In the arc of an Irish gardening year, May is the month of magical things. The first rose. The first swallow. The first properly hot day. The first beech tree in full leaf. The first sighting of wisteria in magnificent lilac bloom, draping itself languidly against a high, sunny wall. As nature flashes its brilliant feathers, it’s also our last real opportunity before summer finally arrives to make a substantial difference to our gardens or allotments, whether that’s filling them with fast-growing annuals to provide plenty of homegrown produce for the months ahead, planting up spectacular summer containers, or fine-tuning flower borders for maximum impact. With all of this in mind, here’s a handy little to-do list to help you stay on course.
Cacti and Succulent Gardening in Connecticut
08.05.2024 - 09:13 / finegardening.com
Hey GPODers!
A new editor is at the helm of Garden Photo of the Day, and I want to take the opportunity to (sort of) formally introduce myself. My name is Kaitlyn Hayes, and I’ve been working with Fine Gardening behind the scenes for several years in digital content production—though you may have seen my name sprinkled across the website or gracing the pages of the magazine here or there.
I grew up around women who loved to garden. I spent most summers deadheading annuals with my mom or picking the biggest tomatoes from my grandmother’s beds. I’ve always held a great appreciation and love for plants large and small, but I also always said that the green thumb in my family must have skipped a generation. Year after year I would try to keep all variety of plants alive, but with no success. I gave up hope of enjoying my own gardening endeavors until I began working at Fine Gardening and, with a new wealth of knowledge, decided to give plants another go.
This was also around the same time that I bought a camper van and started taking months-long trips across North America while I was working remotely. These two worlds collided, which led me to my newfound love of cacti and succulents. Their low-maintenance needs and the many varieties that are slow growing allow me to take my green treasures on the road while ensuring they’ll survive and won’t outgrow my limited space.
With that being said, I’ve quickly amassed a collection that is growing beyond camper-van capacity. Below are just some of my favorites, new and old. If anyone is interested... they’re mostly well behaved, and I could really use a plant sitter!
Crassula ‘Baby’s Necklace’ – a new addition that has quickly become my latest obsession. The trailing, beefy foliage
57 Best Flowering Vines and Climbers to Grow in Garden & Containers
The Best Flowering Vines and Climbers to Grow in Garden & Containers can add vertical interest, frame doorways, or even create privacy screens. And the best part? They’re really easy to take care of.
This Flat Croissant Ham & Cheese Sandwich Recipe Is the Perfect Savory Breakfast
If you love something, make it flat—that’s how the saying goes, right? When it comes to flat croissants, at least, that’s definitely the case. We all know (and love) the classic flaky croissant, but bakeries and home chefs have taken the pastry to new heights (or lows?) by flattening it and frying it to make it even crispier.
Grow the Best Red-Hot Pokers – Planting Guide and Trial Results
Like many northern gardeners, I had red-hot poker envy for many years but ruled out growing them because of their iffy -chances of surviving winter in my region. However, I am very excited about some of the newer Kniphofia introductions we are growing at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Being able to overwinter a South African plant in the Midwest is pretty cool, right?
Perfect Plants for Slopes
We design gardens in northwestern Connecticut’s Litchfield Hills, and many of our clients’ properties have sections that are rocky and steep. Embracing the unique contours of each site, we have built rock gardens, terraces, and plantings that flow downhill. We see each hillside as an opportunity to put together a satisfying plant palette that is easy to maintain and beautiful to behold. A bonus with slopes is that they provide good drainage by their very nature.
Cucumber Plant Spacing for High Yields in Gardens and Pots
Cucumbers are among the most popular crops for home gardeners. They’re easy to grow and just a handful of vines can provide enough cucumbers for fresh eating from mid-summer through late fall. But proper cucumber plant spacing can mean the difference between healthy, productive plants and disease ridden, low yielding ones. Let’s take a look at how far apart to plant cucumbers based on your growing technique and the method you use to plant them. Why properly spacing cucumber plants matters Before we dive into the details on proper plant spacing for cucumbers, let’s take a
A Field Guide to Plant Watching
Happy Monday GPODers!
5 Gardeners Share Their Favorite Summer Crops to Grow
It's that time of year when we're summer dreaming, especially about our summer gardens. Choosing which starters and seeds to invest in can be a bit overwhelming, no matter how seasoned you are at it.
Conserving, and growing, native lady’s slipper orchids, with longwood’s peter zale
TODAY’S TOPIC is orchids, but not the ones you might be growing as a flowering houseplant. Our subject is native terrestrial types that are more often than not under great pressure in the wild, their numbers dwindling.
How to Plant and Grow Parris Island Cos Lettuce
How to Plant and Grow Parris Island Cos Lettuce Lactuca sativa ‘Parris Island Cos’