There is no way to sugarcoat the challenges many of us in the Mid-Atlantic region have faced this summer. The inconsistency of rainfall and the extreme high temperatures have greatly impacted our efforts to garden successfully. Even with valiant efforts to apply supplemental irrigation, I have witnessed a wide range of plant material showing signs of drought stress that I have rarely witnessed in my 15-plus years of gardening in this region. To say it is cause for concern would be an understatement. As a result, in the last few months I have been repeatedly asked how we can prepare our beloved gardens to reduce heat and moisture stress for future growing seasons. One answer to this conundrum is to add organic matter to the soil in the form of compost.
Budget-Friendly Garden Hacks and Tips to Keep Things Organized
07.08.2024 - 16:15 / finegardening.com / Fine Gardening editors
Several years ago while shopping at a big-box store, I spotted this tote in the household-cleaning section. In addition to carrying cleaning supplies, it can be used as a shower caddy, but I envisioned it as a garden-tool tote—balanced, sturdy, comfortable to carry, and with holes in each compartment for drainage. I’ve used it for a few years now, switching tools as needed so that I’m always ready for the current job. Cleaning the tote in spring or fall is as easy as removing the tools and spraying it out with a hose.
—Lynn Dampman, Glenrock, Wyoming
I’m sometimes careless in the garden, and I used to lose tools because I couldn’t find them. After seeing a set of brightly colored tools, I came up with an idea that was much cheaper than buying a whole new set—bright-colored duct tape on the handles. I’m still working on being less careless, but at least now I can see my tools when I leave them in odd places.
—Susie Narkis, River Forest, Illinois
I plant hundreds of bulbs each year, and invariably mistakes happen: The colors don’t match the descriptions, the effect isn’t quite what I want, or I mix up the packages of bulbs. I have to dig up and move those bulbs. But I would never remember which ones to dig up come moving time in the fall, so I wrap colored metallic twist ties around the bulbs’ stems below the leaves. The color of each twist tie matches the bulb, and the ties are easy to remove once the bulbs are in their new home.
—Julie Scandora, Seattle
Many people are changing out their old chandeliers for new ones, and I found an old one online for free. I removed the light bulbs and added planting soil and strawberry plants. Now that I’ve hung the chandelier, the slugs can’t reach the plants. I really enjoy reusing
How to Trim Basil for Big, Bushy Plants and Larger Yields
One of the secrets to producing big, bushy basil plants is trimming. Many gardeners are shy about harvesting from their herbs and don’t want to cut them back in case it damages the plants or reduces yield. I’m the opposite, constantly trimming herbs like basil to use fresh, or preserve by drying or freezing. Not only does it promote bushier growth it also increases stem and leaf production. Are you ready to learn how to trim your basil plants for maximum yield? When it comes to pruning basil, it doesn’t matter if you’re growing basil in containers or garden beds. It doesn’t matter if you’
9 Common Balcony Gardening Problems and Tips to Solve Them
Most of the problems balcony gardeners face are universal, so we’ve compiled basic and common problems with their answers, hoping that these tips and answers will help you create a wonderful balcony garden.
Sarah Price's ideas for a naturalistic and sustainable planting scheme | House & Garden
A conversation with Sarah Price about how she designs her planting schemes is fascinating. She works in an unfettered way, with no specific planting plans but an intuitive sense of the plants that will work well together to form the nature-inspired compositions she is known for. Her gardens are like exquisite paintings, comprising layers of detail with a gentle succession of plants that provide interest for most of the year. This summer combination comes from Sarah’s own garden on the edge of Abergavenny. Here, she has created different areas and habitats, including a dry garden in the old walled kitchen garden.
Dog-Friendly Garden with Rustic Charm
Dog-Friendly Garden with Rustic Charm Meander through the paths of Bonnie Duma's beautiful — and dog-friendly! — garden filled with upcycled treasures. Creating a rustic & pet-friendly backyard garden
2-for-1 Gardens to Visit - Summer holiday special
Join us this summer as we explore some of the UK’s best 2-for-1 Gardens to visit in August, for fun days out with all the family. Whether it’s an adventure playground or woodland trail for the kids, or a rose garden or restored Elizabethan garden for the horticulturalists, there is plenty to enjoy at these gardens. Visit using your 2-for-1 Gardens card to save money on your trips to all these wonderful gardens.
Everyone Should Know Hyssop Benefits and Uses in Garden
This small woody shrub belonging to the mint family is grown for its fragrant, edible, and medicinal leaves and flowers. Growing hyssop has a host of health benefits and is also useful in maintaining a thriving, pest-free garden. Let’s dig in!
A Different Strategy for a Sloped Garden in Pennsylvania
Hi GPODers!
Exclusive: Pamela Anderson Returns to Her Roots
Over the past few years, Pamela Anderson has had more time to contemplate life. That is, until things kicked into high gear again—but more on that later. At the start of the pandemic in 2020, she moved from France, sold her house in Malibu, and headed north to the small town on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, where she was born and raised. She hunkered down with her two grown sons, Brandon and Dylan. She bought her grandmother’s old motel, renovated it, and set up her parents there. A lifelong cook, she perfected her baking skills. She reclaimed and expanded her grandfather’s garden on the same land where she had run barefoot as a self-described wild child. It’s the site of both her greatest childhood joys and harrowing traumas, which she describes candidly in her 2023 autobiography, Love, Pamela, and Netflix documentary, Pamela, A Love Story. Almost poetically, for Pamela has journaled and written poetry her whole life, she has reclaimed her true self and her youthful creativity on the exact spot where they were born. When I had the chance to sit with her and talk over Zoom recently, our conversation quickly moved beyond her new cookbook, I Love You (due out in October), to all aspects of life—and her ability to find the deepest of meanings in even the tiniest of seeds.
