For greenhouse owners and gardeners in the Carolinas and Georgia, here is some disturbing news: Some tomato plants in Beaufort County, South Carolina, have recently been infected with late blight disease, the same highly infectious scourge that caused the Irish potato famine in the 1840s. Tomatoes and potatoes are related species, both belonging to the […]
Succulents, even those that wonât grow in colder climates, make great candidates for a greenhouse, sunroom, or even a sunny windowsill. My collection doesnât seem to mind the dry indoor air or erratic watering. And my admiration for these low-water high-drama plants is shared by a lot of peopleâespecially in coastal areas of California, where […]
Glasshouses, conservatories, and the mid-century modern enclaves of Palm Springs owe much to the invention of plate glass. Glass windows have been with us since at least the 3rd century CE, but they were dim little shards held together by lead seams, fracturing and distorting the view, but letting in more light than a sheet […]
Starting annual flowers from seed in a greenhouse or under lights isnât a whole lot different from starting tomatoes. There are still flowers you can start in April, and itâs a nice thing to do when the perennials are up 6 inches but there are still snowflakes in the air. Outdoors, the garden may not […]
In northern parts of America greenhouse owners are just now starting tomato plants from seed ready for the new season. Under lights on the heat mat I have some fifteen varieties growing. These will be transplanted into larger pots until they are ready for my garden and the gardens of friends. But often tomato varieties […]
The semi-arid steppes of the world can teach us ways to conserve water in our gardens and create sustainable landscapes. This year the North American Rock Garden Society, aka NARGS, is holding its annual general meeting in Colorado, hosted by the Rocky Mountain Chapter. Kicking off at the Denver Botanic Garden, it then moves to […]
Itâs going to be quite a year for the ladies at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show with show gardens designed by Anne-Marie Powell, Jekka McVicar, Rosy Hardy and for Hartley Botanicâs 1st ever show garden itâs Catherine MacDonald who will be at the helm. Hartley Botanic MD Johnny Mobasher has long been a fan of […]
If you are a greenhouse owner in the northeast you should treat yourself – take a trip to the Philadelphia Flower show. What makes it spectacular? The show is held in early to mid-March when there is very little in bloom outside of the greenhouse. Many of the prizewinning plants are grown by enthusiastic greenhouse […]
Gardening is good for the soul, everybody says so, but greenhouse gardening is the equivalent of a luxury spa treatment for you and your plants, where you are cosseted against the worst of the weather. Â A cool spring day, one that makes you tighten your scarf and shudder, suddenly becomes thoroughly pleasant. No wonder I […]
When sleet is still rattling against the glass of the greenhouse, itâs hard to get your head into spring. But if you think ahead in March, you can take advantage of a glasshouse to get a head start on the summer garden by potting up tender bulbs. These are plants such as agapanthus, with its […]
âA room of oneâs own⌠What [these words] propose to anyone who admits them into the space of a daydream, is a place of solitude a few steps off the beaten track of everyday life.â So wrote Michael Pollen in A Place of My Own. And he wasnât talking about greenhouses. But he could have […]
Deer tracks in the snow show where a hungry buck gazed wistfully through the glass at the tasty-looking green plants inside your greenhouse. Squirrel and rabbit tracks betray the presence of other wistful watchers that would envoy your greenery even more than you. That’s why theyâre called greenhouses â because in winter they remain green […]
