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If your passion is vegetable gardening, you may have had this experience: All your children are grown, but your vegetable garden hasn’t gotten any smaller. Your neighbors and closest friends don’t seem to be at home when you, loaded down with garden produce, knock on their doors. You begin to get a distinct impression that they are trying to avoid […]
Edible flowers are a wonderful way to spruce up your meals and add character to your table. Many flowers that we consider common weeds or only ornamentals for our garden can make a grand entrance to our kitchens. Basic knowledge is needed for the proper identification of edible flowers. Use several books with clear photos to cross reference information on […]
Many native solitary bees are found throughout North America, and together with other bee species such as honeybees and bumblebees, they are important pollinators of fruit and vegetables. When the daytime high temperature reaches 14 C (57°F), the Blue Orchard bee starts to emerge. The males emerge a few days before the females. They mate and then the female looks […]
Fresh herbs are in season all across the country, so Grandma’s kitchen is now festooned with great bunches drying for winter cooking and Grandma’s famous Herb Wreaths. Basil, thyme, summer savory, rosemary, sage, parsley, oregano, dill and mint are all prime candidates for home drying – and you can save a bundle by drying your own. If you are lucky […]
While tea roses and a few other types usually don’t survive in cold climates, many of the new series, as well as some of the older shrub rose cultivars (cultivated varieties), can survive cold winters with some protection. While these methods don’t guarantee that your rose plants will survive, they’ll surely help those that are marginally hardy. Roses can be […]
Background Compared to its more succulent cousins like cabbage and broccoli, Kale is often regarded as a “coarse” vegetable, suitable only for the winter garden. How untrue! The leaves are rich with Vitamin A & C, iron and calcium and the beautifully frilled Japanese varieties are an ornament in any garden and make a striking garnish on any dish. On […]
As winter approaches, it’s tempting just to sit back and put your feet up and not have to think about the garden until springtime. However, just a bit of extra work at this time of the year can save you a whole lot of hassle come planting time. Garden clean-up, the last big chore for gardeners, is often overlooked, especially […]
Then comes the question of protection, which I am convinced is made too much of, so far, at least, as concerns gardens in the southern England counties. I live in Middlesex, and I never protect any of my roses. Out of the many I have from time to time planted I can only remember losing one. Of course, if I […]
Plant breeders have given us roses that grow well under difficult conditions and bloom almost continuously from early summer to frost. Proper plant nutrition is easy and simple to provide with the use of complete plant food that supplies all the vital elements needed from the soil. Insect and disease problems can be prevented easily with regular use of insecticide-fungicide […]
To help you decide whether a particular rose is suitable for your rose garden design, the heights and vigor are included, but it must be remembered that under very good growing conditions, these are likely to be greater, and vice versa. The heights, unless specified, are graded as below: short: up to 2 ft. 3 in.; medium: 2 ft. 6 […]