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Simple Ways To Improve Drainage In a Garden

Category: How-To Projects

Have you noticed water pooling up in areas of your garden after a good rain? This is an all-too-common problem that can lead to the destruction and downfall of an otherwise beautiful garden. These pools of water create the perfect breeding environment for bacteria and fungus to thrive, placing your plants at risk for both disease and drowning. In addition, excessive water can erode the soil, washing away all the long hours…
Have you noticed water pooling up in areas of your garden after a good rain? This is an all-too-common problem that can lead to the destruction and downfall of an otherwise beautiful garden. These pools of water create the perfect breeding environment for bacteria and fungus to thrive, placing your plants at…

vaccinating a dog

Popular Easter-Time Plants and Flowers

Category: Presenting "The Curious Gardener"

With Easter Sunday just days away, people everywhere are frantically trying to make last minute preparations. If you plan on having guests or family members over for the holiday, you should consider using some plants or flowers to bring a fresh new decorative element to your home. The vibrant colors and pleasing aromas they offer are sure to draw compliments from guests. If you are wondering which ones to choose, keep reading and I'll reveal the top 5 Easter-time plants and…
With Easter Sunday just days away, people everywhere are frantically trying to make last minute preparations. If you plan on having guests or family members over for the holiday, you should consider using some plants or flowers to bring a fresh new decorative element to your home. The vibrant colors and pleasing aromas they offer are sure to draw compliments from…

vaccinating a dog

My Favorite Houseplant: Streptocarpella Saxorum

Category: Presenting "The Curious Gardener"

There are lots of houseplants which I love, but my favorite would have to be streptocarpella saxorum. The tongue-twisting name alone might dissuade some potential homeowners from growing this plant, but chances are you'll immediately fall in love after seeing it for the first time. It's also quite easy to grow, requires minimal light and maintenance, and it blooms year round. If you are looking for an easy-to-grow…
There are lots of houseplants which I love, but my favorite would have to be streptocarpella saxorum. The tongue-twisting name alone might dissuade some potential homeowners from growing this plant, but chances are you'll immediately fall in love after seeing it for the first time. It's also quite…

vaccinating a dog

Pruning Clematis In Early Spring

Category: How-To Projects

We have a purple clematis that climbs up the south side of our screen porch. It's  a summer blooming variety  so I prune it in the Spring. (Spring blooming clematis are usually pruned the previous fall.) I worked my way up from the bottom, clipping off dead wood right next to emerging buds. I was wearing my Womanswork "Digger" garden gloves  (in teal blue). When working with a tangle of vines and leaves and side shoots, it's easy to make…
We have a purple clematis that climbs up the south side of our screen porch. It's  a summer blooming variety  so I prune it in the Spring. (Spring blooming clematis are usually pruned the previous fall.) I worked my way up from the bottom, clipping off dead wood right next to emerging buds. I was wearing my Womanswork "Digger" garden…

vaccinating a dog

Does A Sudden Cold Snap Harm My Spring Bulbs?

Category: Presenting "The Curious Gardener"

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. The exact effect caused by a sudden cold snap…
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…

vaccinating a dog

Nature’s Own Antifreeze

Category: Presenting "The Curious Gardener"

Have you ever wondered how certain plants are able to withstand sub-freezing temperatures and bloom even with the ground blanketed by snow and ice? The secret to their longevity lies in compounds known as antifreeze proteins (AFP), which work to protect the plant's cells from the degenerative effects of freezing temperatures. It may sound like science fiction, but some plants have cells that don't freeze. Here we'll take a closer look at…
Have you ever wondered how certain plants are able to withstand sub-freezing temperatures and bloom even with the ground blanketed by snow and ice? The secret to their longevity lies in compounds known as antifreeze proteins (AFP), which work to protect the plant's cells from the degenerative effects of freezing temperatures. It…

vaccinating a dog

“The Curious Gardener” July 2012

Category: Presenting "The Curious Gardener"

The Dirty Life: On Farming, Food, and Love By Kristin Kimball-- I was charmed by this book, the story of a pair of first generation farmers building a working farm in upstate New York, powered by draft horses. There’s enough practical information in the book to be instructive to other young farmers inspired to follow in this couple’s footsteps, but for me the book’s charm lies with the story telling talent of the author Kristin Kimball (shown below). At the beginning…
The Dirty Life: On Farming, Food, and Love By Kristin Kimball-- I was charmed by this book, the story of a pair of first generation farmers building a working farm in upstate New York, powered by draft horses. There’s enough practical information in the book to be instructive to other young farmers inspired to follow in this couple’s footsteps, but for…

vaccinating a dog

“The Curious Gardener” May, 2012

Category: How-To Projects

In This Issue: My Mother's Garden A Brilliant Orchid Show in NY Grow Stockier, Bushier Tomato Plants This Year My Mother's Garden -- Recently I spent an afternoon gardening with my mother in northwestern Connecticut, just about 30 miles north of where I live, so that I could observe first hand what her secret to a beautiful garden is. When I got there she had her shovel deep in her compost bin.  Then she dropped the compost on a screen positioned over…
In This Issue: My Mother's Garden A Brilliant Orchid Show in NY Grow Stockier, Bushier Tomato Plants This Year My Mother's Garden -- Recently I spent an afternoon gardening with my mother in northwestern Connecticut, just about 30 miles north of where I live, so that I could observe first hand what her secret to a beautiful garden is. When I got…

vaccinating a dog

“The Curious Gardener” April, 2012

Category: Presenting "The Curious Gardener"

In This Issue: The Hunger Moon and Other Moons New Study Pinpoints Lyme Disease Risk Areas The Hunger Moon and Other Moons-- In The Old Farmers Almanac there is a name given to each full moon of the year. These are mostly adapted from early Native Americans who kept track of the passing seasons and tied their calendar to the full moons.   I was reminded of this last week by a friend who told me we were in “The Hunger…
In This Issue: The Hunger Moon and Other Moons New Study Pinpoints Lyme Disease Risk Areas The Hunger Moon and Other Moons-- In The Old Farmers Almanac there is a name given to each full moon of the year. These are mostly adapted from early Native Americans who kept track of the passing seasons and tied their calendar to the…

vaccinating a dog

“The Curious Gardener” March, 2012

Category: How-To Projects

In this issue Learning Seed Propagation at NY Botanical Garden Make Your own Maple Syrup Welcome Spring with a Farm-To-Table Brunch Learning Seed Propagating at NY Botanical Garden-- I am taking a plant propagating class at The New York Botanical Garden with one of their best instructors and a lifelong plantsman, Michael Ruggiero.  It’s a treat to learn from him. Last month in “The Curious Gardener” I talked about selecting seeds from mail order seed catalogs. In this article I will…
In this issue Learning Seed Propagation at NY Botanical Garden Make Your own Maple Syrup Welcome Spring with a Farm-To-Table Brunch Learning Seed Propagating at NY Botanical Garden-- I am taking a plant propagating class at The New York Botanical Garden with one of their best instructors and a lifelong plantsman, Michael Ruggiero.  It’s a treat to learn from him. Last…

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