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.
How to Navigate Seed Catalogs for Garden Planning
06.08.2024 - 13:34 / gardenerspath.com / Nan Schiller
5 Tips You Need to Navigate Seed Catalogs
In the quiet, post-holiday weeks of winter, nothing livens up a gardener with cabin fever like a fresh-off-the-presses, colorful and enticing seed catalog.
This time-honored resource has its roots in antiquity. The British Agricultural Historical Society (BHS) archives describe a burgeoning seed trade in the late 1200s. By the 1590s, market gardeners were a growing contingent of seed suppliers.
One of them was Richard Gardiner, a linen draper who raised vegetables for sale as produce and seed. This was a devastating period of plague, crop failure, and famine, and he responded by planting his fields with 700 closed cabbages (headed) to sustain the starving.
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In 1599, Gardiner published a pamphlet titled “Instructions for manuring, sowing, and planting of Kitchin Gardens.”
It is described in the annals of the BHS, as well as in a fascinating book, “The Making of the English Gardener: Plants, Books and Inspiration, 1560-1660,” by Margaret Willes, available on Amazon.
The Making of the English Gardener
A mere 30 pages, his guide is packed with cooking tips and recipes for nutritious broths and salads. And, it lists produce and seed available for purchase, making it one of our earliest seed catalogs.
Gardiner was a forerunner in the movement to achieve food security one garden at a time. Today’s catalogs continue the tradition, offering quantities and varieties suited for the home gardener.
The term “home gardener” encompasses a wide array of folks from those with 40 acres (and the proverbial mule?) to a few pots on the patio.
Seed catalogs are for all of us, and each
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’
Download a Free Native-Plant Garden Plan for Your Specific Region
Native plants, as the name indicates, grow naturally in an area or region. There is a growing shift among many people away from a manicured garden with non-local species in support of more natural areas, and especially, for embracing native plants.
Bitterroot Secret Garden Tour: Meticulously Maintained Urban Garden
Hi GPODers!
This Cliff May House Was Reimagined for a Family of 6
If you’re a fan of the quintessential indoor-outdoor Western lifestyle that comes along with expansive floor-to-ceiling glass, a warm wash of natural light, breezeways that maximize airflow, and surrounding serene landscape, you can thank famed architect Cliff May. Regarded as the founding father of the iconic California ranch house, May’s work has been repeatedly published in Sunset since the 1930s. What made his work stand out at the time was how he designed homes not so much based on architecture but on the way people wanted to live in them. Making the most of the Western climate, his goal was to provide a closer relationship with nature through garden courtyards and blur the line between how we use interior and exterior spaces. May in turn created private sanctuaries where families could relax and enjoy a lifestyle of informal outdoor living. He invented the way most people want to live in the West, and his influence is felt throughout the region some 90 years later.
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.
These Are the 4 Commandments of Container Gardening
Lana Williams, owner of Oakland, California-based plant shop and design company The Tender Gardener, is known for her gorgeous step-by-step plant recipes for creating lush outdoor planters. In Lana’s latest book release, The Container Garden Recipe Book, she’s revealing fabulous floral and frond combos that will have you making plant and pot pairings like a pro. Here she shares a few seasonally appropriate tips on the types of statement plants and containers to use as we transition from late summer into fall.
4 of the Most Unaffordable Places to Live Are in California
“Impossibly unaffordable” are two words that Californians are probably less than thrilled to hear. In a recent report from Chapman University in Orange, California, and the Frontier Centre of Public Policy (FCPP) in Canada, that’s exactly how four California metros are described. The 2024 edition of Demographia International Housing Affordability shows San Jose, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego listed among the top 10 least affordable housing markets—not just in the United States, but worldwide.
How Much Should You Water Your Garden in Extreme Heat?
Extreme heat waves are stressful for almost every type of plant in your garden, from flowers and vegetables to shrubs and trees—but especially for container-grown plants.
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!
