Of course you want trees in your landscape. Too frequently, though, the trees you wish to have will grow too large for your property and will also hinder the growth of smaller plants and shrubs. A good solution is to select small, flowering trees such as those discussed below, three of which are native to […]
Archives for March 2009
Forcing Dwarf Iris
Early March thaw last year provided the idea and opportunity to dig clumps of dwarf irises to force into bloom for an April garden club arrangement. I chose a little favorite of mine with soft blue flowers, and a taller yellow iris having larger blooms, of soft clear color. Large clumps of the irises were […]
Gibberellin Growth Hormone
In 1926, Long before 2,4-D and DDT became known to gardeners, a Formosan scientist, E. Kurosawa, made an important discovery. He observed a peculiar fungus (Gibberella fujikuroi) disease that affected rice. The first symptom was a greatly accelerated growth rate and the diseased seedlings grew much taller than the healthy ones. Kurosawa found that sterile, […]
Seed Packet Garden with These Annuals
Sweet-alyssum, truly foolproof, makes the simplest garden look finished. Colors are white or violet, height from 4 to 10 inches, habit, spreading. Use scissors to shear off an inch or so of growth every few weeks during the summer to keep plants flowering vigorously. Zinnias continue to improve in bloom quality; no muddy colors here. […]
Garden Seed Supply – Color Gardens from Seed Packets
If you are a recent or even brand new gardener you can plant a garden this spring you will later be proud of if you concentrate on foolproof annuals. You can have the fun of selecting annuals from catalogs, then sowing the seed, and in a pinch you can go to your nearest nursery or […]
Amaryllis Flowers, Oxalis and Gloxinias
Amaryllis which produce a profusion of big strappy, healthy leaves and have a firm bulb, but still do not produce blossoms, may be dried off to induce the buds to come. Withhold water until the leaves are slightly withered. Cut off the leaves at the top of the bulb. Repot into new soil, rich in […]
Watch Out for Strawberry Disease
The strawberry is high on almost everyone’s list of favorite foods. Unfortunately, a large number of insects and plant disease-causing organisms feel the same way about it! This article is meant to inform, not to discourage strawberry growing. For anyone seriously interested in raising this delectable fruit, the necessary sweat and energy of establishing and […]
Biennials Complete the Garden Picture
Some gardeners feel that it’s hardly worth while bothering with biennials. Nevertheless, this much neglected group of flowering plants lends variety and interest to the garden panorama, and helps provide a continuous succession of bloom, so essential in the well-planned landscape. What would we do without the happy, flouncy Canterbury bells, the showy foxgloves, or […]
