Lets face it… there are times when we don’t want certain parts of our gardens seen. Quite often these eyesores are the necessary and unavoidable things over which we have no control, such as the drying yard in the photograph below. Compost heaps – a must in every garden – are particularly unsightly, whether they […]
Archives for August 2011
Fertilizing In August Must Be Done Wisely
The hot days of August are not conducive to active gardening, but we can enjoy the returns for our early labors: fruits, vegetables and flowers. Since the growth function of the plant must go on even in the heat, harvesting must be accompanied by watering, fertilizing, weeding and mulching. The big task is to see […]
A Trip Through Garden Centers
At least once a year I like to take a day off and visit garden centers. Early this summer I took myself and and went to neighboring garden center, within easy commuting distance and still retains some of the “country” atmosphere. The garden centers serving these homeowners are among the largest in the East. They […]
The California Buckeye – A Horse Chestnut
Botanically speaking, a buckeye (Aesculus californica) is a horse chestnut. It is a native Californian, but it has been planted as an ornamental in several other parts of the world and deserves to be better known in others. It isn’t a big tree, as such things go, for its maximum height is around 40 feet. […]
Men Share Their Favorite House Plants
Crown of Thorns Many, I know, will acidly quote, “each to his taste,” at my choice of favorite house plant, but let them show me another plant that can stand such abuse and return such beauty and character of form, color and interest as this vegetable “barbed wire” – crown of thorns, Euphorbia aplendens. Brought […]
Here’s a Garden in the Midwest
In the harsh, unpredictable climate of the Midwest, the goal of “season-long color” in a perennial border seems completely out of reach. The weather is always going to extremes – too hot, too cold, too wet, too dry. Against such odds any dream of pictorial gardening is hardly more than a mirage. Yet it can […]
Growing Lilies Big Time – Part 2
Introduction: This is part 2 of an article written by legendary lily grower – Jan De Graaff in 1961. Where he recounts his journey large scale lily growing. Read Part 1 on Growing Lilies Big Time here. Different Flowering Seasons & Growth Habits The greatest value of these new plants lies not in their variety […]
Growing Lilies Big Time – A Look Back
Introduction: The following article was written by legendary lily grower – Jan De Graaff in 1961. In this article penned 50 years ago. Mr. De Graaff, recounts his journey of hybridizing, and growing lilies on a commercial scale. Read Part 1 and enjoy a glimpse of the garden lily glory days. This is the tenth […]
Best Months For Planting Day Lilies – August September
It was quite a while, even months in some cases, before the full extent of damage by the March freeze could he fully determined. Some species of plants were only lightly damaged; others died lingering deaths; and still others were killed outright. From it all we should be able to draw some interesting and valuable […]
Add Lilies to Your Landscape Planting Plans
We don’t know what kind of garden Kipling had in mind when he wrote, “Such gardens are not made by saying, oh, how beautiful, and sitting in the shade”, but it may well have been a continuous-blooming garden or border that flowers from spring to fall. The continuous-blooming garden is probably the aim of more […]
