Warmer Gardens
February 6th, 2012
The USDA updated its Hardiness Zone Map for the first time since 1990, and the new data shows most of the country has warmed by about half of a growing zone on average.
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FREE SEEDS!
I’m giving away two 1-dozen sets of seeds from one of my favorite seed companies, Renee’s Garden.
One dozen is an edible collection (cherry tomatoes, beans, lettuce, herbs, etc.), and the other is a flower collection (zinnias, larkspur, marigolds, cosmos, etc.)
They’ll go to two readers selected at random who sign up to get my free biweekly emails on what’s new here.
To enter, click here, fill out the contact form and let me know if you’d like to sign up and which seed collection you’re interested in.
I’ll draw winners Feb. 18.
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Favorite Past Garden Columns Category
What’s Wrong With My Plant?
January 13th, 2012
So many things can go wrong with a plant… animal munching, weather woes, assorted bugs and disease and lots more. Here’s a primer on how to be a do-it-yourself plant detective to figure out what might be going wrong…
Fruits You Can Actually Grow at Home
January 11th, 2012
Home gardeners often give up on fruit fast when they find out how hard it can be to grow a decent apple or peach. What not many realize is that there are lot of much easier fruits to grow that we just don’t know about because they typically aren’t available at the supermarket. Here’s a look at some of the worthy lesser-knowns as recommended by fruitsman extraordinaire Lee Reich…
Confused Plants
January 10th, 2012
I was out inspecting the botanical troops over the weekend, and two things struck me. One is that the landscape is unusually colorful for this time of year. And second is that some of my plants are doing odd things they’re not supposed to be doing in early January. A nice surprise [...]
Why Didn’t My Shrubs Bloom?
January 9th, 2012
It’s both disappointing and mysterious why shrubs all of a sudden stop blooming – or decide never to bloom in the first place. The reasons can be many. Here they are…
Forcing Branches
January 7th, 2012
Why wait until spring to see those gorgeous flowers open all over your landscape shrubs. Through an easy technique known as “forcing,” you can get cut branches to flower in winter inside the house.
Good-Looking Edibles
January 6th, 2012
Just because a garden is filled with edible plants doesn’t mean it has to be ugly. Once you stop copying farming, it’s much easier to build a yard that looks as good as it tastes.
Holiday Plant Survival Tips
January 5th, 2012
Lots of “brown-thumbers” end up with houseplants as holiday gifts. If you need a little help keeping those poinsettias, Christmas cactuses and Norfolk Island pines from croaking (at least right away), here’s a quick rundown on 11 types…
Hard-Working Plants
January 3rd, 2012
I told you last week that there really are some super plants out there that meet just about all of the conditions we demand these days (four-season interest, no bugs, no disease, low care, tough in heat and cold, etc.) So which ones are they? I could rattle off dozens, but for your [...]
Perfect Plants or Else
December 27th, 2011
Gardeners are a demanding sort these days. Ask people what kind of plant they’re looking for, and most say they want plants that look great in all four seasons and that don’t get bug or disease problems. We want plants that are colorful, that are different from what’s growing in every McDonald’s [...]
