It's time to read and vote for your favorite article in the 2013 Write-Off Contest! The four finalist's articles are featured in the May 13 newsletter and can be found through this link. Hurry! Voting ends May 18.
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Whether you’ve found the Gardening for Wildlife forum or whether you’re running out of excuses your homeowner's association will accept for your brush piles and overgrown flower beds, backyard wildlife habitat certification might be just right for you! Learn more…
My husband had a conference in Amsterdam recently, and as soon as I discovered the Keukenhof would open its season that week I knew I had to make the trip with him. I'd admired the world's most spectacular display of spring flowering bulbs for years in magazines and gardening catalogs and was overjoyed at the thought of seeing the gardens in person.
Thinking about getting a dehydrator for the bumper crop of tomatoes you hope to have this summer? But how much do you need to spend? Which dehydrator is right for you? And once you have it, what can you do with it?
At a recent craft show, I noticed a lot of pottery vendors selling “Ichi ban” vases and bowls with built in “frogs" for flower arranging. No, these frogs weren’t little green amphibians, they were sets of little metal spines to hold flower stems upright. If you love bringing in a few blooms, a frog could be your new best friend!
Garden labels help you keep track of seedlings under lights and in winter sowing containers. They’re also invaluable for helping you remember what you planted where when plants are dormant as well as for keeping track of special cultivars. But they are worthless if you can’t read them…
Why start pepper plants from seed? In addition to the three colors of bell peppers and choice of jalapeno or cayenne offered at your local box store, you’ll find an enormous range of choices available from seed. Whether you love the hottest of the hotties or the biggest sweeties, you can grow an assortment perfectly tailored to your tastes and your garden.
Trailing African violets aren’t any trickier to grow than their single-crowned counterparts, but grooming them can be a challenge. Is yours refusing to branch out? Growing into a dense tangle? I’ve got some tips on getting your trailer to shape up.
I’ll never forget the first trailing African violet I saw, cascading from its pot down over the edge of the sales counter at the Carousel of Violets in Winston-Salem. I had no clue that African violets grew in such a fashion, and I’ve been entranced by trailers ever since.
Many of us have decorated a Christmas tree or two or many more. And some of us have been more adventuresome, putting twinkle lights on a lemon tree or hanging small ornaments on a philodendron. But why not decorate your houseplants for every day? Your special plants deserve a little “bling!”
Hanging baskets are one of the easiest ways to have plants inside your home. They don’t take up floor space, and you can put them out of reach of kids and pets. But how do you achieve lushly planted baskets without breaking the bank? Pass-along plants! Many common varieties of houseplants root readily from cuttings and make ideal hanging basket subjects.
Imagine my surprise a few years back to discover that the cinnamon I’d been sprinkling on toast and cookies for years wasn’t the real deal! Both cinnamons are derived from tree bark, but “true cinnamon” or Ceylon Cinnamon is a different species than the cinnamon most of us know in the U.S. I’m glad I found out about the real deal cinnamon, as it’s another wonderful choice for baking and cooking!
As we watched houses going up in our new development, one thing that struck us was how many homes had big front porches. We took this as a good sign of neighbors who wanted to gather and talk, to enjoy a chat over a cup of coffee while the kids played together on the cul-de-sac. I was thinking about coffee the other day, and conversation, and how communities evolve. It seems to me we’ve built a community here on DG that’s every bit as vital and friendly as any geographically based neighborhood…
Whether you embark on the adventure of distilling your own essential oils from your garden or purchase essential oils to use for this project, handmade scented soaps make beautiful, thoughtful gifts.
I love lavender! The color of the blooms, the wonderful scent, the lovely silvery-green of the foliage, all combine to make it one of my very favorite plants. Recently, I had the remarkable experience of visiting a lavender farm in Washington State, where I picked up some great tips for harvesting and using lavender…
Making a snake from an old necktie is a great way to get kids past the fear factor to the fun factor of learning a bit about these helpful garden companions.
Collecting your own seeds is a great way to save money. If you trade seeds with others, you can end up with a great variety of seeds for only the cost of postage. If you need flats of ground covers or other plants, starting from seed is a good way to economize. Not having to buy the seed is better yet! But first you have to get out into the garden and find the seeds…
Wish you could meet some of the people you’ve chatted with? Want a chance to swap plants, trade seeds, and “talk plants” in person with people who’ll find your begonias as fascinating as you do? You need to get together with some fellow DGers!
Raspberry jam from green tomatoes? No way! Set aside your doubts. It’s easy to make and looks just like the “real thing.” Plus, it’ll give you something entertaining to do with those last few green tomatoes…
During cucumber season, my mandoline becomes my favorite kitchen gadget. With it, cucumbers practically slice themselves – thinly and evenly, piling up in delectable heaps to be used in every way imaginable. Whether you use a mandoline or a trusty knife, you’ll love freshly sliced cucumbers in everything from hors d’oeuvres to refrigerator pickles!
You've been harvesting a bounty of basil all summer, pinching and pinching to keep the plants from blooming so the leaves will stay sweet. By now, some of your basil plants may be out of control and blooming madly. Rather than trying to stop them, let them do their thing and harvest a bumper crop of seeds to share and trade. It’s time to let your basil bloom!
Whether you’re new to irises or have beds filled with hundreds of carefully labeled varieties, this is an exciting time of year! Mid to late summer is the time when growers and gardeners alike take a look at their beds and decide to divide overcrowded iris clumps for better growth and bloom. That’s great news for gardeners looking for a good deal on beautiful irises!
Whether you grow bush beans or pole beans in your garden, seek out snap beans at a local farmers market, or luck into a fresh delivery of green beans at the grocery store, these slender veggies are a favorite summer treat. Read on for more about growing, harvesting, and preparing these garden-fresh delights…
Is your home orchard or local market providing a bounty of fresh fruit this summer? Are you looking for an alternative to preserving it as jam? Is your freezer getting full? It’s time to get out your dehydrator (or borrow one). You can dehydrate slices of fresh fruit, of course, but you can also make delicious fruit leathers or roll-ups in a snap!
Do you like the little pint containers of grape or cherry tomatoes in the grocery store? They’re easy to grow, and they’re even tastier fresh off the vine. They come in a rainbow of colors, too!
Bring the sweet scent of lavender into your home by making decorative, magical lavender wands! Step by step photos make this simple project even easier.
Have you looked at those bright brochures and wondered if a mini-tiller might be right for you? Last spring, I took the “satisfaction guaranteed” plunge…
Mint! Maybe you love its fresh flavor, maybe you hate the way it tries to take over every plant in its path. But did you know how busy the hybridizers have been with this common garden plant? They’ve produced some truly wonderful varieties that just might make it onto your next “must have” list.
You just bought a beautiful tree in a pot, and you have the perfect spot for it in your yard. What’s the best way to plant it? This step by step photo tutorial answers some common questions about planting trees.
Do you want dozens of daylilies for a border? Are you more willing to spend patience than money in order to get them? Do you like surprises? Then starting daylilies from seed is just the project for you!
Although some swapping is done locally or at DG roundups, a lot of the plant trading at Dave’s Garden happens by mail. How can you pack plants so they survive several days of cross-country transportation? How can you package plants so they don’t end up being heavy and costly to ship? This step by step guide to packing bare root plants for shipping will show you.
Creeping thymes are a wonderful way to add different textures and fragrances to your landscape. They’re easy to propagate, so you can turn a couple of plants into a nice border for a sunny bed.
You can attract and protect honeybees and other important pollinators in your garden. Feed them. Shelter them. Don’t kill them. Sound simple? It really is!
Friends see the lush green plantings at our house and exclaim, “Oh, you have such a green thumb! What’s your secret?” I say, “I water them,” and they look at me in disbelief. But watering – not watering enough, or watering so much that plant roots get soggy – may be the biggest issue for those who think their thumbs are black. Fortunately, it’s often an easy problem to solve. Polymer moisture crystals are one of the best watering aids I’ve found.
Trees provide structure and “bones” for landscape design. Even a single well chosen specimen can provide a wonderful focal point or anchor a garden bed. Whether you have space for one tree or for dozens, you’ll enjoy them more if you put some thought into choosing them. Planting trees to commemorate an occasion or to remember a special person can give personal meaning to your landscape.
For me, spring planting is one of the best times of year in the garden. I bury my hands in the rich, warm soil. I gently pop each plant from its pot and tuck it into the garden bed, firming the earth around it. I take my time, admiring each seedling and imagining the plant it will become. Here are a few tips to help your spring planting go smoothly…
The weather is warming, your garden is tilled, and you can’t wait to plant out all the little seedlings on your light shelf. Stop! Put down your trowel. Your seedlings need a little time and help to get used to the Great Outdoors before you put them into the ground.
