Professional Gardening Tips
Shallots Some people prefer the milder flavor of shallot, Allium ascalonicum, which they grow in place of onions. However, shallots are grown for pickling. When stocks of non-bolting onion sets were not available, many gardeners found shallot growing far easier […]
Climbing leaf-losing shrubby plants, from Brazil, which belong to the family Nyctaginaceae. They are cultivated outdoors in the far South and in colder climates in greenhouses. The slender woody stems are furnished with small, ovate to elliptic-lanceolate, green leaves and […]
DRAINAGE One of the greatest drawbacks to successful gardening is badly drained ground. Wherever water lies in the ground at a depth easily reached by the roots of most cultivated plants they do not thrive, except where the water is […]
Sow celery thinly in pots or boxes in heat in March for early varieties, or in a cold house in mid-April for the main crop. Prick off into deep seed boxes as soon as the seedlings are large enough to […]
Seed Seeds are produced by plants following the fertilization of the flower, as a means of reproducing the plant. Each seed is a plant embryo, which consists of a minute shoot and root and a store of food. The food […]
From the Latin salveo, meaning save or heal, used by Pliny with reference to the medicinal qualities of some species (Labiatae). A large genus of over 700 species of hardy, half-hardy and tender annual, biennial, perennial plants and shrubs, some […]
Commemorating Paeon, an ancient Greek physician, is said to have first used P. officinalis medicinally. Although the genus has long been considered a member of the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae, some modern botanists now place it in a family of its […]
One of the most enjoyable aspects of landscaping is reviving the gardens of older properties, where generations have pottered and pruned. The Cottage Garden Challenge We had been asked to restore the charm of a cottage garden. The clients knew […]
Preparation: Tomatoes can be frozen whole, sliced, diced or halved. If you prefer to freeze our tomatoes without their skins, dip them in boiling water for about a minute until the skins split, then carefully peel them away from the […]
Over the course of 130 years, spanning from 1893 to 2023, the cultivation of giant pumpkins has undergone a remarkable evolution. In 1893, the exploration of oversized pumpkins was in its nascent stages, marked by growers experimenting with novel approaches. […]