So I was poking around the fabulous 2019 Chelsea Flower Show last month in London when I came across an educational display on invasive plants. The British are apparently having as alarming a time with that issue as we are. But what caught my eye most was what made the invasive list […]
Back in my Cumberland County garden, I’d improved the soil so well over 30 years that I scarcely needed even a trowel to plant. The ground was so loose I could open holes with my fingers. Not so in my new Pittsburgh “landscape.” The soil here is a dense, back-achingly heavy, […]
Nobody on the planet gardens better – and enjoys it more – than the British. England, in particular, is the world’s hot spot for great gardens. Most every town or city there has at least one public garden, adding up to hundreds across a country that’s smaller than many of our states. […]
The heat and humidity of a typical Harrisburg August is enough to make it seem as if we’re living in the tropics. If that’s the case, we may as well grow with the flow. Plenty of tropical plants do nicely here as summertime in-ground, landscape plants. They think they’re at home. […]
Hardly anyone plants masses of in-ground annual flowers anymore. For one thing, it’s expensive since $4 plants in four- and six-inch pots have largely supplanted cheaper six-packs. For another, most people don’t want the planting work and watering time that so many new plants require. I’m not even sure most people […]
I’ve seen a lot of vegetables in my day, but while looking over the Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds catalog, one odd picture grabbed my eye. It was a full-color shot of what looked like a fat, orange, warty, bloated cigar. The plant was called a “jelly melon,” also known as the African […]
This is the time of year when your lawn is going to look about as good as it’s going to get. But don’t feel bad if it’s not measuring up to the ideal that marketers conjured starting in the 1950s. Sporting that pristine green carpet takes a lot of effort, input, and […]
When water heads down a slope, especially in heavy rains, it doesn’t always behave nicely. Instead of soaking in, it can create channels or sheets that wash out everything in its path. Planting in these wash-out zones is futile. Even groundcovers end up at the bottom when a gully-washer erodes the soil […]
I was not aware that, left to its own devices for a dozen or so years, winter creeper plants can grow into trees with trunks the size of my ankle. It’s a plant that matures seeds with a vengeance, banking up future baby winter creepers for years to come. In other words, […]
A lot of people hurt themselves gardening. Much can go wrong out there, from pruning your finger instead of the branch to straining your back from picking up a pot that you knew was way too heavy. I hate to be naggy, but I’d also like to see fewer gardeners hurt themselves. […]