Archives for August 2011

Try These Challenging House Plants

Unusual house plants, especially those which require rather exacting treatments, are a challenge to the veteran grower of indoor plants. Perhaps you are one of those who have become a bit bored by the humdrum of routine watering, potting and puttering around with the rather commonplace ivies, cacti, rubber plants, Sanserierias, ferns and african violets. […]

How To Add Fragrance To The Summer Garden

Fragrance is a blessing after the long Winter months. Then even the smell of the good earth is a ionic to the real dirt gardener. The sweet scent of the early Spring flowers, however, is but the harbinger of exciting pleasures to come, enjoyment which only a gardener with an educated nose can fully appreciate. […]

Wild Flowers For The Garden And Landscape

Several years ago when I checked one of the country’s best nursery catalogs, I found over 50 species and varieties of our native wild flowers listed as common garden flowers. Many other varieties offered, such as the lovely new tradescantias, were horticultural varieties or hybrids with native wild flower ancestry. However, there are still many […]

Globularia Bellidifolia

Lovely foliage is always an asset to a plant when one is appraising its value as a garden ornament. That is the reason, I suppose, that experienced gardeners grow globe daisies despite the fact that most small kinds are sparse bloomers. That would be all the more reason, then, why you and I should put. […]

Epiphyllums – Gems for the Shade Garden

The growing popularity of the epiphyllum hybrids, also called phyllocactus, and popularly known as orchid cactus, has brought about some extensive study of their culture and an enthusiastic kind of zeal in hybridizing for new and better varieties. A commercial dealer propounded the name orchid cactus for its obvious “trade-pulling” power. However, epiphyllums bear no […]

Eucryphia – Glory Of Late Summer Bloom

Eucryphias are desirable for the glory of their late summer bloom and, in cool-winter climates, for the brilliancy of autumn foliage. In 1859 E. glutinosa was introduced into England from Chile. Considered one of the hardiest, this tree may be seen in flower in the Arboretum of Washington, Seattle, where five different eucryphias are grown. […]

Even Writers Plan Gardens and Landscapes Ahead Of Time

It is hard to get in the mood of gardening or even of planning ahead for your garden when the temperatures are soaring towards the century mark. That’s when it is nice to take advantage of previous foresight and sit in the shade of a tree. We have enjoyed the shade of the big sprawling […]

Poppies are Indispensable – After The Tulips Fade

The one sure way to prevent that sudden let-down feeling in the hardy border after the last tulips fade is to have Oriental poppies coming on to take their place. There are of course, the tall bearded iris in many lovely colors; but none which carry on the dramatic impact of the tulips, especially in […]

Peonies for Fall Planting – Prepare The Hole

Peonies are just as popular today as they were m our great-grandmother’s day. Their continued esteem by gardeners is easy to understand when we consider the beauty of their flowers, the fragrance possessed by many varieties, their good foliage and their performance when properly planted. In view of their sterling long-lasting qualities peonies rate a […]

The August Home Greenhouse – What To Do?

It’s not too early to get seeds and cuttings started for a good show in the greenhouse next fall and winter. Now, with everything flourishing in the garden, it is hard to realize how slow plant growth can be during the short sunless days of November and December. Plants started this month will be well […]