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Gardening Advice
In honor of Valentine鈥檚 Day, we had fun finding these 10 flowers with romantic names. Consider adding these flower seeds to your garden, or give your loved ones some special seed packets for a season of long-lasting blooms!
鈥榁alentine鈥 sunflower
鈥榁alentine鈥 sunflower grows to be 5 feet tall. Its lemony yellow blossoms with chocolate brown centers are excellent for cutting so you鈥檒l have鈥
It鈥檚 winter, the dormant season. Plant and tree growth has slowed to a crawl or stopped completely. This is the perfect time to try out a winter landscaping exercise we鈥檒l call the 鈥淔our Directions鈥 or 鈥淔our Winds.鈥 In Native American culture (Lakota), people would pray by calling on the spirits of the four cardinal directions鈥擲outh, West, North, and East. Called the鈥
Read your weeds! They are an indicator of your soil鈥檚 health. If you have large patches of one kind of weed, your garden is trying to tell you something. Here are common weeds and what they say about your soil鈥攑lus photos. Let us know what you learn!When weeds arrive, it鈥檚 often an index of what is wrong (though sometimes what is right) with the soil. For example, weeds with鈥
When should you prune shrubs and trees? It depends! Wait until mid- to late winter to prune shrubs and trees that flower in the summer. However, spring-flowering shrubs and trees should be pruned immediately after bloom because they bud out in the fall. Be careful not to prune at the wrong time, or you could cut off the flower buds! Learn more.Why Prune Shrubs and Trees?Most shrubs and鈥
This time of year, Christmas wreaths are hung in every place imaginable鈥攆rom doors and fences to lampposts and windows鈥攅ven the front grille of the car! How did a round bit of greenery come to symbolize the holidays?Wreaths are part of many ancient traditions dating back to the earliest civilizations. The circle is a symbol of immortality; throughout history, wreaths have been鈥
The emerald ash borer has hit my area hard and all the ash trees close to our house have been affected. The trunk was too large for our chainsaw, and the 5 other trees, though smaller, were too close to the house for us to safely take down. Time to call in the experts! So, what is an arborist and what do they do that is so special and often very expensive?One of our trees is a鈥
By using organic soil amendments, you can turn poor garden soil into a nutrient-rich paradise. What do we mean by 鈥渟oil amendments鈥? What are some great soil amendments? Here is a brief overview listing some of the best amendments for your garden!Which Nutrients Do Plants Need?Just like humans, plants need a wide range of nutrients to keep them growing healthy and strong. Soil鈥
Let鈥檚 not be in a hurry to cut down plants that have interesting seed heads in the fall. The birds fully appreciate having a smorgasbord of seeds to choose from鈥攁nd we love watching them feast! Listed here are 12 plants that have great seed heads for birds. While bird feeders are always nice, wild birds like to forage for their own 鈥渂ird food.鈥 Plants with seed heads not only鈥
If this was your first year growing garden fruits and vegetables, you probably have found that much of your homegrown produce does not look like what you see in the store. Don鈥檛 be discouraged! It鈥檚 what鈥檚 on the inside that counts! Learn more about that 鈥渦gly鈥 produce.Experienced gardeners know that imperfect produce is actually more normal and natural than the grocery store specimens鈥
African violets are beautiful houseplants which provide a pretty dose of color indoors. Find out how to take care of African violets through the winter and keep them blooming!What Are African Violets?If you are in need of some flowering companions to get you through the cold days of winter, look for a plant that hails from the southern hemisphere, the African violet.African鈥
Usually we think of spring as the time when wildlife is conducting their courtship rituals. Not so with grasshoppers and crickets! As the summer winds down, you will hear the the mating calls of the males trying to attract a female get louder! And if you are finding ragged holes chewed in the leaves of your plants it is probably grasshoppers. To lessen the population next year, now is鈥
While 93% of the West is in some level of drought, other regions are being inundated with rain. After a hot dry June in my neck of the woods, we got 3 times our monthly rainfall in the first 2 weeks of July and another 3 inches just yesterday! What鈥檚 a wet gardener to do? See 7 tips to manage your garden after too much rain.We were lucky to only get 3 inches of rain this time. Nearby鈥
