Some people are just naturally so tidy they could spread a cloth over the compost pile and hold a picnic there. Others use this heap, pile, or bin to satisfy a creative urge—tossing dried grass, coffee grounds, and all sorts of refuse into it with gay abandon! On a small lot, the compost pile may … Read more
Make your garden an outdoor living room.” This is the contemporary designer’s clarion call which heralds what is termed the new trend in garden art today. And a ghostly gardener might, from some roof garden, some sun-warmed terrace or patio wall, send a whispered echoing question, “How new?” The outdoor room of today is but … Read more
The growing popularity of the epiphyllum hybrids, also called phyllotactic and popularly known as orchid cactus, has brought about some extensive study of their culture and an enthusiastic zeal in hybridizing for new and better varieties. A commercial dealer propounded the name orchid cactus for its obvious “trade-pulling” power. However, epiphyllums have no relationship to … Read more
The fragrance is a blessing after the long winter months. But, then, even the smell of the good earth is ionic to the real dirt gardener. However, the sweet scent of the early spring flowers is the harbinger of exciting pleasures to come, the enjoyment only a gardener with an educated nose can fully appreciate. … Read more
Bonsai, or dwarf tree culture, is a hobby enthralling in its possibilities. It offers the opportunity to play with nature in a small space. With it, you can bring the striking beauty of a windswept Monterey cypress, a Colorado limber pine, or a landscape of white birches into your living room, whether in a city … Read more
There are types to suit many gardening and flower arranging needs, with sizes ranging from 1-inch S. arenaria to 8-inch S. magnificum, foliage in bronze, red, purple, gray, and green, and growth in symmetrical rosettes or small globes. Early gardeners used these endearing little plants on their rooftops, believing that they kept lightning from striking. … Read more
Few plants have everything— neat foliage, fragrant, attractive flowers, the possibility of fruit, and the case of culture. Yet the one which comes closest to this perfection, in my opinion, is Carissa grandiflora, specifically its variety, Nana compacta, the dwarf, spineless Natal plum. Carissa Grandiflora’s Striking Features This particular variety of carissa has dark, shiny, … Read more
When you arrange your patio, throw away preconceived notions. Work with a free hand and a free mind, confident that with patioscaping, anything goes and everything grows. For once, in gardening, you create the environment and are not the unwilling accomplice to it. If you want the patio in partial shade, roof it over with … Read more