A community garden in Hartsville, South Carolina, has nearly doubled in size after just one year in operation and is sharing its bounty with people in the the local area who need it. The Come Grow With Us scheme has 43 plots rented this year, compared with the 27 it started with last spring, SCNOW […]
A group of gardeners in Philadelphia is taking home less than half of its crop this year and giving the rest to local soup kitchens and food pantries. Volunteers at the Doylestown Mennonite Church turn up twice a week to tend their varieties of plants including tomatoes, peppers, carrots, potatoes, squash, beans, herbs and flowers, […]
Growing plants in a high-rise building can be a tricky proposition for even the most green-fingered of individuals, but getting it right can be very rewarding, an expert has suggested. In an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer, Center City landscape architect Michael LoFurno said the exaggerated weather conditions at height can be difficult to deal […]
I always have mixed feelings at this time of year. Overhead, the trees are closing in, like shade cloth covering a greenhouse. In my garden that shade, as welcome as will be when it protects me and my garden from the hot Midwestern summer to come, means an end to the season of sunlight and […]
Container herbs are one of the most rewarding plants greenhouse and gardening enthusiasts can cultivate as they look great and can make a real difference in the kitchen. According to Jo Ann Gardner in Fine Gardening magazine, lemon thyme is one of the best of the bunch and can be an "attractive, upright mound of […]
For gardeners working on a budget, there are several ways to improve an outside space and grow lots of produce without breaking the bank. That is the opinion of Patricia Ziegler-Boccadoro, who wrote in an article for the South Whitehall Patch that metallic pinwheels costing $1 each, for example, can keep hungry animals away from […]
Owning a glasshouse is likely to feature at the top of any gardener’s wish list. Whatever the structure, from simple aluminium frame to the most luxuriously crafted designs, most of us would love the opportunity to garden under glass. It promises a world of new and exciting horticultural opportunties, where you can try out new […]
If you’ve ever picked one, you know that nothing can compare with the flavor of a fresh strawberry. But growing strawberries in your backyard can be daunting. First, it requires large amounts of sunny space — at least one foot between plants, and three between rows. You’ll have to weed or mulch them, or risk […]
Finally—after a notably cold spring, it’s time to shift my sun room plants outdoors. Over the years I’ve noticed that certain plants make the move more easily than others. Some show their displeasure by dropping leaves (the brunfelsia), getting sticky indoors before winter’s end (the Meyer lemon) or simply not thriving outside (the dracaena). So […]
Glasshouse garden’ inspires beginners and experts alike Compact versions of the grand estate glasshouses to be found at Kew, Hampton Court Palace and various RHS gardens are being unveiled by Hartley Botanic at the 2011 Chelsea Flower Show (May 23-28) in a bid to appeal to amateur gardeners of differing skill levels. Their courtyard ‘glasshouse […]
On a recent spring day, I had the opportunity to visit Planting Fields, located in Oyster Bay, Long Island. Once a remarkable private estate, it is now managed by the State of New York. Its name comes from the Matinecock Indians–the original cultivators of the fertile clearings above Long Island Sound. Although Henry Hudson stopped […]
While real caterpillars may well be unwelcome visitors in some gardens, caterpillar-style coverings can vegetables keep safe all year round. That is according to one Alaskan gardening expert, who has advised green-fingered enthusiasts in Kodiak to build their own 'caterpillars' – essentially little more than small tunnels crafted from plastic sheeting secured over PVC hoops. […]
