All gardeners at this time have an urge to get their hands into the rich, warm earth. Though a hit of frost may still be in the ground, we can sow seeds of hardy plants, especially kinds that resent transplanting. These include poppies, larkspurs, spinach, lettuce, peas, beets, radishes and parsley. Start the Coldframe In […]

Many areas of the Southwest enjoyed a warm winter, but as a result the growing season has been advanced. There is a lot to be done, and now is the time to start, if you want to finish in time. Complete landscape planning. Best selections of azaleas, camellias, rhododendrons, yews and other choice shrubs and […]

This is a busy month in the garden with everyone full of ambition for spring planting chores. While there is still some chance of a late frost, many gardeners will be setting out tomatoes and bedding plants in the hopes of early results. This is the month, too, for harvesting many of the cool season […]

Spring gardening, in full swing along the coast, moves progressively inland with the last killing frosts running from March 1 at the extreme western edge of this region to late May in Idaho and Montana. Work the soil as soon as it is workable and fertilize it to take care of the spring growth. Get […]

When March comes, spring isn’t too far off. So plan your weekend activities ahead. The more you can get done before the season changes, the farther along you will be with your gardening when the warm weather really comes. Get your equipment lined up and ready. Clean out the tool shed or garage and discard […]

Etched very clearly on my mind is the time I laid eyes on the Christmas rose, some years ago. It was a below-zero day in late December, and bitter winds blew in from Lake Erie, as I walked on the hard frozen ground around an estate in Cleveland, taking notes for a descriptive story. I […]

Christmas is a wonderful time of year. As the north wind blows, as snows drift ever deeper, and as the cold strengthens, human hearts beat all the more vigorously. Under the sparkling stars, white, blue, red and yellow, that grim tension we all suffer far too much seems to relax. Gratefully, we push away all […]

Who would want to celebrate Christmas without the traditional evergreens, holly and mistletoe or the lovely poinsettias and Christmas roses? Without these plants and many others, the season would be stripped of its many gay and pleasant associations. Although historians disagree, tradition places Jesus’ birth during the Saturnalia, one of the ancient celebrations which closely […]

If you have never set out on a cold wintry day just before Christmas, hatchet strapped to your belt, to cut your own Christmas tree from your own ground, you don’t know what you have missed! This Yuletide harvesting has become part of the holiday tradition for us. Christmas really comes into the house when […]

Question: What can we put in our coldframe at this time of year (August) it seems a shame not to use it. Brooke, Williamsport, Pennsylvania Answer: Brooke, if garden space is scarce, vegetable seeds can be sown in the coldframe and transplanted later. In the colder sections, lettuce, endive and Chinese cabbage can be brought […]