No matter where you live, the conservation and wise use of water in our gardens and landscapes is important. Sustainable water use helps grow beautiful gardens while conserving water and helping reduce water pollution and stormwater overflows. Amend the soil with compost or other organic matter to increase the soil’s ability to absorb and retain… Continue reading Sustainable Water Use in the Landscape
Category: Hobbies
Composting Directly in the Garden
Don’t toss those imperfect lettuce leaves, onion tops and strawberry tops into the trash. Instead, convert them into compost right in the garden. Worm and pile composting are great ways to manage these scraps. But if these methods aren’t for you, try trench composting. This centuries old technique is low effort and effective. The process is basically invisible, eliminates the need to turn… Continue reading Composting Directly in the Garden
Managing Garden Pests with Pollinators in Mind
Every garden season is filled with beautiful and tasty surprises along with a few challenges. One challenge gardeners face each year is managing insect pests while keeping the pollinators safe. Fortunately, only a very small percent of insects in our landscapes are harmful. The rest help pollinate plants, feed upon or parasitize bad insects, or help… Continue reading Managing Garden Pests with Pollinators in Mind
Enjoy Your Garden After Dark with Landscape Lighting
Enjoy your garden and landscape once the sun sets with strategically placed and attractive landscape lighting. Select the best type of light that complements your garden design and best accomplishes the intended purpose. Solar powered lighting eliminates the need for outdoor outlets, extension cords or buried low voltage lines. The solar panels charge during sunny… Continue reading Enjoy Your Garden After Dark with Landscape Lighting
Enjoy Your Garden After Dark with Landscape Lighting
Enjoy your garden and landscape once the sun sets with strategically placed and attractive landscape lighting. Select the best type of light that complements your garden design and best accomplishes the intended purpose. Solar powered lighting eliminates the need for outdoor outlets, extension cords or buried low voltage lines. The solar panels charge during sunny… Continue reading Enjoy Your Garden After Dark with Landscape Lighting
Use Rain Barrels to Capture Rainwater
Put rainwater to use in your landscape with the help of rain barrels. This centuries old technique allows you to capture rainfall to use for watering ornamental gardens and containers. Always start with a call to your local municipality. Some have restrictions on water harvesting, but most encourage this practice and some even offer rebates or… Continue reading Use Rain Barrels to Capture Rainwater
Increase Your Perennial Garden’s Beauty This Spring
Give your perennials a boost this spring with a topdressing of compost, aged manure, or other organic matter. It’s a great way to revive tired gardens, improve a garden’s overall health, and keep vibrant perennials healthy and blooming. Research found topdressing your garden with compost every year or two provides most, if not all… Continue reading Increase Your Perennial Garden’s Beauty This Spring
Enlist Nature’s Help for Managing Garden Pests
Put away the harsh chemicals and work in concert with nature to manage pests in the garden. Create an inviting habitat for nature’s pest controllers to enlist their help with your gardening efforts. Lady beetles, praying mantis and other beneficial insects feed on damaging pests like aphids. Just tolerate a bit of damage and wait… Continue reading Enlist Nature’s Help for Managing Garden Pests
Take a Color-Themed Approach for More Attractive Arrangements
Growing dahlias is a must for anyone who loves cutting and arranging flowers. But there are hundreds of beautiful dahlia varieties to choose from and that can be overwhelming. To make the selection process easier, choose compatible colors that will look good together in the garden and in arrangements. The combination of peach and… Continue reading Take a Color-Themed Approach for More Attractive Arrangements
Vertical Gardening Maximizes Beauty and Harvest
Go vertical to expand your outdoor gardening space, create privacy and add beauty to bare walls and fences. This centuries-old technique has been used to grow food and flowers, adding beauty and productivity from the ground up. Even those gardening on small city lots, balconies and decks can go vertical to expand their gardening opportunities.… Continue reading Vertical Gardening Maximizes Beauty and Harvest
Bring a Bit of Spring Indoors
Many gardeners are busy pruning shrubs to remove winter damage, control the size, or provide a bit of shaping before the season is well under way. Save some of the branches or cut a few from spring flowering shrubs to brighten your indoors. You’ll enjoy the added spring color provided by branches of forsythia, quince,… Continue reading Bring a Bit of Spring Indoors
Boost Your Garden’s Harvest While Reducing Pest Problems
Boost this year’s harvest and reduce pest problems with less effort, while being kind to the environment. Employ row covers, chicken wire cloches and crop cages to prevent damage without the aid of chemicals. Floating row covers of spun-bonded or woven materials let air, light, and water through to the covered plantings. The… Continue reading Boost Your Garden’s Harvest While Reducing Pest Problems
From Seed to Bouquet – Grow Your Own Flowers for Cutting
You don’t need a lot of space or a big budget to grow and enjoy garden-fresh bouquets. Just fill a few vacant spaces, add an extra row in garden beds or fill a container with easy care flowers started from seeds. You’ll jump-start the season and enjoy earlier blooms by starting some of the… Continue reading From Seed to Bouquet – Grow Your Own Flowers for Cutting
Save Money and Boost Seed Starting Success
Boost your success, save money, and reduce plastic waste when starting plants from seeds this year. The options are many, so you are sure to find one that works for you. Reuse plastic containers for starting plants from seeds. Disinfect the pots, flats, and cell packs before planting to avoid problems with damping off and… Continue reading Save Money and Boost Seed Starting Success
Raised Bed Gardening Provides Easy Access and Increased Productivity
Raise your garden to new heights for easier access and greater productivity. Raised beds allow you to overcome poor soil by creating the ideal growing mix. They also make gardening more comfortable thanks to less bending and kneeling. Whether you purchase a kit or build your own, there are a few things to consider when… Continue reading Raised Bed Gardening Provides Easy Access and Increased Productivity
Grow a Few Vegetables Indoors This Winter
Limited outdoor growing space or cold winters may have you missing fresh homegrown vegetables. Make this the winter you try growing a few vegetables in a sunny window or under artificial lights. Greens are one of the easiest to grow indoors. Most leafy vegetables tolerate the lower light indoors, require minimal space, and prefer cool… Continue reading Grow a Few Vegetables Indoors This Winter
Growing and Reblooming Moth Orchids
Brighten your indoor décor with beautiful blooming orchids. These living bouquets provide months of beauty with minimal care. Just provide the proper growing conditions and success is sure to follow. Start with a Phalaenopsis, moth orchid, that is best suited to the home environment making it the easiest to grow. Purchase a healthy plant with… Continue reading Growing and Reblooming Moth Orchids
Delight Friends and Family with Winter-Blooming Bulbs
Give a holiday gift that is guaranteed to bring joy and feelings of well-being. Research by Rutgers University found the gift of flowers generates a smile, elevates the recipient’s mood, and provides feelings of happiness that last for days. Amaryllis and paperwhite bulbs make it easy for anyone to enjoy these benefits by growing their… Continue reading Delight Friends and Family with Winter-Blooming Bulbs