attacking overripe or rotting fruit. Store the mature red tomatoes in cool, 45- to 50-degree, conditions with high humidity and they’ll last about 7 to 14 days.Consider pinching off the growing tip of indeterminate tomatoes...
Fall is the best time to divide spring and summer blooming perennials that are overcrowded, dead in the center, failing to flower or flopping open. Wait until spring to dig and divide fall or summer blooming perennials that were not moved the previous fall. These are guidelines that increase success, but most gardeners have found that the best time to divide is when you have the time and can provide good, proper post-transplanting care. Use a sharp-edged shovel to dig the perennial, roots and all, out of the ground. Lift the clump out of the...
End the growing season with an extra burst of color and nutrition with a few fall containers. A pot of mums or asters can add color to your front steps and a container filled with kale and greens adds fresh flavor to your fall meals. But don’t stop there. Create attractive potted gardens by combining asters, mums, grasses, cool weather edibles and other fall beauties. Spruce up an existing container by replacing weather worn annuals with fresh fall favorites. Pansies, sweet alyssum and dianthus are just a few annuals that hit their stride as c...
ou have waited all season for that first red ripe tomato only to discover less-than-perfect fruit. But don’t worry, you can still have a great harvest this year while improving things for next season.Blossom end rot is a common problem. It’s due to a calcium deficiency often caused by fluctuations in soil moisture, often seen on the first set of fruit and those grown in containers.Adjust your watering and mulch the soil to help keep it consistently moist. Have your soil tested before adding any calcium fertilizer. Further reduce the risk of...
Don’t let fall or potentially frosty temperatures stop you from enjoying garden-fresh produce. Extend the nutritional value and homegrown flavor into your fall and early winter meals with the help of short season crops and season extending strategies.Lettuce, spinach, radishes, turnips, and beets are quick to mature from seed to harvest. Plus, the cooler temperatures enhance their flavor. Simply count the number of frost-free days left in your growing season and compare it with the number of days from planting to harvest listed on the seed p...
