Your Backyard Garden Information Source
Begonias Large-flowered begonias are usually grown from tubers, but they can be grown from seed and they will flower about eight months after sowing if sufficient heat is available. There are many other kinds of begonias with fibrous roots and some with rhizomes. Typical of this type are the B. rex cultivars with multi-colored leaves. These will grow well along […]
A DIFFERENT STRIPE Most of the time I lead a rather dull life, and I like it that way. There are days, of course, when I throw caution to the winds and eat shredded wheat instead of toast for breakfast. There are other days when I go for a walk at noon instead of first thing in the morning. But […]
House walls, garden walls, fences, archways, pergolas, trellises, poles, either single or erected tripod fashion and other vertical or near-vertical features, provide the gardener with another dimension in which to grow plants. There are attractive plants available for this purpose, many of which benefit from the extra shelter provided by a wall or fence. Types of plant Suitable plants include […]
The pea is a vegetable which helps the soil, has an interesting history, is easy to grow, and is a more versatile food than you might know. It is loaded with helpful vitamins, protective phytonutrients that provide antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits, protein and fiber. They’re low in fats but, what they have, are healthy omega-3 fats. Some research (whfoods.org) indicates […]
All gardens look wonderful with various perennials and low growing shrubs, but consideration must also be given for plants that provide height. When plants are grown at all the same height it looks like something is missing, yet when a vine, flowering or not, is placed into the garden, that feeling disappears. Vines can be grown along a fence placed […]
HEDGES THAT CAN TAKE IT! Seemingly, many home gardeners fail to appreciate the value and proper use of pruning shears, plant food, and mulches in the care of hedges. It doesn’t take a lot of time or effort to grow beautiful hedges, and hedge plants are not especially exacting in their requirements, but a few conditions must be met. SELECT […]
CALLISTEMON—Bottle-Brush Tree (Calliste’mon). Tender evergreen flowering shrubs from Australia which belong to the Myrtle family, Myrtaceae. They are well adapted for growing outdoors in California and in similar mild climates and for greenhouse cultivation elsewhere. They have narrow, dark-green, leathery leaves, which are slightly aromatic when crushed. The flowers are densely packed in terminal cylindrical spikes resembling a bottle brush […]
DESIGNING, SIZE, SHAPE AND DEPTH OF YOUR POND By the Pond Lady Once you have settled on a potential site for your pond, you need to decide on the size. If you want fish and a variety of plants, it would be best to have a larger in-ground pond. This doesn’t mean you would not be successful with a half-barrel […]
Whether you are planting the grounds of a new home or improving the garden of an established home, start with a plan. Your garden can express you the same as oils on a canvas express the artist. There are no rigid rules in garden planning but you’ll get more satisfaction from your effort if you keep these points in mind […]
Cottage Gardens The cottage garden tradition is one that is peculiarly English in character. The old-world charm of the cottager’s plot owed little or nothing to any of the major developments in garden design or landscape architecture. The English cottage garden just ‘happened’ and its chief attraction lies in the effect of ordered chaos that it produces. Like the wild […]