Growing Plants Under Artificial Lights
When growing plants indoors it is often difficult to provide the proper amount of light required to maintain a happy and healthy specimen. With the onslaught of winter the days are shorter and the nights are longer limiting the amount of available natural sunlight.
Pruning Fundamentals
The first thing to look for when pruning a tree is broken, diseased or dead branches, all of which should be removed. Many deciduous shrubs can really benefit from annual pruning. Pruning not only controls the size of these shrubs, but it can also increase flower production and encourage colorful bark.
Early Spring-Blooming Perennials
When winter is long and dreary, it can seem like your precious flowerbeds will never burst into life again. Early spring flowers, however, are precious proof that winter is on its way out, and some can even bloom in bright, cheerful colors right through lingering snow. Yet we often forget these beauties, overcome with the […]
Rotating Your Vegetable Crops
Whether you just plant a few tomatoes, herbs and some lettuce or an elaborate garden complete with exotic selections of lesser known veggies, you’ll want to rotate your crops each year. All types of vegetable crops – brassicas, onions, legumes and root crops – require a slightly different blend of nutrients and trace elements, even […]
How Many Houseplants Do You Need?
Houseplants bring many benefits into your home, from reducing odors, airborne toxins, and dust to increasing humidity and promoting a sense of wellness. Just how many houseplants do you need, however, to realize those benefits? The answer is more complicated than just a basic number. Basic Houseplant Calculations The general rule of thumb for how […]
Easy-to-Grow Indoor Herbs for Winter
Even though it may be miserable weather outside, don’t be stuck having to buy overpriced fresh herbs at the store or using dried. Why not grow your own inside the house? Most common herbs will grow quite happily in a sunny window. Your kitchen may be the perfect spot. After all, it's probably warm and sunny there.
Feeding the Birds
When a bird’s natural plant food has waned or withered away in late winter, a few well-placed feeders can entice a feathered friend to stay nearby. There are four basic types of feeders, but the type of feeder and food it’s filled with will determine which birds will visit. Which do you want in your […]
Keeping a Garden Journal
Who should keep a garden journal? EVERYONE should keep a garden journal! Remember the old saying, "If your life is worth living, it's worth recording." So, why would your garden be any different? Whether you are recording your landscape, a vegetable garden, or both, the details make the difference.
Seed Starting
Starting seeds indoors is a rewarding gardening experience and can help extend your growing season to include more plant varieties than your outdoor season may permit. Furthermore, a larger selection of seed varieties doesn’t limit your opportunities to growing only those transplants that are available at planting time. The key to success in growing seedlings […]
Winter Gardener’s Calendar
A perfect time to plan! Curl up with your gardening books and the gardening magazines and catalogs you’ve received in the mail. Get out the gardening journal and start dreaming… General Landscape Clean up when you get a break in the weather. Remove fallen branches and downed evergreen clumps. Rake leaves to prevent stains on […]
