Your All Things Plants weekly news

for March 14, 2015

This Week's Gardening Ideas:

Celebrating Sempervivum

By dave
March 14, 2015
Celebrating Sempervivum

We open the Sempervivum Celebration Week with a look at the top cultivars, top comments, most thumbed images, and more! (763 words - Read the full article)

Raised Garden Bed - No Longer a Neighborhood Litter Box!

By HeidiOregon
March 13, 2015
Raised Garden Bed - No Longer a Neighborhood Litter Box!

Our empty raised garden beds appear to be a favorite restroom spot for cats in our neighborhood (and there are many). Planting seeds or new plant starts is a crapshoot... literally! We came up with an easy, inexpensive solution. (375 words - Read the full article)

ATP Podcast #82: Growing Vegetables in Containers

By dave
March 12, 2015
ATP Podcast #82: Growing Vegetables in Containers

In today's podcast we'll give some tips on gardening in containers, with the focus on vegetables. What can you grow, how do you get started, and what pitfalls should you avoid? All that, and much more, on today's podcast! (53 words - Read the full article)

Annual Sunflowers Are Pretty and Easy To Grow

By Newyorkrita
March 11, 2015
Annual Sunflowers Are Pretty and Easy To Grow

Big, bold and beautiful. Sunflowers make a grand statement. (154 words - Read the full article)

Removal of Lava Rock Mulch

By Jeyra
March 10, 2015
Removal of Lava Rock Mulch

The home we purchased six years ago came with extensive landscaping, complete with lava rock mulch. We wanted to replace the lava rock mulch with something more biodegradable that would break down and add nutrients to the soil as it decomposed over time. However, the thought of digging out all the lava rocks that had become deeply embedded into the soil over the years seemed a formidable task. (434 words - Read the full article)

Between Loppers and Chainsaw: Using a Cordless Reciprocating Saw as a Garden Tool

By evermorelawnless
March 9, 2015
Between Loppers and Chainsaw: Using a Cordless Reciprocating Saw as a Garden Tool

Using a cordless reciprocating saw with a pruning blade is often easier (and safer) than using a chainsaw or even loppers. This article describes how we use a recip saw around here as a garden tool and provides several illustrations. (489 words - Read the full article)

Glossary Addition

By gg5
March 8, 2015
Glossary Addition

I'd like to add two words to the ATP Glossary: Deciduous and Herbaceous (146 words - Read the full article)

The most popular images last week from our plant database:

By jon:
Image from plant ID 536871
By Cem9165:
Image from plant ID 142222
By Kelli:
Image from plant ID 117119
By HamiltonSquare:
Image from plant ID 230986
By Guybo:
Image from plant ID 16064
By Gerris2:
Image from plant ID 160238
By floota:
Image from plant ID 47571
By tarev:
Image from plant ID 117430
By mellielong:
Image from plant ID 124199

The most popular Multi-Plant Photos from last week:

Photo by Paul2032:
Image by Paul2032
Photo by glengarry23:
Image by glengarry23
Photo by Paul2032:
Image by Paul2032
Photo by Paul2032:
Image by Paul2032
Photo by jmorth:
Image by jmorth
Photo by jmorth:
Image by jmorth
Photo by Paul2032:
Image by Paul2032
Photo by orchidgal:
Image by orchidgal
Photo by ge1836:
Image by ge1836

Noteworthy acorn tips given this week:

11 people gave for the idea "Raised Garden Bed - No Longer a Neighborhood Litter Box!" by HeidiOregon

11 people gave for the idea "Removal of Lava Rock Mulch" by Jeyra

6 people gave for the idea "Between Loppers and Chainsaw: Using a Cordless Reciprocating Saw as a Garden Tool" by evermorelawnless

4 people gave for post #806015 in "Banner for March 9, 2015 by blue23rose" by blue23rose

3 people gave for post #805578 in "Beefriends and Other Friends too!! two and II" by dirtdorphins

3 people gave for the idea "Annual Sunflowers Are Pretty and Easy To Grow" by Newyorkrita

3 people gave for the idea "Glossary Addition" by gg5

2 people gave for post #808240 in "Adios, Dave's Garden" by Metrosideros

2 people gave for a photo of Coral Bells (Heuchera villosa 'Miracle') by eclayne

2 people gave for post #809105 in "Making the plant list private" by Seedfork

The most active threads this week:

Subject OP Area Replies
Seed starting over-crowding help, please.GardenGooberAsk a Question forum80
The Ghio catalog is here!MoirisIrises forum67
green pages questiontexaskitty111Ask a Question forum57
Making the plant list privatevitrsnaSite Talk forum52
Coffee grounds time to provide nitrogendlchasta35Ask a Question forum43
What are your sure signs of Spring?ge1836Northeast Gardening forum30
Beefriends and Other Friends too!! two and IIdirtdorphinsGardening for Butterflies, Birds and Bees forum28
Happy Pi Day 3/14/15eestoneSandbox forum28
Schreiner's Catalogtveguy3Irises forum26

Some new reviews from the ATP Green Pages:

dyzzypyxxy recommended Tomato Growers Supply and wrote:

Great selection of so many varieties of tomatoes, and also peppers and eggplant. I've had excellent service, quick delivery from them and I like that they are a local Florida based company.

dyzzypyxxy recommended Tropiflora and wrote:

Lucky for me, I live fairly near Tropiflora so they have not had to send me anything. It is my gardener's 'treat' to go and visit there, and I make it a point to attend their spring and fall Plant Festivals. If you are ever visiting this area, be sure to go to Tropiflora, and save room to take home plants! Fabulous unusual plants, the most impressive array of bromeliads and tillandsias I've ever seen, and wonderful supplies. It is totally worthwhile to join their VIPP program. You get a discount, and one e-mail per week with their specials listed.

plantladylin recommended Tropicalplantsandmore.com and wrote:

Gee, I'm sorry I'm so late in writing this review. Last summer I ordered a couple of Orchids and a bark slab mount for my Staghorn Fern and I can't express how happy I was with my purchases. Tropical Plants and More gets an A+ from me; Ken offers quality products and very healthy plants! The packing and shipping was outstanding and the plants were perfect upon arrival. I will definitely be a returning customer!

dyzzypyxxy recommended Texas Water Lilies and wrote:

Good service and nice, healthy plants from Texas Water Lilies. I like their selection and their prices are pretty reasonable even compared to buying locally.

dyzzypyxxy recommended Carter and Holmes Orchids and wrote:

I've had very nice healthy plants from C & H twice now. They are beautifully packaged, and come potted nicely in a very good medium.

needrain recommended Kartuz Greenhouses and wrote:

I have ordered from Kartuz Greenhouses. I was more than satisfied with the shipment when it arrived. I think they are a relatively small family business which specialize in some niche plants that aren't really commonly found otherwise.

valleylynn recommended High Country Gardens and wrote:

I have ordered several times from High Country Gardens in the last couple of years. I have always been more than happy with the condition of the plants upon arrival. Here is the package that arrived today (3/12/2015). Wonderful packing and healthy plants ready to grow.

DonShirer recommended The Beginner's Guide to Growing Heirloom Vegetables and wrote:

Covers most veggies from Artichokes to Winter Squash. More than half of the 100+ varieties she recommends I had never heard of. Her advice for beginners on growing them is sound and she includes an appendix on seed-saving. Available in Softcover and E-book editions.

farmerdill recommended Johnnys Selected Seeds and wrote:

Johnny's is an excellent company with prompt courteous service. I especially like the straightforward descriptions without hyperbole. They carry varieties for both market growers and home gardeners, so the selection of modern varieties is good. It is the second company that I go to for seeds.

We keep growing, because ATP is where all the excitement is these days! Check out these numbers from last week: