The sunflower is one of the nation’s best-loved flowers. Although most sunflower varieties have yellow flowers, you can grow varieties with rusty red, green and even white flowers.
09.10.2023 - 13:35 / theunconventionalgardener.com / guest
Jose Yong, Northumbria University, Newcastle
Every day, we are bombarded with messages about a world in crisis. Alongside the ongoing reminders of wars, economic recessions and social unrest is news about natural disasters and extreme weather – be that prolonged droughts, freak heatwaves and wildfires or devastating floods and landslides.
It’s possible that our growing awareness of climate issues may arise from the overreporting of negative news in a media-fuelled and hyperglobalised world. But what’s happening to our environment also appears unprecedented. Global sea levels rose two-and-a-half times faster between 2006 and 2016 than they did throughout nearly the whole 20th century, and climate-related disasters have tripled over the past three decades.
Many people are becoming understandably anxious. This is especially true for young people, who have their whole lives ahead of them on a planet inherited from those who, generally speaking, have neglected to care for it. A YouGov poll from 2020 found that 70% of 18–24 year olds were worried about the environment.
This article is part of Quarter Life, a series about issues affecting those of us in our twenties and thirties. From the challenges of beginning a career and taking care of our mental health, to the excitement of starting a family, adopting a pet or just making friends as an adult. The articles in this series explore the questions and bring answers as we navigate this turbulent period of life.
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The sunflower is one of the nation’s best-loved flowers. Although most sunflower varieties have yellow flowers, you can grow varieties with rusty red, green and even white flowers.
Horse manure makes an extremely good soil improver for the garden. Often combined with stable bedding and allowed to rot down for a couple of years, horse manure is perfect for digging into planting holes or spreading onto the surface of bare soil. Fresh manure mustn’t be used directly on the garden as it can actually remove nutrients from the soil and scorch plants, but it can be added to compost heaps.
Fall is a great time for garden chores. This is the time to clean up before winter, protect vulnerable plants, and wind down the growing season. This isn’t the right time for all tasks, though. Know what to do with your garden in the fall and what not to do — for instance, what plants should not be cut back in the fall — to best prepare it for next year.
Take a tour of the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens and discover a meeting ground of natural beauty, expert design, and horticultural excellence. Nestled in the picturesque landscape of coastal Maine, this garden offers a symphony of colors, fragrances, and serene vistas that will surely captivate any nature enthusiast. In this video, director of horticulture (and frequent Fine Gardening contributing writer) Andy Brand takes us on a journey through three of his favorite gardens and gives insights as to what makes them unique. This tour barely scratches the surface of what CMBG has to offer, however, with its more than 300 acres and 16 unique gardens connected by well-maintained paths and trails. You can spend days at the garden and still find something new.
Header image: Orionid meter shower, by Jeff Sullivan, via Flickr
Have you always longed to make wine from tasty sun-warmed grapes gathered from your own backyard? While I live in the ideal wine-growing region (USDA Zone 9b) near the well-known Napa Valley, you’ll be amazed to learn that backyard viticulture is entirely possible anywhere within USDA Zones 4 through 10. Growing wine grapes isn’t hard, but there are a number of key requirements that guarantee success, beginning with growing the wine you love! If you adore a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon at the end of the day, plant Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. When Chardonnay is your preference, you’ll need to grow grapes that produce a full-bodied Chardonnay. The following are some viticulture tips for planning and planting your own personal vineyard.
Reblooming Christmas cactus is much easier than you may think, and in this post I’m going to explain how to encourage yours to flower again year after year.
If, like the plants, you’re starting to feel the chills of winter, here are some of the best glasshouses and hot houses you can visit using our 2-for-1 Gardens card.
There are many mint varieties famous for their refreshing taste. These different Types of Mint offer a diverse range of flavors and scents, making them a fascinating subject of exploration. In this article, you will delve into the captivating world of many forms of this amazing herb.
I first learned the fundamentals of kitchen gardening from my mother, who learned it from her father, a passing-on of traditional skills repeated down through countless generations.
Multiseason Garden Bed with Hesse Cotoneaster Get fall garden interest that lasts into winter with this easy-care plant combination featuring a Hesse cotoneaster shrub. Fall into winter with multiseason plants