Through the years, men and bees have worked together to create improved flowers and vegetables. Awe-inspiring artificial moons are drawing our attention toward the skies as never before. Amid all this, it may be reassuring to realize that we have, or can have, more pleasantly diverting scientific marvels to ponder at arm’s length in our … Read more
The common garden flowers “beloved,” according to many garden books, “by our grandmothers,” date beyond our grandmothers to ancestors far too remote to be included in any family tree. We will never know who was the first man — or was it a woman? — who snatched an ordinary flower, a rose or a lily … Read more
Clean up and paint up is the slogan for the owner of the home greenhouse this month. This means hard work, akin to struggle unless one can remember the colorful plants and flowers for which we are preparing a home. It is much easier to prevent an influx of insects and spores of fungus diseases … Read more
The pungent, fruity odor of ripening grapes on the side of an old barn is a sure reminder of Autumn with its bounteous harvest and its changing tints and shades, which enliven the landscape. The clear, sunny days and that curious, encircling purplish haze which often settles down on hilly regions in the afternoon when … Read more
Late summer is a good time to consider the advantages of fall planting and the ways to ensure the best results with fall-planted material. In the fall, the soil is warm and flaky—a condition ideal for planting and rapid root growth. Favorable soil temperatures influence to a great extent, the behavior of soil microbes and … Read more
Tulips are among the most brilliant and cheerful of spring flowering plants. Fortunately, too, they are among the easiest to work with in creating artistic landscape effects. If you buy top-grade bulbs and follow a practical plan when you plant them this fall, tulips just can’t disappoint you. Good Landscape Effect For a good landscape … Read more
Sixty years ago, in “The Illustrated Strawberry Culturist,” Andrew S. Fuller chided Americans for doing nothing to improve our native strawberries until after English gardeners had imported American species for an experiment in the early 1800s. Even then, for perhaps a half century more, “our fruit growers were content to import varieties from abroad instead … Read more
If you plan to visit your friends’ gardens in the spring, you must make a date with your garden this fall. Every chore that can be done in the fall relieves you in the springtime when garden work is at its peak. Transplantings from September Every fall, I add a ton of sand and would … Read more
In urban and suburban living today, family and social obligations, civic duties, and other commitments all make heavy demands upon your time. However, those whose hobby is gardening will have much more time because it will be willing time. You, as an individual or as a family, must decide just how much willing time you … Read more
I often wonder why more people, especially those with shade in their yards, don’t grow galax. It is a valuable addition to any wild or shady garden. Desirable Characteristics of Galax Its evergreen leaves make a good ground cover for shrubs. They are round, about the size of a 50-cent piece, and a beautiful glossy … Read more