Happy Thanksgiving!From all of our household to all of you- Happy Thanksgiving!
Making a Pebble PlanterLooking for a little project to pass the time when cold or rainy weather keeps you out of the garden? How about making a cute pebble planter? This design works especially well for succulents and alpine plants because of the excellent drainage this pot provides.
Top 10 List of Pests That Affect HouseplantsAs the outdoor gardening season is winding down in many parts of the country, a lot of us are bringing plants indoors or purchasing houseplants to keep our thumbs green during the winter months. Do you know that most pests that affect houseplants are brought in hitchhiking on other plants? I’ll help you identify many of those pests.
Winterizing Roses in the ExtremesFor a number of years I have been growing hybrid teas, floribundas, miniatures and of course hardy shrubs. Mid October to mid November is the time to put the roses to bed for the winter.
Team Gloves, or No Gloves?Is wearing gloves a necessity during your day in the garden? Or do you get right to work sans protection, to feel the earth in real time?
Drying Seeds with Silica GelIt can be slow to dry seeds thoroughly in humid weather and prevent mold. Seal partly dried seeds in a tightly sealed jar with a desiccant like silica gel to get them down to 15% eRH, which will give them the longest possible viable lifetime in storage.
Mosquito Net as a ShadeclothMosquito nets aren't useless when they get holes in them. I use mine as a light shadecloth.
I Have a (Garden) DreamFor years I have wanted to cover a trellis with morning to midnight blooms. I would plant an assortment of Morning Glories for early-in-the-day blooms in shades of red, blue, and violet. As they close, The flowers of the Alamo Vine would open at noon, showing their pink centers within the white bloom. In the early evening, the saucer-like MoonVine flowers would slowly begin to unfurl in all of their fragrant glory, some white and maybe some of the pinks. I might even add some Cypress Vines for their feathery foliage and little bursts of color!
Creating an Indoor Herb Garden During the Winter SeasonFall has arrived and winter is not far behind. If you're already starting to miss those fresh garden herbs that you like to season your food with, fear not. You can seriously prolong your growing season by having an indoor herb garden this winter.
Hardwood Cuttings: Tips and TricksMake more trees, shrubs, and woody perennials by learning to do successful hardwood cuttings.
More Ideas About TreesDo you give much thought to adding trees and shrubs to your property? In my experience it has almost been an obsession that influenced my life early on, even though I really didn't "need" another tree at any time. When I look back over the years it seems my thoughts sometimes turned to questions of "What if," "What kind," and "How many." Now I find myself asking, "Are we done yet"?
Announcing the 2015 All Things Plants Photo Contest!Today we begin the second of our annual photography contests, and the contest is open for entries now. Break out your best photos for this year's contest!
Eliminate Blisters from RakingIf you have a favorite rake that gives you blisters, check out this tip to eliminate blisters.
Eliminate Slugs and SnailsThis cheap, easy, and very effective solution will keep your slugs and snails at bay.
Plant Saucers Attract Bathing BirdsBirds don't care if you keep it simple and don't spend money on fancy birdbaths.
Observations on Daylily HybridizingAre you new to daylily hybridizing and looking for a few ideas? Or maybe you've hybridized before, but what you have isn't working as well as you wanted. I hope some of the things I've tried this year will work for you or give you ideas of your own to try. I'll be covering my experiences with different methods of labeling as well as my idea for harvesting and drying your seeds.
A Wardian Case for GardenersAt an unplanned stop at a yard sale - I happened to just be driving by - I spotted this piece and immediately knew I wanted it, even though in our climate there is not much need for a Wardian Case.
Chrysanthemums Rule! Mum's the Word!This past year I took a deep dive into Chrysanthemum rubellums (Heirloom or Old Fashioned Mums). In Michigan, we had a hard frost in mid-October as usual, but several of my new mums are still in bloom. What's not to like about that?
Bungee Cords for Non-Jumping ContainersAfter a pretty container of "Million Bells" blew off its perch and perished, I put my thinking cap on.
Free Mini-Greenhouse and Plant TagsRecycling is something we should all do. Here it performs a useful purpose and costs us nothing.
Hummingbirds, Beware the Yellow and Black Argiope Spiders!There was an attempted murder off our porch this afternoon. A hummingbird became caught in the web of a large yellow and black Argiope spider!
A Nice Rooting Environment for Large CuttingsUsing an aquarium air bubbler is a fairly inexpensive way to speed up the rooting of larger cuttings.
Fall DecorationsI like to have a little extra color for fall in the front garden, so I use natural items I can purchase. A few pumpkins placed strategically where they are easily seen from inside or outside of the house add a homey feel. Stage each one on a planter, pot, urn, or garden bench and add a few fall trimmings from around the yard to complete your display.
Thistle: Don't Blame the Bird SeedBird watchers put out thistle for Goldfinches, Pine Siskins, and others. The small black seed is packed with the protein and fat the little birds need. When thistle starts sprouting in their yards, some determine to never use this feed again.
An Ever-Changing LandscapeWhen I was young (as in much young-er), it never occurred to me that the vast "hand-managed" landscape that I call "my yard" would ever become a thing of constant change. Looking back at old pictures reminds me of how trees, plants and grasses are living, ever-evolving things! Now that I've "arrived" at the threshold of "age and wisdom", I find that hindsight clearly is more revealing and accurate than foresight! I had previously written an article titled: "Some Thoughts On Garden Planning," which dealt primarily with managing volume, size, and workloads in gardening. This article involves primarily trees and the "involuntary" or "natural" events that can affect them. Whether we are city or country dwellers, we are sometimes faced with tough decisions concerning them.
