Your Backyard Garden Information Source
MAY is the joyous month of the year, when old and young are working in their gardens. Perennials are now coming into bloom, but the various bulbous flowers are putting forth every effort to distract our attention from their fair sisters. The unwise annuals are growing, preparing for their profusion of bloom, overlooking the fact that other plants are conserving […]
Gardening tasks you should perform this month if you live in the Northern Hemisphere. If you don’t know your gardening zone, you can look it up via zip code on the Gardening Zone Page. If you live in the Southern Hemisphere, add six months to find your gardening tasks. Zone 1 Prune flowering fruit trees while in bloom;use cuttings indoors […]
I have a dear friend who is a bona fide curmudgeon. He is convinced that most things are going downhill rapidly, and it doesn’t matter whether the things in question are garlic presses or the ethics of U.S. congressmen. He is upset by the fact that libraries have computerized their catalogs, and saddened that traditional downtown department stores have all […]
Last year I called an avid gardener that I know to set up an interview for an article I was writing for a national publication. She agreed to do the interview but asked that it not take place until after the upcoming weekend. “I have a friend who has cancer,” she said, “And I am going up to Boston to […]
Over a decade ago, playwright John Guare created “Six Degrees of Separation”, a drama with comedic overtones. The title refers to the idea that any individual can be connected in some way to any other individual by no more than six connections or degrees. “Six Degrees of Separation” inspired a game that was popular a few years ago called “Six […]
Many people rely on crocus, tulips and daffodil bulbs to give spring colour, but several other spring bloomers are available to grow. Most are relatively low growing and will tolerate various conditions offered to them, thereby allowing all gardeners to give them a try. Pulmonaria – commonly called “Lungwort” and named for the spotted leaves that were thought to help […]
There are people who voluntarily spend most of their lives indoors, shut away from sunlight, fresh air and anything greener than the occasional potted plant. Those people probably do not feel the rhythm of the seasons, but I do. In the fall, as the days shorten, I find myself turning inward. By the winter solstice, it is hard to get […]
SPRING PRUNING of established roses is always a gamble. If you prune too early, late spring frosts can kill all the canes. If you prune too late, some of the plants’ strength will be lost in the growth of the top shoots (spinach). You and you alone must be the judge of when to prune your roses. All roses must […]
The old saying, “good things come in small packages,” is especially true for the spring bulb garden. Although large Dutch tulips and yellow daffodils certainly have their place in the garden, spring-blooming miniatures–called minor bulbs in the nursery trade–add pizzazz. Most are prolific bloomers, with some, like snow drops and snow crocuses, among the first to flower in the spring. […]
When you have a green thumb, your plants can be as important to you as the furniture in your house. But it’s not easy taking care of fragile plants, especially if you are moving a long distance. Relocating with them can be a stressful time for you and the plants. Fortunately, there are ways you can travel long distances with […]