With New York governor David Patterson recently making it compulsory for schools to ban pesticides on playgrounds and playing fields, parents may be forgiven for worrying about their own lawn. The Bedford-Katonah Patch recently looked at the merits of switching to organic materials when caring for the grass in your yard. It revealed that a […]
While some herbs overwinter in sunny windows or greenhouses, and others dry well for later, there’s a handful of culinary herbs that– to my mind– are best grown only during summer and enjoyed when fresh. Though they can be preserved one way or another, there’s no substitute for their fresh presence in summer’s signature dishes. […]
Grafted what? OK, as home gardeners, most of us are familiar with grafting apples, roses or grapes for disease resistance and vigor. But right now, around the world—from Japan to India, Israel to Greece and New Zealand—commercial growers are grafting hybrid rootstocks (bottoms) to single-season scions (tops) like watermelons, eggplants or tomatoes. Within a few […]
Garden and greenhouse enthusiasts were recently asked to contribute their best tips to a horticultural website, which has published a list of the ten top hints. Gather.com members suggested that those new to growing start off small, with growing in pots a good place to begin. This is a good way to master the basics […]
Garden and greenhouse enthusiasts have been told that it can often be beneficial to grow certain types of plants together. According to Coloradoan.com, this is true of corn, pole beans and squash, which can be planted in the vegetable patch. The idea is that the three species will complement each other, with the squash shading […]
Garden and greenhouse fans who wish to help get the bee population back to normal have been given some tips on how to do so. Gather.com recently reported that figures from the Xerces Society show that bee populations in the US have been on the decline since 1945, with numbers having halved in the intervening […]
So, you’ve seen the show gardens and taken in the Grand Pavilion. Now what? Fancy building a Corten steel structure? Planning on filling the back garden with tree ferns? Or do you fancy inviting the cow parsley in? Unlike designers building a Chelsea Show Garden, most people have to grapple with a small space, limited […]
A garden and greenhouse expert has given tips to would-be vegetable growers across the US. Laurie Garretson told the Victoria Advocate that now is a great time for growing your own fruit and vegetables. She explained that gardeners should not stress about creating the perfect green space as there is always likely to be some […]
Is it because you can’t buy plants at the Chelsea Flower Show that the urge to shop is so irresistible to most people? Seasoned colleagues tell me they deplore the commercialism of it all, while I keep my guilty secret that I always look forward to shopping at Chelsea. Each year I make a point […]
With the summer months arriving, garden and greenhouse fans have been given some useful vegetable growing tips. According to expert grower and Hunt Country Master Gardener Association president Byron Chitwood, tomatoes are still one of the most popular foods to grow. He told Country World that nothing tastes as good as the round, red fruits, […]
When you walk in off the street, you’ll notice an immediate change in your blood pressure. The Enid A. Haupt Glass Garden– the horticultural therapy branch of the NYU (New York University) Medical Center– is just a stone’s throw away from FDR Drive. But the tranquility of the garden, and the history of its role […]
They say that behind every successful man there is a woman. And behind every successful Chelsea Show Garden there is a shed. Some contain exotic items like rose-water and lime leaves, others are cluttered with boxes of disposable plastic shoe covers. (Chelsea judges don’t take kindly to messy footprints). While the public sees only cool, […]
