The month flies, and unless you are careful, you may find after the holidays, it is too late to get delivery on some of the shrubs and trees for the garden. So steal enough time from holiday festivities to do the essential gardening. Planting Excellent Shrubs And Trees Perhaps the best deciduous tree for the … Read more
One sometimes hears landscape people bemoan the lack of low-growing evergreen material, so much needed now for the new types of low-walled homes. There is quite a hit of lovely material, especially among the broad-leaf evergreens, that has not yet been widely propagated and publicized. A newcomer to the broad-leaf evergreen group is a dwarf … Read more
Late fall is tulip planting time in the South. Great tulip shows and tulip study clubs have been held and organized there, and the first president of the National Tulip Society was chosen from the South. There was a time when the center of tulip culture was considered to be in the Eastern and Central … Read more
Now that we’ve finished planting daffodils, crocus, scillas, camassia, and snowdrops and enjoyed the spring beauty they will bring, we must consider these bulb plantings’ appearance when they bloom over. Their dying foliage is not a pretty sight. Therefore, we should plant seeds of annuals this month to hide the bulb beds next summer. Annuals: … Read more
The tawney hues of autumn and the cooler days entice us to spend more time outside. Examine chrysanthemum stakes to make certain branches are securely fastened to withstand damaging winds and rains. Several gardeners attach a covering to stakes driven around the flower bed. This covering protects flowers from hard rains and early frosts and … Read more
October’s beauty is so brief… and if spring gardens are to be beautiful, much work must be done now. It is moving time this month or next for plants that are placed wrong. Look at the garden with a critical eye. Are clumps of daylilies too close to walks? Do shrubs need moving? Are there … Read more
The planting of bulbs and iris constitutes the main work for September. The bearded iris that had grown through the years were or should have been lifted and reset last month, and the new varieties are now on hand and need planting at once. None of our garden plants are more satisfactory and permanent than … Read more
The latter part of September is a good time to plant seeds. Cool nights and warm, humid days allow quick germination. Hardy Seeds Seeds to be sown now, either with or above the bulbs, are poppy (both California and Shirley), candytuft, larkspur, Texas bluebonnet, calendula, and Phlox drummondi, cornflower, viola, stock, and sweet alyssum. All … Read more
National Bug Week We Americans seem to have a penchant for designating and observing varying “weeks” and “months” dedicated to promoting or memorializing certain projects or events. The month of April could be designated – and very fittingly – as National Bug Week, with the populace requested to lend a concerted hand to the extermination … Read more