Summary: Using native plants in gardening can reduce much of the effort required in the care of a landscape. Pretty much plant them and let them take care of themselves. Leave it to nature to worry about winter, insects, disease, fertilizers or cultivation. Question: We are interested in native plant gardening and would like to […]

The star magnolia is one of the best magnolias – especially for use on the small landscape property. Its early spring flowers, dense habit of growth and unmarred dark green foliage throughout the growing season, climaxed by a beautiful bronze autumn color, make it of ornamental interest every season of the year. It is the […]

I have freesias of all colors from lemon to deepest yellow, blush to cerise, many tints and shades of mauve and lavender, and purest white. All are exquisitely scented. All I grew from seed, the most inexpensive way to get a big stock of bulbs. I planted seeds in early March (our autumn) in modified […]

Seeds for the outdoor garden must be sown at once (March) or it will be too late to get a headstart indoors. Four to eight weeks before the last frost in your area is the ideal time. To curb the tendency to sow more seeds than you have room for, you can use peat pots […]

Summary: The garden tractor or tiller come in many shapes, horsepower ranges, sizes from push type rototillers to self-propelled and a dazzling array of attachments, but what is best for your needs a rototiller or lawn tractor? Garden tractors and rototillers come in a bewildering range of sizes, horsepower ratings and with assorted mechanical features. […]

Summary: Peonies are pretty in and out of bloom, good mixers, hardy, love-lived, easy to care for and peonies are the perfect perennial for your outdoor living room garden Like the indoor living room, the outdoor living room – the garden – is most successful if it is pretty, comfortable, and no great chore to […]

I reserve one of my planting beds, a pear-shaped plot near the patio/terrace, for experimenting. Last spring I planted a pumpkin seed. As its tendrils sprouted and grew longer, I carefully pulled them over the wall and trained them to grow on a piece of wire fencing. Watered lavishly the vine grew and grew, producing […]