Category: Plant Ideas & Info

My friend the horticulturist Ruth Clausen told me about a great activity to do with kids indoors.  She calls it "garbage gardening" because it involves planting vegetable scraps that would otherwise be headed for the garbage pail or compost heap. Ruth asks, 'What sounds like more fun to a child than growing garbage on a windowsill?' It's a good question. Start with carrots and onions, potatoes, pineapples and other vegetable waste, and use recycled cottage cheese or yogurt containers as…

Remember the adage that good things come in small packages?  Let’s start with microgreens. Scientists and nutritionists say that microgreens provide a much denser source of nutrition than their mature selves.  A study published on WebMD.com concluded that because they’re harvested right after germination, they still contain all the nutrients they need to grow. The flavor packs an outsize punch too, and they are great sprinkled on salads, in sandwiches or as a garnish for soups. Microgreens are not the…

There are many reasons why it’s satisfying to grow herbs indoors during the cold winter months in my Zone 6 region. Imagine smelling fresh basil, peppermint or rosemary anytime you want in the middle of January. Think how pretty a grouping of plants looks on a kitchen counter or in a windowsill.  Feel the sense of accomplishment that comes from picking parsley or chives from your own garden for a recipe that calls for fresh herbs --instead of purchasing a…

Kate Blairstone is no shrinking violet. As an illustrator she approaches her subjects with the exuberance of a person who is curious about everything. Before she draws a plant or an animal, she wants to know more about the community they are a part of and the relationships that inform their world. As a gardener she has a floriferous sense, so everything is densely packed in her Portland, OR garden. She buys plants small but they grow up fast in…

It almost seems as if everything in Heidi’s life has led her to this enchanting place – a home on Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island where she and her husband David Sommers enjoy sailing and gardening. Heidi grew up in Rye, NY, the daughter of a talented gardening mother, Helen Hild, who enrolled her at age 8 in a children’s gardening program at…

  You can't beat an annual plant for its desire to please the gardener. It has one season to live and it puts all of its energy into producing flowers. If you plant a seed, either indoors or directly in the garden, some annuals will germinate and grow to maturity, producing a flower in as little as 8 weeks. Cut that flower and it takes it as a mandate to produce more flowers. Give it average soil and it’s ok…

  Clematis is a versatile vining plant that comes in many sizes and colors. Monty Don, the British gardening personality, said in an interview with The Guardian, “Everyone loves clematis. To dislike clematis as a matter of principle would take a degree of perversity of the same order as disliking grass, trees or coffee ice cream. If you have a wall or fence, a decent-sized…

  One of the most widely known willows is pussy willow.  The botanical name is Salix discolor and it’s native to North American wetlands. Its catkins are as soft as a kitten’s paws and it’s one of the first plants to signal spring is nigh. The botanical genus for willow plants is Salix and there are about 400 water loving species in the genus. Where I live in Pawling, NY we are situated in the 6,000 acre Great Swamp Watershed,…

  I have heard many a seasoned plant person say that if they had to choose only one plant to grow in their garden it would be Allium. Why do gardeners love this genus of plants? Because Allium has hundreds of species ranging in shape and size, blooming from early spring to late fall, and deer don’t like any of them! In addition, while they are hardy with strong stems they are well mannered and don’t try to push out…

  We asked Wendy Kiang-Spray, accomplished gardener and cook, to share with our readers some of her wisdom about growing and cooking Asian vegetables.  We are giving away a copy of her book, "The Chinese Kitchen Garden," in which she introduces growing techniques and family recipes inspired by her parents and grandparents. Wendy is a first-generation Chinese American who grew up watching her parents grow and prepare vegetables in the ways of their homeland. She dedicates her book to them…