In my part of the Midwest, April is the time that daffodils are in their glory and the wildflowers bloom. Supposedly. This April, most of my daffodils are already bloomed and dried up and gone. Tulips popped in the third week of March. Scilla and muscari bloomed simultaneously. Forsythia and redbud – normally the first […]
Gardening has proven to be a consistently popular pastime for people in the US and it is easy to see why. There are many reasons to engage with the activity and it can serve many purposes beyond the simple aesthetic of having a beautiful space outside the home. First and foremost is the ability of […]
Stepping outside and getting to work with the garden tools can be a great way for people to cheer themselves up if they are feeling down. Indeed, Sir Richard Thompson, president of the Royal College of Physicians across the pond in the UK, is calling on doctors to start prescribing a session outdoors as a […]
Drought-tolerant plants could be the perfect solution for people who are struggling to maintain their garden in hotter parts of the US. There are plenty of suitable varieties on offer, it is simply a question of selecting one that is most appropriate for the space available. Climbers are likely to be a top choice for […]
I’d already planned to write about global warming when White Flower Farm’s e-mail scooped me! I suspect this subject has been sitting front and center in most northeastern gardeners’ minds since the weather of the past few weeks arrived. The upshot of WFF’s message is that based upon the latest Department of Agriculture study, we […]
Gardens can be used to counter the impact of climate change, particularly for people who live in built-up urban areas. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) notes that this will be a generally positive trend for city landscapes. In order to raise awareness of this, the gardening charity is hosting an Environment exhibit at its forthcoming […]
There are plenty of places gardeners can look to take inspiration on how to give their outdoor space a distinctive edge. Events such as competitions are a prime example, as there are often a lot of unusual design and arrangement ideas on display. With the Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show set to take place […]
“Every garden starts with inspiration, and you can find lots of inspired ideas at garden shows,” says Kathleen Norris Brenzel, editor of the just-published ninth edition of The New Sunset Western Garden Book. She should know. As Sunset Magazine’s Garden Editor, Kathleen has judged countless show display gardens and presented many excellent talks on the […]
The golden age of greenhouses could easily be said to have been before World War One when huge greenhouses dominated gentrified England. The carnage of WWI ended this golden age when so many men were killed that after the war there were not enough people to run the vast glass and cast iron emporiums. Many […]
It’s getting on for the time when my checkbook burns a hole in my pocket. Not a credit card: Many plant sales don’t take credit cards. And plant sales offer me some of my best plants. For months now, the volunteers at my local conservatory have been nurturing unusual herbs for their annual herb sale. […]
Glasshouse owners could follow the lead of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) in the UK and take advantage of the hot green space to nurture plants that may not grow as successfully in outdoor conditions. The orchid is one example of such a flower and the RHS will be celebrating it with an event entitled […]
Like many gardeners, each winter I eagerly anticipate perusing the new pile of catalogs and putting together this year’s seed orders. And I have my favorites. I’ve come to depend on the Totally Tomatoes catalog, for instance, for the majority of tomato varieties I order each year, and I’ve been impressed by new peppers they’ve […]
