Author: Lee Reich
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Small seeds can hold big ambitions for trees, shrubs
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Planting seeds is a satisfying way to grow trees and shrubs, and gives you a special affection for the plants.Don’t be put off by how long it takes: Unless you are interested in flowering or…
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Small seeds can hold big ambitions for trees, shrubs
Planting seeds is a satisfying way to grow trees and shrubs, and gives you a special affection for the plants.Don’t be put off by how long it takes: Unless you are interested in flowering or fruiting, you can expect plenty of shoot growth from most young trees and shrubs. And even if years are required,…
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Fake, real crocuses put on fall show
Autumn crocus is worth planting if only to startle your neighbors. When they ask why your crocuses are blooming this time of year, just smile and say that perhaps spring has come early in your garden.A bed of autumn crocus does more than just startle, of course; it also paints the fall landscape in soft…
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Mowing tips for a healthy, pretty lawn
Mowing the lawn is at once the most mundane and the most unique form of pruning. Everyone does it, yet what other kind of pruning calls for cutting off only part of a leaf blade — and thousands at a time?The reason grasses tolerate such pruning is because the growing point of a grass plant…
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Short science lesson explains the purple in vegetables
It sure would be hard to explain to any young child why cooking would turn purple beans, such as the variety Royal Burgundy, from purple to green. Which cooking does.You can’t respond by just saying, “Anthocyanins, my dear.” You may have to wait a few years before offering a thorough answer.A natural group of chemicals,…
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What a little moonlight can do in the garden
“By the light of the silvery moon” is such a fine time to be in the garden. The look is quite different from the garden in daylight, and worth considering when you plan your plots. Even full moonlight bathes the garden with only about one-half-millionth as much light as sunlight. COLOR GONE This darkness brings…
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You’re vacationing, but what about your plants?
So you’re going away on vacation? Your plants are not, and there’s no reason for them to suffer in your absence. With a little pre-planning, they can thrive even as you stroll the streets of some exotic city or canoe pristine waters. Unless your vacation is slated to go on for weeks and weeks, your…
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Roses are worth all their problems
Read about roses, talk to other gardeners about growing them, and insect and disease problems seem inevitable.Insect pestsProblems begin in the spring, with chewed leaves. No great harm, except that the plants begin to look ragged. This raggedness is mostly a problem if your roses are planted prominently in view, which makes a good case…
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Let mulch work for you
The dictionary says that mulch is anything you lay on top of the soil to protect it. Protect it from what, though? Sun and rain, that’s what. Sun beating down on bare soil results in temperatures hot enough to drive away friendly organisms, such as earthworms, and make roots uncomfortable. And battering rains seal the…
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Wood chips’ benefits are more than cosmetic
Stores are now awash with wood and bark chips. Besides the usual supply available at nurseries and garden centers, clean white bags of chips are also neatly stacked in front of hardware stores, supermarket, even convenience stores. These piles of chips are feeding our springtime urge to spruce things up. Yet the benefit of chips…