Section » Outdoors
Plant for the Future
March is the right time to start thinking about planting your landscape. Most plants come either in pots or bare rooted. Pot-grown plants often need a few days in the shade outside to “harden off” if they have been grown in a greenhouse. Water as needed and give them a chance to adjust to the changing temperatures before you shock them again by
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Time to Cut Back
How many times have you told yourself, “It’s time to cut back”? Be it food, computer/game time or whatever, everything has its season. This is the season to prune, prune, prune. The roses, grasses, liriope (monkey grass), shrubs and even trees will all benefit from a few clips here and there. Most roses
Inside Gardening
When plants are brought inside the house, they need a bit more attention when the heat is on because they have a tendency to dry out quickly. With the cold weather, it is a good time to review all those plants you have brought into your nice, warm house such as ivies, poinsettias or Christmas cacti. All
Gardener Gifts under the Tree
It is that time of year again, and I have been going through the catalogs and newspaper clippings that I have saved all year in order to compile a Christmas wish list. There are some new things on the market and lots of old standbys, such as medium-sized tarps to pick up all those pesky leaves and weeds
Plant Now for Spring Blooms
If you have not planted your bulbs yet for spring, there is still time. Buy them and get them in for splashes of yellow and white in February, March and April. Just be a bit careful about which varieties of narcissus, daffodils, jonquils and cyclamineus you choose. There are hundreds of varieties, but only
Plan Now for More Time Next Summer
October is finally here and with it cooler weather, we hope. It is a great time to reevaluate your yard and garden. If you find each year bringing more and more yard challenges, maybe it is time to think about moving toward a low-maintenance landscape. Such
Blooms Galore
Fall will soon be here again and it will be time to separate your irises if you did not get around to it last year. Irises and Shasta daisies are two of my favorite bloomers, and they love to be cut up and given more room. They bloom much better if they have some space to “stretch their roots.” Irises
Ready to Root
It is hard to believe summer is almost over! If there are plants in your garden you want for next year, start making cuttings now. Through a recent workshop, I discovered a great, easy way to root cuttings from almost any plant. Nancy’s Easy Rooting Needs: 1 4-inch deep or larger plastic saucer 1 3-foot
