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Gardeners practiced the concept of the three R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, long before it became trendy. People who grow things have a special relationship with the land and they naturally take steps to take care of it. Take composting for example, they have always known that recycled plant material was beneficial to the soil. Nothing from my grandmother’s garden or […]
CALCEOLARIA (Calceola’ria). Mostly tender perennials of herbaceous or shrubby growth, principally natives of Chile and Peru, and belonging to the Snapdragon family, Scrophulariaceae. Calceolarias vary in height from 6 in. to 3 ft. The flowers are slipper-like and are mostly yellow in color, with the exception of those of the herbaceous Calceolarias, which display a wide range of colors. The […]
The description bedding plant is not an exact one and only means that the plant is grown elsewhere in some quantity and then planted out as a temporary occupant of the bed; this being known as `bedding out’. The bedding plant in private gardens has, in general, had its day, since this style of gardening entails much expense. In public […]
Gardening is such an integral part of my life, that I can’t imagine not doing it. That’s why I cringe inside whenever I hear someone say, “If we have a drought and water restrictions this spring and summer, I just won’t plant my garden.” Drought and water restrictions may force us to act differently. It may even force us to […]
Most of us, male and female, know what it is like to be overdue for a haircut. One day you wake up and your hair is going in all kinds of new directions. Old cowlicks return like bad checks, curls straggle over earlobes or shoulders. Waves are in the wrong places, and creating the usual arrangement, which is as automatic […]
The world is full of odors, and some of them are not good. Then again, “good” is a relative term. The source of one person’s aromatherapy is the cause of another person’s allergy attack. The human nose is a complicated thing, and the human brain is even more so. Still, most gardeners are fond of fragrant plants, a fact […]
It is both irritating and encouraging to have a string of rainy days during the busiest season of the gardening year. Irritating because there is so much to do outside, and so little time to get all the planting, weeding, mulching and other chores done. Encouraging because the rain is needed, and, frankly, so is the respite. I like to […]