When your plant list is longer than the available gardening space, it’s time to expand your planting options. Create new gardening space by adding raised bed gardens, elevated planters and containers wherever space allows. Convert the end of the drive or edge of the patio into raised bed gardens. Just use a raised bed liner […]
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Posted inGarden
Pruning or Moving Modern Roses
If you have roses in your garden that were planted two or three years ago, you probably need to prune them for their best health, shape and size. Pruning roses is an annual task. After you gather and sharpen your pruners and possibly also loppers, you are ready to evaluate the rose bush from the […]
Posted inGardeners Corner
A Guide to Dog-Friendly Garden Plants
Picture this — spring hath sprung, and you’ve finished your tedious cleaning jobs. As the days are getting longer and warmer, you grab sun cream and spend your weekend giving the garden some much deserved TLC. When shopping for plants, remember to consider whether the new garden addition will be pet friendly. Some plants contain […]
Posted inGardeners Corner
The Garden Bean Gets Its Due in 2021
There are many species of beans in cultivation around the world, yet it’s the common garden bean, Phaseolus vulgaris, that takes on celebrity status as National Garden Bureau’s vegetable focus for 2021. One of the earliest cultivated plants, garden beans can trace their beginnings to Central and South America. Vining or climbing beans were an […]
Posted inGardeners Corner
Designing a Wildlife-Friendly Landscape
We love watching the bunnies hopping across the lawn or ground squirrels scurrying away with a cheek full of seeds. That is, until they dine on our favorite shrub or take just one bite out of each red, ripe tomato in the garden. Finding a way to coexist is critical for wildlife struggling to survive […]
Posted inThe Outdoors
Which ‘Backyarder’ Personality Are You?
Backyarding — the trend to use the backyard for everything from teleworking and working out to relaxing and recreating — has a different purpose for each of us. Identifying your backyard’s role in your family’s health and happiness is the key to cultivating a purposeful outdoor space that is customized to your needs. “How do […]
Posted inThe Outdoors
Five Outdoor Living Trends for 2021
Now, more than ever, outdoor living is in. While homeowners have increasingly invested time and money into their yards in recent years, 2020 saw interest in outdoor living spike to unprecedented levels, as homeowners everywhere adjusted to a new normal by reimagining how to use and enjoy their exterior spaces. As a result, the outdoor […]
Posted inGarden
Pruning, Not Cutting
Healthy plants require pruning. Plants should be pruned after they fruit or flower. Improper pruning can lead to apical dominance. When you’re not pruning correctly, you may be removing the vertical growth of the plant and causing the release, a hormone that says to the plant, “Hey, there is nothing growing up here!” This causes […]
Posted inGardeners Corner
Top 10 Reasons to Garden
Mobile phones, tablets and apps have become the tools of modern lives. But it wasn’t that long ago that a shovel, a patch of soil and a bag of seeds were the only tools needed to provide sustenance and satisfaction. With the 2020 COVID pandemic, more and more people abandoned technology, at least for a […]