Home gardeners are always interested in the mere mention of chemical weed killers. Certainly, one would suspect that the millennium had arrived were it possible to spray some chemicals on the ground so that all weeds would be killed. Desirable plants such as potatoes, turnips, corn, or even grass were allowed to grow unharmed by … Read more
To herbs, our forefathers credited the most miraculous powers. Mallows would keep witches away from the house. To stop bleeding, one had to write the word “veronica” with pen and ink on the ball of the left thumb. The chaste tree (Vitex agnuscastus), when eaten by wicked, unchaste people, would make them as chaste as … Read more
It is always stimulating to explode beliefs hoary with age. So here goes another. Weeds are not all bad. Many of the ones well known to us are important and are doing great good in the garden. However, this does not mean you stop pulling weeds and let them strangle your crops. It does mean … Read more
So, here we are again! Just for the fun of it, dear readers, go back to your last issue of HORTICULTURE to pick up the reference to Cleopatra and her all-important share in this yam—about salads and salad making! Garlic and Olive Oil This last half of the story, in a sense, deals with a … Read more
Everyone likes a garden that is clean and neat. Weeding, thinning, and cultivating are necessary tasks for every gardener who takes pride in keeping their garden in proper order. However, in almost every garden, large or small, there is apt to be a corner where grass clippings, dead weeds, and similar debris are placed either … Read more
Bouquets are lovely in their way as those of flowers may be made from the fragrant, rich range of green-toned foliage found in the herb garden. Moreover, the scent of herb leaves and blossoms seems to many of us more piquantly individual than the scent of flowers. It runs from the flower-like sweetness of angelica … Read more
Hybrid tea roses may be pruned lightly this month and weak growth removed. All roses should be given a complete fertilizer for the gorgeous autumn bloom display. Daylilies that have finished blooming and large clumps of the iris may be divided and reset this month. Two easily grown and exotically beautiful bulbous flowers may be … Read more
I became convinced of the value of planting strawberries in the fall of the mid-1990s. I have been systematically experimenting with strawberries since 1993 to grow the greatest yield from a given area. Dozens of experiments confirm this statement: you get the largest yield from the matted row system. Mother plants are set in September … Read more
Flowers have a special talent for lifting the spirits even on the gloomiest day—and if they are picked from your garden and used to decorate your home, they will give added enjoyment. You will certainly want to use them to your best advantage. Of course, you can enjoy roses or lilies for their beauty even … Read more
Now and then, something pops up in horticultural magazines about chayote, Sechium edule. Last winter, this relative of the cucumber was offered at such a reasonable price that many people who had never used it bought it. Naturally, this resulted in a crop of questions. Gardeners in temperate climates wanted to know how to grow … Read more