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Gardening Advice
September 22, 2022
When frost threatens, it’s time to move many of your outside plants indoors. Many tender bulbs, annuals, herbs, and tropical plants will only survive the winter inside. Here’s advice on which plants to bring indoors this fall and how to winterize plants and pots.
When to Bring Plants Inside
True annuals and plants that we grow as annuals (considered tenderā¦
September 19, 2022
If you have an herbaceous peony that is overcrowded or hasnāt bloomed in years, fall is a great time to dig it up, divide it, or move it. See how to divide and transplant peonies.
I have a pair of old-fashioned āFestiva Maximaā peonies planted on either side of the entrance to a small fenced-in garden. One blooms happily every year but the other one hasnāt produced any blossoms for quite aā¦
September 19, 2022
Ornamental alliums are great for cutting and bees adore them, too! Planted in the fall for spring blooms, these purple pom-pom flowers make a dramatic statement when planted en masse. Even better, they’re from the onion family so they are generally deer- and rodent-resistant.
Add Alliums to Your Garden
Every fall, I am seduced into planting more bulbs. After 30 yearsā¦
September 19, 2022
In late summer and fall, goldenrod appears! Don’t blame this golden beauty for allergies (that’s ragweed!). See what goldenrod looks like, why this amazing American native is so important for pollinators and our health, and how to grow goldenrod.Ā
Goldenrod is a true American native. After the Boston Tea Party, goldenrod tea became known as āliberty teaā and was imbibed by theā¦
September 15, 2022
Summer fades away, but the asters are just getting started, adding splashes of lavender, purple, and pink to the fall garden. Also known as Michaelmas daisies, asters are a lovely addition to the autumn landscape!
A native American plant, the aster got its name from the ancient Greek and Latin words for āstar,ā describing its radiant blossoms. (Another of its common names is starwortā¦
September 15, 2022
You go to a farmersā market for the freshest, best-tasting fruits and vegetables at the peak of the growing season. Youāre hoping to avoid shady characters. Here are tips on getting the best bountyāwith six ways to spot a fake farmer. (And tell us your stories!)
The town I grew up in had lots of farms, mostly dairy, but there were some truck farms too, that grew all kinds of vegetables forā¦
September 15, 2022
You can find all sorts of funky gourds in the fall. So what’s with these bumpy, weird-looking squash? See different types of āgourdgeousā gourdsāfrom bottle gourds to snake gourds to luffasāand learn how to grow, harvest, and cure them yourself!
What Are Gourds?
Gourds (Cucurbitaceae) are among the oldest cultivated plants. They were the early water bottles of theā¦
September 15, 2022
Help kids grow! Get them outside in the garden for hands-on learning experiences. Here activities and tips on how to set up a garden with kids in mindāplus, how to plant a school garden!
Being outside gives kids time to cut loose and burn off some steam. Your garden can serve as an outdoor classroom for showing your kids how and where we get our food while connecting them to nature and theā¦
September 13, 2022
Discover fall flowers and plants that brighten up our autumn landscapeāand our moods!Ā Why not enjoyĀ colorful garden blooms and foliage for even longer?!Ā Discover 50 fall flowers, shrubs, trees, and other plants that welcome the season with a blaze of color.
Foxglove that were cut back after flowering this summer are putting out second spikes of bloom. TheĀ rugosa rose is still producingā¦
September 12, 2022
Fall is the ideal time to take cuttings of many plants! Many of our favorite tender plantsĀ (such as coleus and geraniums) may not survive winter. It’s fun and quite satisfying to multiply your favorite plantsāfor free! Learn how.
One of my favorite aspects of gardening is plant propagation. Whether it’s from seed or from a cutting, I love seeing a new plant emerge and grow.ā¦
September 7, 2022
When we see a green tomato, it's usually just unripe and will eventually turn red with a bit of patience. However, there are green tomatoes that are meant to stay green! The taste is very different. Learn more about true green tomatoes and how to ripen them.
If you've had an unripe red tomato, it's usually very hard with a tart taste. We either wait for the tomato to turn red, ripen the tomatoā¦
September 6, 2022
Wish you could ditch your grass or just do less mowing? You’re not alone! Before you throw down more grass seed, discover 12 lawn alternativesālow-maintenance, drought-resistant grasses and ground covers you can step on!
Are you tired of suffering through the hassle of keeping your grass green? Have a tough slope that is hard to mow safely? Want to grow a āstepableā carpet aroundā¦