A Walk in a Peony GardenHere in the beautiful Willamette Valley of Oregon the spring days are inching their way into summer. What better time to visit a local commercial peony garden to take in the sight of these wonderful plants in bloom.
The Peonies Week WrapupPeonies week is at an end and hundreds of photos were posted. Let's have a look at the best!
Explanations of How Plants Respond to LightI couldn't figure out why one of my plants looked parched/dry/thirsty even though I had watered the day before. Research tells me this plant is exhibiting a "nyctinastic" response to approaching night. The plant knew when it was day and when it was night, folded its leaves, and appeared to be napping. Wow, a nyctinastic response is fantastic. Do plants sleep? Yes, and they do a whole lot more. There are several types of nastic responses in the plant world.
Pick Beans in the ShadeCattle feedlot panels make a wonderful bean trellis for your vining vegetables. Pole beans and cucumbers are what we grow on ours.
Sleeping Among the PoppiesRising from the ground in spring with its droopy fuzzy head, the corn poppy begins to work its magic. Seeds from last year’s crop remained silent through the winter and now this simple yet mysterious flower will capture the gardener’s imagination once again.
Showy Mexican SunflowersMexican Sunflowers attract butterflies, honeybees, goldfinches, and hummingbirds to the garden. They are easily grown by seed, so give them a try in your garden this year!
We're Celebrating Peonies!We open the Peonies Celebration Week with a look at the top cultivars in our peonies database. Join us as we spend the week celebrating these wonderful blooms.
Keeping the Garden GroomedA little time committed to deadheading will keep the garden looking fresher and more appealing.
Book Review: "Roses Without Chemicals" by Peter KukielskiThe front cover of this book offers the synopsis: "150 disease-free varieties that will change the way you grow roses." I purchased this book because I wanted to be sucessful growing roses without the use of chemicals.
Start Replacement Summer Squash Plants To Stay Ahead of Squash Vine BorersOne way to stay ahead of SVB damage is the practice of succession planting to keep your squash harvest going.
Creating a Wall of SedumCreating a beautiful "green" wall in your yard is easy, and it adds a new dimension to your landscaping efforts.
You Can and Should Grow LuffasIt's highly ornamental, bees love it, the fruit is edible and delicious, mature fruits have many household uses, and the plant is easy to grow. What's not to love?
Irises Celebration Week Wrap UpIn the past six days we had almost a thousand photos of irises posted to our database, along with about the same number of posts in the irises forum. Let's have a look at the best photos, along with who participated the most.
Stop and Smell the IrisMy ongoing love affair with the iris began when I worked for a small bank in what was once a small town. There was a separate building called the annex, where I would go to fix the staff's computers. One spring my stroll was rewarded with something magical.
With All the Colors Available, Why Select a White Iris?According to many sources the iris takes its name from the Greek word for a rainbow, referring to the wide variety of flower colors found among the many species. If you can grow a flower in any color, or combination of colors, why grow a white one?
ATP Podcast #89: Celebrating IrisesIn this week's podcast we talk all about irises, sharing our favorite tips on how to grow them, and talking about the articles posted this week. Dave rants about using rusty reinforcement wire for tomato cages and Trish shares her concerns about honesty from vendors at your local farmers market.
There Is an Iris for Every GardenIrises are the largest genus of the Iridaceae family, with as many as 300 species, many of which are thought to be natural hybrids. Iris species are primarily native to the temperate northern hemisphere, the majority from Europe and Asia. The world of Irises is expansive, with species native to some of the most extreme climates, giving us an iris for just about any landscape or garden situation.
Iris Flower PatternsThe Flower Patterns field is one of the most useful, but also confusing, aspects of the Iris Database here at ATP. To help you get the most from the database, here are brief explanations of what these words mean.
Corner Iris Garden Is Easy To MakeGrouping tall bearded iris plants in a front corner added a favorite focal point to an underused spot.
The Iris Database DemystifiedMany sources for information about Iris varieties are available online. But, once you understand a few aspects to how the search engine works, you will find that the Iris Database here at All Things Plants stands above the crowd.
We're Celebrating Irises This Week!We open our Irises Celebration Week with a look at the top cultivars, top comments, most thumbed images, a contest, and more!
Watering Your Strawberry JarsGetting your strawberry jars established with the soil intact can be challenging. I have tried various methods, such as using some coir (coconut fiber) or sphagnum moss around the transplants to hold the soil in the ports. The best method I've found is to inset a watering pipe into the center of the container as follows:
Stock Tank PondSink a stock tank in the ground and cover the edges with large flat rocks for a natural look.
Garlic, Part IIII have covered some of the history of garlic, some of the misconceptions related to garlic, and the growing/harvesting/storage of garlic. Let's now look at some of the more readily available varieties so that we understand what characteristics they will have and how they are similar yet different in bulb/clove color, size, flavor, and pungency.
Garlic, Part III have grown heirloom, gourmet garlic for several years. Here is some information on garlic you might find in your grocery store, how to grow and harvest garlic, and how to store it.
