Asparagus is one of the first vegetables to peer through the cool soil in spring, and what a welcome sight! The heavy snows this past winter provided excellent moisture and insulation for the plants, so the crop is off to a great start. Precisely how to harvest is the subject of some debate among asparagus gardeners. Some prefer to harvest only the very young spear tips. This ensures that only the tender portion of the […]
Try to have a discussion about hydrangea among your gardening friends, and you’re likely to start a rather lively debate. What type to grow, when to prune, why doesn’t it flower and how can I change the flower color from pink to blue are among the most frequently asked hydrangea questions. There are many different species of hydrangea, not to mention cultivars of those species. So, these questions are a bit difficult to answer, unless […]
What better way to melt the snow than a cozy read through garden catalogs with all their promise of mouth-watering produce for the coming season! Here’s a look at just a few of the new vegetable seed offerings for 2010. Try a few alongside your old standby favorites so that you can compare performance in your garden. Basil ‘Amethyst Improved’ is a dark purple basil with large, thick, curled-down leaves similar to the classic variety […]
If someone asked me to design my idea of the “perfect” perennial, it would come pretty darned close to being this year’s selection for Perennial of the Year. Gorgeous purple-blue flowers, widely adaptable, native, well-behaved, relatively pest-free, and long-lived garden plant all describe Baptisia australis, which was named the Perennial Plant of 2010 by the Perennial Plant Association (PPA). Native to much of the Eastern United States, B. australis is a legume and can fix […]
The Perennial Plant Association (PPA) has announced that Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’ its 2009 Perennial Plant of the Year. Also known as Japanese Forest Grass, this graceful, well-behaved grass provides color and texture nearly year round. Unlike most other ornamental grasses, Hakonechloa gives its best performance in partial shade, forming a dense, cascading clump about 1-2 feet tall and up to 3 feet in spread. Its compact, weeping habit is perfect for softening the edge of […]
Some of the most popular spices used this time of year are harvested from various parts of exotic tropical plants, lending a special flavor to our holiday recipes. True cinnamon comes from the bark of the semi-tropical evergreen tree Cinnamomum zeylanicum, native to Ceylon and Southwest India and hardy in the U.S. Gulf states. For the best quality cinnamon, the bark is cut in strips from two-year-old branches, just as the new foliage leafs out […]
An onion by any other name still may not smell sweet to most of us. Onions are notorious for causing malodorous breath and a trickle of tears. In both cases, sulfur-containing compounds are the culprits. According to legend, Western cowboys referred to onions as “skunk eggs,” thanks to the sulfur compound’s ability to permeate the lungs. The sulfur is contained within a volatile oil that enters the lungs and then is exhaled with the breath. […]
If you didn’t use up all of the garden seed you bought this year, much of it can be stored for use in next year’s garden, depending on the plant species. Seeds of some plants, such as corn, parsley, onion, viola (pansies), verbena, phlox and salvia, are not very long lived, lasting only 1 or 2 years at best. Other seeds, including beans, carrots lettuce, peas, radishes, snapdragon, cosmos, sweet William and zinnia will remain […]
If you didn’t use up all of the garden seed you bought this year, much of it can be stored for use in next year’s garden, depending on the plant species. Seeds of some plants, such as corn, parsley, onion, viola (pansies), verbena, phlox and salvia, are not very long lived, lasting only 1 or 2 years at best. Other seeds, including beans, carrots lettuce, peas, radishes, snapdragon, cosmos, sweet William and zinnia will remain […]
Four exciting new flowers have been chosen as All-America Selections (AAS) 2010, based on superior performance in test gardens throughout the country. Gaillardia ‘Mesa Yellow’ is the first hybrid blanket flower bred for compact growth habit and prolific flowering. The early, 3-inch daisy-like flowers are excellent for cutting but will attract butterflies if left on the plants. The plants form a neat mound, reaching up to 2 feet in full sun, perfect for containers and […]
