Gardener Ideas, Tips & Guides

Group 1 Clematis montana  

ANEW FRIEND REMINDED ME THAT EMILY DICKINSON lived “right at the intersection of solitude, poetry, and gardening,” a place that sounds like a happy home to me at this life phase.

I BOUGHT MYSELF a new begonia this year, which quickly became one of the most asked-about plants at my open garden days. The other thing everyone asks about: my lightweight garden hoses. Either one would make a great holiday gift for gardeners—or you could give them to yourself, as I did, along with the item that has become my favorite stocking-stuffer.

A candid head’s up: Like Jeff, I am less-than-enthusiastic about the seemingly widespread desire among gardeners to shop their way out of issues with pests, disease, or soil imbalances. I buy a lot of seeds and bulbs and plants–but not a lot of “stuff.”Jeff and I had a funny email exchange, when I invited him to join me on the radio show and podcast, and asked about what topics he’d most like to cover together.“The topics that I speak on most frequently are garden remedies and thoughtful organic gardening,” Jeff replied. When I read that, my slightly dark humor zoomed in on the phrase “thoughtful organic gardening.”Except I thought he said, “thoughtless organic gardening.” I g

As a policy, I don’t like to complain about winter. I’m hardy but herbaceous, inclined to hide quietly and regroup each offseason—happy for the downtime and change of scenery, happy for moisture in any form to recharge the system around me. But this is silly:The back door hasn’t opened since December; the front one will, but not the storm door just beyond. Just a single portal to the forbidding outer world beyond is operable, and it requires cardboard shims (below) to stay shut, the latch and strike plate no

Lee Reich, or should I say Dr. Lee Reich, has degrees in chemistry, soil science and horticulture, and is author of many previous books including,“Landscaping With Fruit,” “The Pruning Book,” and “Weedless Gardening.” The topic of our recent conversation was more about wondering and explaining not just the how-to, but the why and how things happen, including: ways to know your soil better, to propagate bulbs by understanding their physiology, or nudge fruit trees not to skip a year of bearing fruit and more.Read along as you listen to the April 23, 2018 edition of my public-radio show and podcast using the player below. You can subscribe to all future editions on iTunes or Stitcher (and browse my archive of podcasts here).Plus:

John Forti is a garden historian and heirloom specialist and ethnobotanist, and a longtime leader in the slow-foods movement. He’s currently the executive director of Bedrock Gardens landscape and sculpture garden in New Hampshire.We talked about a range of topics including a new generation of chestnuts; what the difference between the words “yard” and “garden” is; the impressive properties of yarrow, and how Queen Anne’s lace is “the ancient queen of all carrots.”Read along as you listen to the November 1, 2021 edition of my public-radio show and podcast using the player below. You can subscribe t

You all know Ken Druse, author and photographer of 20 garden books and a daring gardener and plant propagator. He spoke to me from his garden among the trees in New Jersey to talk about oh-so-carefully tucking small things in among tree roots, about creating a bit more light with artful pruning, some favorite plants and more.Plus: Enter to win a copy of his 2015 book “The New Shade Garden” (affiliate link) by commenting in the box near the bottom of the page.Read along as you listen to the January 17, 2022 edition of my public-radio show and podcast using the player below. You can subscribe to all future editions on Apple Podcasts (iTunes) or Spotify or Stitcher (and browse my archive of podcasts here).shade-garden tips with ken druse

Microgreens are the first set of leaves also known as cotyledons. They are not the true leaves of plants. However, microgreens can be harvested between cotyledon to first true leaf stage, when 3-4 true leaves appear, and they grow above 2 inches tall.

When referencing my front yard’s native grass and wildflower planting, I irreverently and affectionately call it my weed patch. I’ll address the irreverent part in a later blog.

The Beginner.

Josh with his dog Twinkle in the Edible Forest at Birch Farm

Experimental gardening pioneer John Little tests many of his ideas at Hilldrop, his four-acre plot in Essex

Organic pest control is a term referred to the way of controlling pests in a bio-organic and natural manner; this means that you will remove any pests from your garden without using any chemical pesticides or commercial non-organic pest control products. The products you’re going to grow, the soil you are growing in & the plants that come to fruition are much healthier and stronger.

By Larry Storm

Claire, our local interior designer, recently borrowed a few bits and pieces from me for her latest window and I’ve just seen the result – it looks like the best potting shed ever. I had to photograph through glass and avoid reflections, so please forgive me if the results are slightly blurry, but its worth looking at.

Also Read: DIY Balcony Bar Top Ideas

In case any of you out there haven’t seen this (and even if you have) here’s the YouTube video of the wonderful Kim Wilde on the train home to Hertfordshire after what must have been a very good party. [yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ij8BpOa-Pg’] And this stocking filler

There are many valuable tips and tricks that you can use for the plants in the yard without burning a hole in your pocket. Surprised? Don’t be! Here are some Cheap Gardening Tricks Every Gardener Should Know!

You must have a little jar of Vaseline at home for topical application, but do you know that you can use it in your yard too? Check out some beneficial Vaseline Uses and Hacks that will come quite handy in the garden!

Even if you don’t have a backyard to start a full-fledged garden, you can start a small “urban garden” by growing vegetables and herbs on your patio or balcony with a few simple supplies. A few pots, some potting soil, and plant seedlings or seeds are really all you need.

Check some of these out-of-the-box Sensible DIY Garden Hacks That Can Make You A Smart Gardener! 

Click here to learn more about Diatomaceous Earth!

Joe Lamp’l, the host of PBS’s “Growing a Greener World,” says he thinks interest in backyard gardening is growing rapidly across the country, especially as more and more people want to be in control of what they put in their mouths.“A lot of it is starting around foodies and loving to cook,” Lamp

We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission.Gardening is for everyone, and no one state

I recently had the pleasure of reviewing an advance copy of The Humane Gardener: Nurturing a Backyard Habitat for Wildlife by Nancy Lawson, available for preorder now on Amazon.com and available in wide release on April 18th.Naturalist Nancy Lawson’s primary purpose is to help animals.Sh