It’s the time to look at other people’s gardens. While public gardens are great at showing you what’s possible in your area, signing up for a tour of private gardens can give you a strong sense of what you could achieve in your own back yard. Plus, you may be able to talk to the […]

Light levels inside greenhouses in winter and spring can often be quite low. Mostly because the glass has become dirty. With a ton of plants in my greenhouse it is difficult to reach the 12 ft (3.7M) rooftop glass.to clean it. The sides can easily be cleaned from outside, but inside it is often difficult […]

In what should have been the busiest time for a gardener in the steppes of the Front Range, this one has, for the past six weeks, been sitting on the sidelines thanks to a knee replacement. Yes, the right leg that has powered the spade for the past few decades has finally given up the […]

It’s that time of year when gardeners go out on the great plant hunt. “There are so many choices out there, “says Richie Steffen. “Some are fine, but there’s a lot of poor-quality plants as well.” Richie should know. He’s the Executive Director of the Elisabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden in Seattle, as well as […]

Does designing your garden ever cease? Or is it an ongoing process, and just like any work of art, it’s never really “finished”? Do you find yourself tweaking planting schemes, altering plans to changing growing conditions…or interests, eliminating this, adding that…I’m certain few gardeners set their patch in stone. Except, literally, when setting paths through […]

If you enjoy the taste of fresh vegetables but do not have a garden or if your garden is your greenhouse, patio, sunroom, gazebo, or solarium, growing fresh vegetables and fruit might seem impossible. But there is a way to do it. All you need do, is grow in pots. This has an advantage over […]

One of the most effective ways to generate a multitude of plants is to grow your own from cuttings that will get a good start in the greenhouse. This month, I’m talking with Nancy Connolly Blum, a professional landscape gardener and former owner of the Sawmill Ballroom Lavender Farm in Oregon. Here are the propagation […]

Now that it’s spring in New England, it’s time for planting in the garden the vegetables and flowers that I started weeks ago in the greenhouse. But to do this, I have a special concern. Compared with inland temperatures, my garden in spring is significantly cooler due to winds that blow directly across the still […]

Three days from now it’ll be Earth Day 2024, and thoughts turn to the climate, which of late can be described–at best–as uneven; right now, snow is forecast for tomorrow, but on Earth Day, the sun will shine, and the snow will water the garden as it melts. My one lonely daffodil will be pleased. […]

Ideally, plants in gardens and greenhouses are designed in layers. And the most neglected layer is right at the bottom—the groundcovers. Using living plant material instead of just mulch makes for easier maintenance, and less weeding. This is true in garden beds and in containers, where shallow-rooted groundcovers do not compete with their deeper-rooted companions. […]

In the last nor’easter gale here in Rhode Island, wind gusts reached 60 to 70 mph. Usually, the greenhouse, which is in the lee of my studio, is not affected by northerly winds. But one sunny day this spring I opened the greenhouse windows to lower the interior temperature, which had reached 90°F (32° C). […]

I’m always a fan of the display gardens at Seattle’s Northwest Flower and Garden Festival because they offer inspiration for creative ideas to take home and try. This year “Dreamscapes by the Sea” featured a Hartley Victorian glasshouse with double porticos that allowed showgoers to walk right through. It was nestled into a lush garden […]