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Most gardeners are animal lovers I’ve observed. So I know I’m not the only one who wonders (and worries a little) about the wildlife living around me when it gets really cold outside. With the ground frozen and most plant life dormant, how do they find food and stay warm in subfreezing weather, like we’re having right now in New York State?  What about livestock? Here are some things I’ve learned: Hibernation: Some animals hibernate, going into a state of torpor to escape the cold and the nee...

  We spoke with Lisa Ringer of Two Pony Gardens in Long Lake, MN about how she prepares for the dahlia season. Many parts of the country are experiencing a late spring, so her advice on how to lengthen the growing season is particularly relevant this year, even to non-Minnesotans. Here's what she told us, commenting that she has two feet of snow on the ground and it's the middle of April (!)  This is not typical, even for Minnesota. Since Lisa's growing season can be cut short by a mid-Septem...

  In the process of creating a successful public private partnership between a garden club and a state park in NY, a historic section of the Hudson Valley Highlands was reinvigorated with native plants, and a pollinator community of bees and birds was established. In addition, the contribution of Jane Colden, America’s first female botanist, was given a voice. Colden, who left behind a voluminous manuscript of her botanical notes, with outline drawings of leaves, lived in NY’s Hudson Valley r...

Sometimes in early Spring after bulbs have emerged from the ground and are beginning to flower, a sudden cold snap will bring temperatures down below freezing for a few days. More often than not, I’m amazed at the resiliency of these hardy plants. We are experiencing a cold scap in the northeast and we had snowfall on two consecutive nights earlier in the week in our Zone 6 region. The exact effect caused by a sudden cold snap depends on a number of different factors, including the type of plant, r...

Do your skin care products have shea butter in them? It is one of the most nourishing things a woman can put on her skin. Cleopatra was supposed to have used and loved shea butter! It has been called 'Women's Gold' because in West Africa, where the raw ingredient is harvested, shea butter is a women's industry. Over the years it has enabled women to improve the quality of life for their families and community. Womanswork After Gardening Skin Care products, including Elderflower facial cream, Vanilla Bea...

Mother nature can be quite unpredictable to say the least. Sometimes in early Spring after bulbs have emerged from the ground and are beginning to flower, a sudden cold snap will bring temperatures down below freezing for a few days.  I always wonder what will happen to those delicate plants when temperatures fall so unexpectedly.  More often than not, I'm amazed at the resiliency of these hardy plants. [caption id="attachment_975" align="alignright" width="210" caption="Yellow Tulips"][/caption] ...

[caption id="attachment_468" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Forsythia has a graceful habit which should be respected"][/caption] No other shrub personifies the brash exuberance of spring like forsythia. At this time of year it is blooming in almost every garden as hedges, clipped and unclipped, along roadways, and even on the edge of woods. Sometimes it looks wonderful, but at other times it is obviously a case of wrong plant, wrong place. Forsythia shrubs have a beautiful, naturally elegant hab...