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Timing is a factor in what deer eat. I have found that in the early spring when there are plenty of fresh green leafy plants in my beds, the deer avoid my hosta, but in July, they eat every one of them to the ground. Read More »
Pruning woody plants keeps them vigorous and healthy, as well as improving their shape.
Cutting back plants, even small ones, helps to stimulate growth. But don't cut off all of the leaves!
A Greek botanist cultivated clematis as early as 50 A.D. The name is from the Greek word "klema" meaning vine.
In late winter, after months without garden flowers, we are eager to see flowers in our homes. However, there is a wonderful feeling we get when we force branches of early spring-blooming trees and shrubs.
All of the poems I will read today are about roses and all are from times long past.
The flowers associated with St. Valentine's Day were, in Roman times, the yellow crocus and the tricolor viola that both bloom in the early spring in our gardens today. But there are also other saints associated with February...
Christopher Lloyd and head gardener Fergus Garrett set up the Great Dixter National Trust so that the garden could continue in perpetuity. Christo died in 2006, but the garden continues to evolve, showcasing unusual plants and unorthodox combinations under Fergus's leadership.
Christopher Lloyd enlarged the border at Great Dixter to encompass a length of 200 feet and a depth of 15 feet. At the back were small trees, with flowering shrubs in the middle and low edging plants in front.
One of Britain's most celebrated gardens, Great Dixter is a magnificent place where one can learn and be inspired. A trip there should be on every gardener's bucket list.
In AD 830, St. Benedict said that gardening was appropriate manual labor for monks and that all monasteries should have a psychic garden, kitchen garden, cellar garden, an orchard, and a private garden for monks of high office.
The Romans were the first to create pleasure gardens in Britain.
This winter solstice marks the day with the fewest hours of sunshine in the year.
Bees, butterflies, moths, and other insects used to be the only creatures who transferred pollen from flower to flower. Nowadays, it is often a person with a fine brush.
Eleanor of Aquitaine brought the idea of private pleasure gardens to England during the Middle Ages.
Most of us occasionally get little black flies that look a bit like fruit flies around our houseplants. They're fungus gnats and are essentially harmless, mostly...
Horticulturalist William Robinson was one of the first to promote the idea of a wild garden. His informal cottage style approach became popular, especially with British gardeners who were influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement.
Fall is a great time to collect the seed pods from shrubs like baptisia and hardy hibiscus and store them in paper envelopes indoors until next spring.
Houseplants that bloom help us to get through winter while awaiting next year's flowers in the garden. But often houseplants suffer from problems that we must address promptly to save a plant's life.
Betty Smith is the author of the book A Tree Grows in Brooklyn about a young girl who is inspired by a tree. Unfortunately, the tree happens to be an invasive species.
You do not want this junk tree anywhere near your garden, as it self-seeds aggressively and many people are highly allergic to its pollen.
Continually cut back those plants that are dying back to allow more room for those whose bloom period is yet to come. Every plant needs its time in the sun and to strut its stuff unimpeded.
If you want something in bloom all through the growing seasons in your garden, check that you have these plants.
I pick Amaryllis belladonna for my vases and pair them with dark red coleus or maroon opal basil. They look stunning and last a long time indoors.
Native to the Far East, crepe myrtles can be trees, but in my zone 6 garden, they usually die back to the ground each winter.
Clivia plants are very adaptable and can survive for months without water, but they can be finicky in terms of blooming.