Gardening ideas: new articles and tips every day!

By rebeccag March 15, 2012 Chopsticks for Seedling Support Save your chopsticks from the Chinese restaurant. They make great small stakes for young plants. You can use 3 to make a "teepee" for a vine seedling. (3 comments) (9)

By Christine27360 March 14, 2012 Don't Rot Your Hostas When planting a new Hosta Liner, make sure when planting it in the ground not to bury the crown of the plant. This will lead to potential crown rot and eminent death. Make sure the crown is level with the soil. (2 comments) (10)

By Mindy03 March 13, 2012 March Plants for Honey Bees It's March, the month spring officially arrives according to the calendar. Mother Nature might have different plans, but plants are bursting forth with renewed growth and the cool weather plants are blooming, bringing joy to everyone. Honey bees have built up their numbers and are busy taking advantage of the bountiful supply of food. (353 words - Full article) (8 comments) (1)

By virginiarose March 13, 2012 How To Deter Wasps I was doing some research about wasps last year because we had a problem with them building a nest under our breezeway. I found that if you make a fake wasp nest, it will keep them away because wasps are territorial and they will think the territory is occupied. All I knew is that it should be round and gray, so I balled up a grocery bag and covered it with weather resistant duct tape. I broke the hook off a coat hanger so I could hang it. It worked like a charm all summer: no wasps, no pesticides! (48 comments) (21)

By goldfinch4 March 12, 2012 When To Stake Your Plants When staking plants, put the stakes in place early in the season. There is less chance of damaging the plant, and as the plant grows it will hide the stakes. (2 comments) (10)

By gardengus March 11, 2012 Herbs for Butterflies Dill and fennel are both hosts for the Black Swallowtail Butterfly. If you plant both dill and fennel in the garden, they will cross pollinate and your dill seed will not produce a good culinary (cooking) dill. (16 comments) (17)

By Sharon March 10, 2012 Garden Tours: Woofie Great gardens of fun and beauty are to be found in one far corner of our country. Let's visit Woofie in the state of Washington and take a look at them. You are going to love what you see! (737 words - Full article) (26 comments) (3)

By plantladylin March 10, 2012 Keep Your Tools Handy Keep a large basket or plastic container in a convenient spot on the porch or deck or in the garden shed for holding small hand tools, yard shoes/boots, pruners, scissors/shears, permanent marker, notepad, pen, gardening gloves, hat, sunscreen, etc. (4 comments) (10)

By woofie March 9, 2012 Start Plants in a Coffee Can If you want to get an early start on a plant that is difficult to transplant, start it in a coffee can. Cut the bottom off the coffee can and replace it with the plastic lid, with a few holes punched in it for drainage. When it's time to set it out, you can either take the bottom off and slide the whole thing out, or just remove the bottom and plant the entire can. A pair of post hole diggers makes just the right size hole. (8 comments) (15)

By LarryR March 8, 2012 Rise Up, All Gardeners! We all know that gardening is good for the body and soul. But there is something the great majority of us don’t know. And what we don’t know can hurt us. (673 words - Full article) (23 comments) (6)

By mcash70 March 8, 2012 Carry Your Supplies Around the Garden I use an ice cream pail with the handle on it to tote my camera, phone, little plastic baggies, small note book and pen, and a few peanuts for the Steller's jays whenever I am working in the garden. When I move, it moves with me. I put a white cloth over it to protect it from dust or light sprinkles. (18 comments) (12)

By goldfinch4 March 7, 2012 Prevention Is the Best Key Keep an eye on your plants for pests. It’s easier to eliminate them before they get out of control. (2 comments) (9)

By wildflowers March 6, 2012 It's All About Leaves Leaves so often take a back seat to the more showy and colorful flowering blooms and fruits. While we wait for spring to arrive, let's take a look at leaves as the star attraction. (1,617 words - Full article) (17 comments) (3)

By critterologist March 6, 2012 Staking an amaryllis If your amaryllis needs a stake, use an interesting branch from a pussy willow, crooked willow, contorted filbert, or whatever you have on hand. Just stick it down into the pot as far as it will go, and secure it to the bloom stalk with a bit of twine or even a twist-tie. (7 comments) (8)

By critterologist March 5, 2012 Milk Jugs in the Garden An empty milk jug with its top (but not its handle) cut off makes a great scoop for sunflower seeds, vermiculite, etc. (8 comments) (13)

By Trish March 4, 2012 Team Tool Hoarder, or Team Tool Few? Tools tools tools- what's in your tool box? (266 words - Full article) (28 comments) (2)

By valleylynn March 4, 2012 Keep Your Tomatoes off the Ground Using wooden stakes or dowels is a great way to support the limbs of your tomato plants to keep them off the ground. (3 comments) (6)

By Boopaints March 3, 2012 Garden Blues The color blue brings the wow factor to your garden. Using Krylon spray paint, add a little color to ordinary metal or plastic trellises, stakes and containers. (52 comments) (15)

By Joannabanana March 3, 2012 Spacing and Timing for Indoor Seed Starting Even after many years of starting seeds indoors, I make the same mistake year after year. I inevitably run out of room. Partly because I sow way too many plants (can’t help it), but truly, I have not planned my spacing appropriately (337 words - Full article) (23 comments) (8)

By Skiekitty March 2, 2012 Research Plants Before Planting Research your plants before you install your new plants. Tags lie. A lot. Use our database or Google the plant to verify the information! Nothing worse than buying an expensive plant just for it to croak because it won't live in your zone even though the tag said that it's a hardy perennial! (14 comments) (13)