It doesn’t take much space to raise an abundance of mulch. Then, as the various garden crops are harvested, just plant the idle ground in a mulch crop, even late in summer. Several crops make good mulch material. Some of them also produce seeds for birds. Multi-Purpose Crop Buckwheat Buckwheat, for instance, might be called … Read more
Over several years, we have watched the ebb and flow of the flower box tide in this flower box city. We have some suggestions for what we have found, partly by trial and error, to be the most successful plants and methods. The Exposure The direction a flower box faces, or exposure, has a lot … Read more
Do spring’s incessant showers bewitch you into thinking that midsummer will be just as kind to your garden? For most climates, drought in varying degrees of severity is a certainty for the months of July and August. By using today’s innovations for applying water to plants, you can guarantee that your garden will never know … Read more
The tree or shrub in the right place will give your house an Iift. Likewise, thought given to the selection and grouping of the plants you use on your property can make the difference between a pleasing effect and a jumble. Every housewife knows that clutter and confusion in the house make her day’s work … Read more
The common rose-mallow or hibiscus has always been one of the showiest perennials, but recently new hybrids have been developed with blooms of larger size and clearer colors. These new hybrids have huge blooms, some measuring 8 inches across. The plants are bushy and grow 4’ to 5’ feet high. These hybrids are equally effective, … Read more
Those flowers show dream gardens I see each year in March fascinate me. Bursting with flowering bulbs, dainty primroses, running brooks, and colorful native shrubs, they spur me on in my adventures in gardening. It is easy to understand why the brook that briefly crosses a corner of our property has been a constant stimulus … Read more
A chapter excerpt from a forthcoming new book by Jean Hersey, “Two Hundred WildFlowers to Know, to Crow, to Protect” (to be published by D. Van Nostrand Co., Inc.) Spring is imminent, and the time for our favorite pastime is at hand. Collecting wildflowers from woods, roadsides, fields, and stream banks is a delicious occupation! … Read more
The major reason for cultivating soil is to kill weed seedlings around desirable plants. It also enables us to mix compost, manures, and fertilizers into the soil. It breaks soil crusts, facilitating water to penetrate deep into the ground, and aids in controlling soil-inhabiting insects. But cultivation also has a detrimental effect on the soil … Read more
Since George Russell’s work in Yorkshire with Lupinus polyphyllus, which he crossed with other lupins, created the magnificent new strain that now bears his name, and the lupin ranks with the delphinium and Michaelmas daisy as a mainstay of English gardens. It should become almost as well known in American gardens as its virtues are … Read more
When I built my terrace, I decided it would be a place for outdoor living and outdoor relaxing. To make it harmonious, both within itself and with its surroundings, its colors must be in soft low notes, with just a touch of brilliance for emphasis. The 15-foot-square terrace is paved with flagstones and enclosed by … Read more