When and How to Prune Heavenly Bamboo

Pear trees are favorites of home orchardists for countless reasons.Mouths are amused by that sign

APPARENTLY MRS. ANDRE’S TOMATOES succumbed to “tiny insect things that will not leave our garden alone,” we hear this week from Himself, who very sweetly shared the actual sympathy postcard he drew for Herself on the occasion of her lost tomatoes.

FULL SUN (or light shade in hotter zones), and well-drained soil that’s high in organic matter is the basic regimen (though the sweetbay magnolia, M. virginiana, can also take a wet spot). Give the others those requirements, plus a light layer of aged organic mulch, and they generally will thrive. Fertilizing isn’t needed, says Andrew. (At Scott they only mulch the circles of trees in lawn areas, using a combination of leaf compost and one-year-old composted wood chips.)Magnolias are not the easiest to plant under, however, because of their fleshy, moisture-hogging root systems.  “Some plants that can take dry shade will make a go of it,” he says, suggesting Epimedium, or Asarum, or Christmas fern. Among bulbs, try Scilla, or Chionodoxa, or even toadlilies (Tricyrtis), he recommends.Magnolia grandiflora, the so-called Southern magnol

Many companies ship extra-early, based on rough frost-date estimates for each area that may not be exactly what’s going on at your place, but is that really when I want the starts to arrive? I asked for advice from Alley Swiss of Filaree Farm, a longtime certified-organic farmer in Okanogan, Washington, whose main crops—garlic, shallots and potatoes—are favorites in my garden, too.(You might recall the popular garlic-growing Q&A Alley and I did together, and our later garlic-growing piece in my column in “The New York Times.” I’ve learned a lot from our ongoing conversations–including that it’s OK to wait a little while for the seed potatoes to arrive.)how to grow potatoes, with alley swissQ. When is the right time to plant—is there a cue in nature to remind us, or a

Growing fruit trees isn’t always easy. The pests, the late freezes, and the skill necessary to prune them right can feel a bit overwhelming.It’s especially frustrating when someone

As a kid, I wasn’t a huge fan of asparagus, but now I can’t get enough of it.The reason? There weren’t any aspa

So your okra plant is flourishing and has started to bloom. Congrats! But when are the plants ready to harvest and how do you do it?We link to vendors to help you find relevant products.

Whether you pronounce it correctly as puh-KAHNS or erroneously as PEE-cans, there’s no denying the aesthetic, nut-producing power of pecans.We link to vendors to help you find relevant products

Also known as the scarlet or swamp maple, the red maple has a special place in my heart.It’s the first plant that I could ever identify,

As a born and raised Missourian, any plant with my home state in the name immediately earns my endearment.But even for folks raised outside of the Show Me State,

A glossy appearance is innately alluring to people, whether it’s found in a shimmering pool of water, a freshly-detailed car, or the lovely lips of that special someone… and with the glossy-leafed wax begonia, you and your landscape can take full advantage of its inherent attractiveness.We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy f

A mainstay in many shade gardens, astilbe will be at its best when given the right food at the right time.We link to vendors to help you