Growers Guide for Aucuba Japonica

Evergreen shrubs, 5-6 ft. high, with large, glossy, laurel-like green or variegated leaves and clusters of red fruits, each containing a single seed. The flowers are small and not showy, and male and female flowers are borne on different plants. They grow wild in Japan, China, and the Himalayas, and belong to the Dogwood family, Cornaceae. The word Aucuba is […]

Drought Tolerant Plants

Drought-tolerant plants have become increasingly popular as eco-conscious individuals and gardeners seek sustainable landscaping solutions. These resilient plants are designed to thrive in arid conditions, requiring minimal water input while still adding vibrancy and beauty to your garden or landscape. With climate change and water scarcity concerns on the rise, the demand for drought-tolerant options has surged. Incorporating these plants […]

How to make a Hypertufa trough

Hypertufa is a cast “rock-like” material which can be used for relatively inexpensive bonsai pots and slabs for plantings. It looks like rock, can be cast into almost any shape, is very lightweight and also strong enough to withstand the freeze/thaw cycle of most northern climates. The American Rock Garden Society uses the following basic recipe to create alpine troughs. […]

Gardening with Shade Flowers

When acquiring plants for a shade garden, remember that plants grow slowly in the shade, so get large plants. Plants often grow differently in the shade and some experimentation with size and blooming times are in order. The following plants grow well in deep shade. While the common Bleeding Heart will take some shade, the Fern Leaf Bleeding Heart (Dicentra […]

Water Garden Aquatic Fiberglass pool

Since the introduction of fiberglass pools, tremendous interest has been shown in medium-sized garden pools. Sitting the pool Before constructing any pool careful thought should be given to the sitting. To create a successful bog garden or water garden, it must be situated right out in the open, in full sun. Although not essential, it is advantageous to give protection […]

How to Shade Your Big Pumpkin for the Weigh-Off

Additional Pumpkin Pages HowTo Grow –Records – Clipart – Seeds – Poems – Phantom – Carving – Pumpkin Recipes – FAQ’s – How Big is it? Shading your pumpkin By Jack LaRue I prefer a large, dry, well ventilated shade structure over the pumpkin. The materials needed to build one of these covers are: 3 – 10 foot pieces of […]

Hollyhock: A Perennials Guide to Planting Flowers

A constant, old-fashioned garden favorite! Hollyhocks have been universally admired for hundreds of years. They are stately, majestic, towering plants that add beauty wherever they are grown. What other plant has such a stately habit or so many transparent, lovely colors In single plants or masses against walls or buildings, in groups at the back or rear of the perennial […]

Primrose: Perennials Guide to Planting Flowers

Hardy Primroses are showy plants which fit in well with any Spring bedding design. The small flowers are graceful and dainty and the varieties can be so chosen that they will be in bloom from April for a month. Primroses grow from 6 inches to 18 inches high and have light green, hairy leaves. The colors of the hardy sorts […]

Harvesting Summer Vegetables

Knowing when to harvest vegetables is just as important as knowing how to grow them.  Some have a long time over which you can harvest, others must be harvested at just the proper stage of ripening.  Harvest at the wrong time, and your vegetables may not ripen properly if too young, or be tough and bitter if too old. You […]

Growing Carrots

Growing Carrots Carrots are generally bright orange-red in color, and there are a number of different types and shapes. New varieties have been introduced over recent years to remove the woody yellow cores from carrot roots and this explains the terms ‘red cored’ and ‘red cored improved’ attached to some varietal names. About this Plant… Family: -Umbelliferae Genus, species:  -Daucus carota […]