Open the vents in your greenhouse on sunny December days, shutting them before temperatures drop early in the afternoon to retain the heat. Good air circulation is essential but chilling draughts should be avoided, so donât leave the door open or open the vents too far. It is a matter of getting it just right! […]
Itâs late fall, and the outdoor flowers are parched with frost, the leaves have fallen, the tropicals are in the greenhouse and the lawn has had its last cut. Now is the time to put away your garden power tools for winter. But in the urge to store everything, a big mistake can be made […]
Recently, I was invited to hike in the Oregon woods with a group of fern enthusiastsâseveral from the UK. The group was on a three-week botanizing road trip throughout the Northwest. When I caught up with them, they were picnicking trailside in a park near my house and talking Latin. Every other word was a […]
If youâre lucky enough to have a big conservatoryâand it isn’t too crowded with plantsâyou have a lovely setting for a holiday party. If itâs warm enough to overwinter houseplants, the glasshouse will be comfortable for people. And wouldn’t it be lovely for your guests to watch snowflakes fall from inside the glass? Youâre probably […]
Dahlias, with their brilliant-colored flowers in a variety of sizes and styles, are relatively easy to grow, but there are important tips to dahlia care, starting with how the tubers are harvested in fall. Dahlia tubers, from which new plants grow, cannot survive the winter outdoors in cold climates. They must be taken out of […]
