Did you ever feel like the deck was stacked against you on a yard project? All the time, eh? For me, I got that feeling when I started tackling the 60-foot-long, steep bank that lines my driveway. This area was a mess when we bought the place. Earlier owners obviously […]
One day earlier this month while down on my knees doing battle with the oxalis, it occurred to me that a lot can go wrong in a gardener’s weed-fighting efforts. A lot can go wrong anywhere in the garden, for that matter. But narrowing it down to weeds, it’s easy to get overwhelmed […]
I’m beginning to think that maybe nature has banned me from the blueberry list. At my previous place in Cumberland County, I harvested quarts of tasty berries every summer from five blueberry bushes I planted along my western backyard border. The main thing I learned was to drape and secure a sturdy […]
I’ve long suspected that deer have some sort of sophisticated, yard-monitoring network that lets them take maximum advantage of the plants that gardeners set out. Now I’m sure. There’s just too much efficiency going on to assume that simple-minded deer happen to wander by and find certain target plants for dinner almost […]
I’ve seen a big shift these last few years in what gardeners view as the “best,” or at least the “desired,” way to garden. The trend is strongly toward a natural look in which lots of different plants intermingle and grow in laissez-faire masses – similar to how plants grow in the wild. […]
Flower color is one of nature’s most joyous gifts to people. Even non-gardeners appreciate it, while many a gardener strives to load the yard with a nonstop parade of flower power from the season’s first hellebores to the last Montauk daisy petal of fall. That’s not easy. More color means more […]
The lackluster color we see (or don’t see at all) in so many yards up to this point in the growing season is largely because we’re under-bulbed. Spring blooming bulbs like tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths are the leading way to color our spring landscapes, but the majority of yards I see are totally […]
One of the keys in Nicole Burke’s “Kitchen Garden Revival” strategy is grouping different vegetables into their plant families. Nicole says that when she first started gardening, like so many other beginners, she was overwhelmed at the thought of how to grow the many different plants. Her “ah-ha” moment came when she […]
Peat moss has long been our go-to, store-bought, plant-growing medium, useful for everything from starting seeds to growing potted plants to “lightening” our lousy clay soil. But its widespread use is under fire lately as some argue that gardeners should move away from peat moss altogether for environmental and climate-change reasons. The […]
Which plants will work best in your yard? One strategy is considering plants that have won awards from various plant-trial and plant-selection programs. Each year, organizations of growers, horticulturists, researchers, and other plant experts bestow awards on top plant performers – some new, some old but just under-used. Here’s a look […]