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Gardening Advice
Some flower bulbs will not survive cold winters and need to be dug up and stored indoors over winter. Among these are cannas, elephant ears, gladiolus, tuberous begonias, dahlias, and other summer favorites. Many of these bulbs are expensive, yet they’re easy to keep, so it is worth it! Here’s how to store bulbs over winter.What Are Tender Bulbs?Unlike spring bulbs, your …
Summer’s over! Time to breathe some new life into your landscape with fresh fall containers. Remove those tired summer annuals that have finally given up the ghost and replace them with something new and cold-hardy. Here’s a list of cool-weather plants for those fall containers.Many of the plants that gardeners in colder areas grow as annuals are actually tender perennials hardy in zones 8…
Did you know that there are Easter, Thanksgiving, AND Christmas cacti? How can you tell the difference among these holiday cacti? Find out with these helpful pictures!Holiday cacti such as the Christmas cactus, Thanksgiving cactus, and Easter cactus are all hybrids of Brazilian forest cacti. Thanksgiving and Christmas cacti are members of the genus Schlumbergera.Easter cactus…
You probably have heard the terms “determinate” and “indeterminate” applied to tomato plants and wondered what they meant. The differences are not mysterious; they are all about the way different tomato plants grow. We’ll explain.Determinate Vs. Indeterminate TomatoesTo get to the short answer …Determinate plants are “bush” tomatoes and only grow until they reach a fixed size. (…
Libraries are not just for lending books. A rapidly growing trend is for libraries to offer seeds to their gardening patrons! You may be surprised to learn that there are a multitude of things available at your local branch beyond books. Depending on the need in your community you can borrow tools, appliances, medical devices including walkers, crutches, and blood pressure cuffs,…
Now that you have grown and harvested beautiful fresh vegetables from your garden, how will you store them? Not everyone has access to a root cellar. Here are other ways to store your harvest to keep your homegrown fruits and vegetables ready to eat through the winter months!In our great-grandmother’s day, most houses had a root cellar or a cold storage room somewhere in the house.…
Lavender grows best outdoors, but you can also keep these aromatic gems alive inside through winter. Plus, lavender is not only pretty—its scent also brings a sense of calm to every room. Here are some lovely lavender varieties and advice on overwintering lavender.Is Lavender a Perennial or Annual?A fragrant and colorful plant native to Europe and Western Asia, lavender is a sun-loving…
Here’s a fall vegetable garden cleanup checklist with 11 tasks to do before the weather gets uncomfortably cold. If you’ve ever forgotten to clean up in the fall, you’ll know it makes life much easier in the spring—and it’s also better to clean up for the health of your garden.When to Start Fall CleanupWhenever you see summer plants dying or diseased, remove them to avoid disease.…
Time to mulch! Most of us know the amazing benefits of mulch in the garden. But when should you mulch? How much should you mulch? Can you mulch too much? What type of mulch is best? See our guide on how to mulch your garden beds and plants.Mulch has been called the gardener’s friend—and for good reason. In the spring, mulch retains moisture, suppresses weeds, and prevents …
You can save seeds from this year’s pumpkins to plant next year! It’s fun to grow your own jack-o’-lanterns. Here’s how to store those seeds this fall and plant in the spring!You also save money by growing your own. Pumpkins are easy enough to grow and require very little pampering. And if you have a special heirloom variety, you can try to grow it again!Saving Pumpkin Seeds1…
One of the most magnificent garden mainstays is the common herbaceous peony (Paeonia lactiflora). See reasons why peonies should be in your garden, plus 10 tips on planting and caring for these beauties. (Don’t forget to support their heads!)6 Reasons Why Peonies Should Be in Your GardenPeony plants are so long-lived that it is commonly said that peonies will outlive the gardeners who…
Who doesn’t treasure Hawaii? It’s a group of tropical islands filled with a stunning variety of flora and fauna! Say aloha to these 22 tropical beauties! (And, yes, you can grow some of these flowers for your own garden paradise!)Hawaii’s Floral DiversityAbout 1,000 species of plants are native to Hawaii, and about half of those are found nowhere else in the world. Sadly, almost one-…
