No matter whether the weather is cool or hot, wet or dry, gardeners must do battle with weeds. By definition, a weed is any plant that grows where it is not wanted. Despite having a number of weapons to conduct this battle, the weeds seem to win as least as often as we do! The best weapons for the home garden and landscape include tools, such as the hoe and rototiller. There are quite a […]
Today’s mobile society often lands gardeners in the predicament of moving away from their beloved gardens at a time of year that is less than ideal for transplanting. Devoted gardeners just hate the thought of leaving all of their beautiful flowers behind. Ideally, the time to move most perennials is either spring or early fall. The hot, generally dry weather of summer is about the worst time of year to move any plant. But, sometimes, […]
Are your posies looking peaked? Anemones anemic? Daisys in the doldrums? These are the dog days of summer and though our temperatures haven’t been all that stressful, most areas have had substantially more rainfall than usual for this time of year. While, for the most part, the moisture has been helpful, heavy rains can wash away much of the available nitrogen, making it unavailable for plant uptake. A bit of supplemental fertilizer, applied alongside the […]
Gardening in raised beds can be just the answer for would-be gardeners, who would love to grow their own vegetables and flowers, but lack the space or physical ability for a traditional garden. However, recent controversy regarding chemical wood preservation treatments has left many gardeners wondering about the safety of treated lumber. Many gardeners have made use of treated lumber in their raised beds, fences, benches, gazebos and other landscape structures. Up until about 2003, […]
Fall is an excellent time to grow many vegetable crops in Indiana when the gardener can take advantage of cooler temperatures and more plentiful moisture. Many spring-planted crops, such as radishes, lettuce and spinach, tend to bolt (produce seed) and become bitter in response to long, hot summer days. Fall gardening helps extend your gardening season so that you can continue to harvest produce after earlier crops have faded. Some vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower […]
If your perennials are looking a bit peaked this time of year, coneflowers may be just what the plant doctor ordered! The name coneflower actually refers to several different species of plants, but all have a similar type of flower structure. The flowers are in clusters that form a “head,” just like a sunflower or daisy type flower. Each of what appears to be a petal is actually an entire flower. Purple coneflower, known botanically […]
Hot and dry may be just fine for picnics, ball games, and other outdoor activities. But for gardeners, hot and dry means its time to drag out the hoses and sprinklers. Most gardeners are accustomed to watering flower beds and vegetable gardens. These plants require approximately 1 to 1 1/2 inches of water per week to maintain healthy flowers, foliage, roots, and fruits. In times of drought, established plants may tolerate 10-14 days between waterings […]
Rosie Lerner, Purdue Consumer Horticulture Specialist Released 17 June 1999 Perhaps you’ve heard of the old saying? “Leaves of three, let it be?” Excellent advice for those who are sensitive to the poison ivy plant. A Perplexing Plant Poison ivy, Toxicodendron radicans, is generally a woody plant with three leaflets; that is, each individual leaf is subdivided into three leaf-like structures. But that’s where the generalizing ends. Poison ivy can be a vine growing up […]
If you’d like to have a few more of those prized lilac shrubs in your yard, now’s the time to put your green thumb to work. Many ornamental shrubs and trees easily can be propagated by stem cuttings. Cuttings taken from the succulent, new growth that occurred this spring also are referred to as softwood cuttings. These cuttings usually root easier and faster than cuttings taken from harder wood later in the season. However, softwood […]
If you’re looking for a plant that is winter hardy throughout the Midwest, excels under shady conditions and has fabulous foliage as well as attractive flowers, then Hosta is the plant for you. Also known as plantain lily, Hosta performs best in partial to full shade, although some have been able to survive full sun conditions if given a cool environment with plenty of moisture. The leaves will tend to burn or turn sickly yellow […]