A terrarium is a delightful way to grow an indoor garden of small plants in an enclosed glass container. With proper care, a terrarium will create a humid atmosphere that protects tender, tropical plants that are difficult to grow in the normally dry atmosphere of our homes. The concept of a terrarium as we know it was discovered quite by accident by an English physician and botanist named Nathaniel Ward. He was trying to raise […]
Normally, you would receive two columns, “In the Grow” and Yard & Garden” the first week of the month. Beginning this month, January 2007, “Yard & Garden” will be distributed once a month, instead of twice a month. It will continue to come out the third week of every month, along with “Yard & Garden Calendar.” The new monthly schedule for news columns will be: First Week “In the Grow” by B. Rosie Lerner Second […]
The Perennial Plant Association has Catmint (Nepeta) ‘Walker’s Low’ as its 2007 Perennial Plant of the Year. ‘Walker’s Low’ is a versatile, hardy, herbaceous perennial that is terrific for edging, ground cover, and container and rock gardens. It also makes an excellent substitute for lavender, which really struggles in our climate. This particular cultivar of catmint has much to recommend it. The long-lasting, blue-violet flowers contrast beautifully with the mounds of grey-green foliage. The plant […]
Pomanders are easy and fun and make great gifts that bring the scent of the garden indoors to brighten cold winter days. Today, most pomanders are ornaments made of glass, ceramic or fabric filled with a mixture of fragrant herbs and spices. But, originally, pomanders were made from pieces of ambergris, a fragrant, waxy substance passed from the intestine of the sperm whale. The word pomander comes from the French “pommed ‘ ambre, “meaning “apple […]
Pomanders are easy and fun and make great gifts that bring the scent of the garden indoors to brighten cold winter days. Today, most pomanders are ornaments made of glass, ceramic or fabric filled with a mixture of fragrant herbs and spices. But, originally, pomanders were made from pieces of ambergris, a fragrant, waxy substance passed from the intestine of the sperm whale. The word pomander comes from the French “pommed ‘ ambre, “meaning “apple […]
School science fairs often put students and parents on the hunt for project ideas. Of course, the point of these projects is for students, not parents, to learn how to plan and implement science! But, naturally, parents want to help their kids succeed. There are limitless resources available these days, especially with the help of the Internet. One of the most beneficial things moms and dads can do is to help their children find resources […]
Perhaps the last garden chore of the season is tucking in the strawberry planting for winter. Strawberry plants have already set their buds for next spring’s flowers and the crop can be lost unless you protect them from harsh winter conditions. A fully dormant strawberry plant’s flower buds can be damaged at temperatures below 15 deg. F. In addition to flower bud damage, the alternate freezing and thawing of the soil that commonly occurs […]
If you’re not quite ready to hang up your gardening tools just because of a few killing frosts, fall is a great time to get your soil ready for next year’s planting. Removing this year’s plant debris is a good, general sanitation practice. Plant refuse makes a great place for insects and disease to overwinter. Why not turn that refuse into valuable compost? A properly constructed compost pile should create temperatures high enough to destroy […]
Gardeners often ask, “When is the best time to cut back the dead tops of herbaceous perennials (stems die back to the ground each year)?” “Should we cut them in fall as the tops fade?” “Or wait until spring just before new growth begins?” The answers depend, in part, on the specific plant and whether disease or insect pests are a factor. For most healthy plants, leaving plant tops over winter is fine and, in […]
Most gardeners think about planting bulbs this time of year rather than digging them up. But some flowering perennials are not hardy enough for our climate and must be lifted from the soil and their bulbs, roots or other underground structures stored indoors over winter. The most common garden plants in this category include gladiolus, caladium, tuberous begonias, canna and dahlia. Although these plants are all considered tender, each is best handled a bit differently […]