Gardening and fine art may seem, at first glance, rather unrelated. But gardeners know it takes considerable art to create an effective garden picture, and artists find that plants and flowers make interesting subjects for their paintings. The relationship, therefore, can be quite close. When we were first married almost 17 years ago, my artist-husband … Read more
For about 25 years, our local men’s rose club members have debated whether it is desirable to set out new rose bushes in the fall. We are no nearer to settling the question now than when we first began to argue about it. Some do and some don’t. Fall vs. Spring Planting My own opinion … Read more
Each fall, to add variety to winter windows, I pot a few annuals to bring inside before the nights become too cold. First Gilliflowers Last year, I potted an annual stock (gilliflower), which was a great success as a houseplant. The first gilliflowers I ever saw were at an old abandoned farm in New Hampshire. … Read more
The usual directions for making a compost heap call for a lot of physical effort on your part and quite a bit of your free time. You’re advised to prepare the heap just so: Quantity of Leaves All this may be just fine and dandy, provided your file of compressed leaves measures only a few … Read more
One rainy day last spring, two ladies visited me at Breeze Hill. One of them came from Harrisburg, and the other from Syracuse. They were equipped with large umbrellas and galoshes, and so shielded from the rain, they accompanied me, similarly protected, around the garden. They were in no hurry, and neither was I; we … Read more
For distinguished achievement in horticulture” is the bold line across JL the top of a parchment citation which was bestowed upon Hulda Klager of Woodland, Washington, by the Oregon Federation of Garden Clubs at its annual convention in Bend, Oregon, on June 18, 1947. Mrs. Klager, just past her 84th birthday, could not make the … Read more
The plants you grow indoors this winter will be doubly enjoyable if they are used as decorative material for your rooms rather than in a nursery-style row on the window sill. There are so many attractive new plant containers on the market that the problem is not where to find a container but which one … Read more
Have you ever been told that to keep birds around your house all winter, you should see that they have a constant drinking water supply? And have you ever tried to do this, only to have the water freeze about as fast as you put it out? We got around the difficulty of using a … Read more
Plump amaryllis bulbs, ready for potting and forcing into bloom indoors, are available now from seed and mail-order firms or from local garden centers. Prices vary according to size, quality of bloom, and color. The best Dutch hybrids will provide wide-petalled flowers in solid deep red, pure pink, or clear white. The largest bulbs often … Read more
At present, surprisingly few plants native to this country are of any considerable value as food plants. It is worthy of more than passing note that aside from the comparatively few nut trees and such bush berries as blackberries and raspberries in this category, two of the natives that soon come to mind as very … Read more