There was a time when no well-appointed garden was complete without greenhouse, fountain, a tastefully draped sculpture, a gazebo, and a bee bole. A what? A bee bole was a niche in a garden wall where the family bee skep overwintered. A what? A bee skep was a beehive made from straw bundles tied together […]
For some greenhouse owners finding space for potted plants can be difficult. Shelving attached to the greenhouse structure can usually only support a few small plants. It is not recommended that you attach shelves to the structure. Many greenhouse structures are designed to support the glazing and to resist wind loads rather than carry heavy […]
Sometimes it’s thought that learning to garden is just picking up a series of techniques. However, whether you’re tending a single houseplant or caring for a massive back yard, one of the best ways you can improve your success as a gardener is to sharpen your sense of observation. Phyllis Helland has a simple process […]
It’s always something, for a gardener. One year it’s drought, the next year it’s hail, another year it’s a new tomato blight. This year it’s a worldwide pandemic. But still, we garden. So we adapt. This year, some of us had trouble ordering the seeds we wanted. Sudden interest in gardening among involuntary stay-at-homes resulted […]
This Spring of self-isolation has been, for many people, myself included, unnervingly productive. So many missions accomplished: like sorting through old photo albums and hundreds of 35mm slides and waking memories of my first encounter with Hartley Botanic and their sturdy greenhouses. I recall how charmed I was by their display at the Chelsea Flower […]
People who grow things are hopeful. This month, I’m talking with Teresa Speight, who describes herself as a “garden visionary.” Teresa consults, teaches, gives garden talks, and delightful podcasts, but her greatest interest goes beyond growing plants. She wants to, as she puts it, “mindfully grow our community.” Teresa’s community is a black middle/working class […]
There are many reasons to grow your own vegetables during the COVID-19 pandemic. It will cut down on trips to the grocery store where observing the shopping requirements can be stressful and where certain kinds of produce can often be in short supply. Plus, veggies straight from the garden are a highly nutritious, pesticide-free addition […]
Home gardening has seen an amazing surge of interest in these demanding times, and the horticultural industry is rising to meet the challenges. Hartley greenhouses are now back into production after a month’s hiatus; mail-order nurseries are hustling to keep up with orders; and local garden centers are figuring out how to safely serve their […]
Most years I go to the Philadelphia Flower Show. The show is held in March and is filled with incredible numbers of flowers. Last year, in the entry hall alone there were more than four thousand flowers, all in bloom and all on display. Considering that Philadelphia is in the northern part of the United […]
Whatever the outcome of this current deadly disruption, corona virus has certainly focused many minds on the meaning of life–and on getting stuff done. Without the opportunity to procrastinate, tasks and projects in the Clarke household are being completed in record time; like clearing up the greenhouse, sorting the seed from the dust, the compost […]
All over the world, antsy children are cooped up with anxious adults. It’s a scary world, all of a sudden. So grow something! Kids too! Starting a little garden of their own can give children a focus, something to care for, and a goal to wait for, besides the day they can go out for […]
There are so many reasons to start your vegetables from seed—including better taste, the short travel time from your garden to your table, and the sure knowledge you know where your food is coming from. Ed Hume, award-winning garden TV and radio personality and founder of the family-owned business, Hume Seeds, has great advice for […]
