Why not emulate the ancient custom of making a hedge of grape vines? To do this, you allow your young vine to develop only one single rod, which you train horizontally along a wire or bamboo canes, nailed to pegs driven into the soil. When this rod has reached a length of 13’ feet, you … Read more
Grapes are one of the most rewarding fruit crops for home gardens. They stay manageable —they are easy to care for and harvest, and there is a good selection of varieties for nearly every climate. They ordinarily thrive without much in the way of special sprays, but if it’s perfection you’re after, here are some … Read more
American persimmons—those tasty fruits for home gardens. Wide-named varieties are now available as grafted trees, including some that yield sweet fruits weeks ahead of autumn frosts. And we have found, contrary to popular belief, that frosts are not beneficial to persimmon quality. Two Best Early Persimmon Varieties Two of the best early varieties are Penland and … Read more
I have a small fruit garden, which means more to me than a big orchard. But, at certain times of the year, it is as delightful to look at as a lily garden or a rose garden. What can be more beautiful than a shapely fruit tree in blossom with all the fullness of its … Read more
Dwarf fruit trees, which have been grown for hundreds of years in Europe, are becoming more and more popular in this country today. Since the trees are small in size, they are easier to prune and spray, and the home gardener can grow several varieties of apples, pears, peaches, and plums on a plot of … Read more
You can be sure of a fruit crop even if you have only one tree. A few years ago, one of my friends asked me to bring some of my bees over to his home garden to pollinate his cherries. He has only one sweet cherry tree—the excellent Bing variety. The tree is as tall … Read more
The Mayapples grow in the fresh sunshine with curious, awkward grace. No walk through the spring woods or pastures would be complete without finding colonies of these plants. Their glossy umbrella tops conceal the waxen, white flower, but the rich gardenia-like fragrance reveals its whereabouts to the insects that pollinate it. May apples are seldom … Read more
There are many hobbies, but the only one that interests me is horticulture. The particular aspect that I like is the growing of flowers and strawberries. After I had gardened for a few years, there was one thing I wanted to do with flowers, and that was to select one kind and work on its … Read more
Raspberries are among the most satisfactory and rewarding fruits for home gardens where sufficient space is available. Plants are relatively free from diseases and insects and are easy to maintain. In addition, the fruiting canes produce fruit for nearly four months in my garden. The yield is high, the quality of the berries is superb, … Read more
Amiable is the word for bayberries. They thrive in sandy, dry, sterile soil making pleasant, otherwise barren lands. Although never spectacular, they are decorative both in summer and winter when their twiggy bushes are covered with small, aromatic, bright gray berries that last half the year. Bayberry’s Features Bayberry leaves are alternate and somewhat crowded … Read more