Raid the chicken for inexpensive equipment—and grow a fabulous variety of house plants at almost no cost and even less trouble from seeds! For sowing the seeds, use containers with covers—such as plastic refrigerator dishes or casseroles; for uncovered containers, like empty cottage cheese cartons, provide plastic covers or a piece of glass. Growing Small … Read more
Many amateur gardeners say that growing alpines from seed is a complicated procedure, not to be attempted in the home garden. I have grown thousands of alpines here in my Pennsylvania garden, and find that raising them from seed is both a simple and pleasant pastime. The first, and one of the most important steps, … Read more
Are you taking advantage of the many interesting, dramatic effects you can achieve in your garden by using annual vines? If not, you overlook one of the easiest and least expensive ways to lift your garden out of the ordinary by giving it the third dimension—height—which too many gardens lack. Even on the smallest home … Read more
There are two camps regarding grass in the realm of plantophiles (plant lovers). The first camp believes that all grasses outside the purely ornamental varieties are weeds and detract from potential garden space. The other camp believes that lawns provide a sense of beauty and uniformity that can frame shrubs and flowering plants rather than … Read more
One of the most rewarding of all garden undertakings is starting plants indoors from seed. Unfortunately, it is frequently also one of the most disappointing, for failure to “bring through” a batch of seedlings spells loss of time and opportunity and leaves the gardener with a deplorably deflated ego. 6 Indoor Seed Planting Requirements What … Read more
You’ll need more patience than anything else to grow succulents from seed. This includes cactus seeds. Most kinds of succulent seeds germinate and begin showing characteristic shapes (spines, too!) within a matter of weeks. It takes several months for them to reach enough size for potting. Succulents started this spring or early summer will be … Read more