Professional Gardening Tips
Protection Bulbs during the winter Some hardy bulbs such as Daffodils (Narcissi) may suffer damage from severe frost if they are planted late in beds or borders. They should, therefore, be planted as early as obtainable or be covered with […]
In regions of cold winters, Roses need protection. Hybrid Tea and Floribunda bush Roses will withstand a temperature of about 12 degrees F. but are likely to be damaged by alternating mild and cold spells. They can be protected by […]
In winter, low temperatures as well as too intense light, lack of water (when the soil has frozen the moisture in it cannot be absorbed by the roots), and wind may cause damage. Some harm is directly due to the […]
A mulch is a cover spread over the surface of the soil. Newly-planted fruit trees and shrubs were traditionally mulched with strawy manure immediately after planting. This practice continues to this day. The mulch protects the newly planted tree or […]
The natural everlasting flowers are those with papery petals, often called immortelles, that can be dried and kept for indoor arrangements during the winter. The most common are helichrysums and other members of the daisy family including helipterum, ammobium, anaphalis […]
From the Greek physa, a bladder, an allusion to the inflated calyx (Solanaceae). A genus of 100 or more species of which the two most well-known are P. alkekengi, the Bladder Cherry or Chinese Lantern Plant, with its brilliant, flame-coloured, […]
Ants are unwelcome in the garden for various reasons but chiefly on account of their nest-building activities which interfere with the roots of the plants, often causing death. They may also be a nuisance on lawns. They are often seen […]
BETULA or BIRCH Graceful Trees for Garden and Landscape Planting Hardy, leaf-losing trees and shrubs which give their name to the family Betulaceae. Various kinds are found wild in Europe, Asia and North America and are distinguished by their graceful […]
Welcome to Backyard Gardener Humidity This term is used to express the amount of moisture in the atmosphere, as determined by a hygrometer, or by calculation from the temperatures of a wet and dry bulb thermometer. Obviously little can be […]
BOG GARDEN If there is a very damp position in the garden it may be used as the site of a bog garden for the cultivation of those plants which grow in moist or swampy ground in their native habitats. […]