A plant’s performance is often tied to the quality of the soil it’s growing in. According to Elizabeth Murphy, soil scientist, gardener, and author of Building Soil—A Down to Earth Approach, certain steps can be taken to modify garden soil. But what about purchased potting mixes that are the mainstay of containers, raised beds, and, […]
If you live in southern California, don’t read this. Agapanthus can grow year-round in warmer climates, but in Rhode Island it is an almost perfect greenhouse plant. While deciduous agapanthus can stand a light frost if their roots are well protected, the plant will be killed if the ground freezes. Evergreen plants have fleshier leaves […]
It must be spring: I’ve put in my order for the local native plant sale. Over the past few years, I’ve been adding native plants to my garden whenever I can. Many, such as the woodland wildflowers I nurture in my shady garden, are lovely. Native plants also support native animals—from insects to birds and […]
We gardeners are on the front line of climate change. With our hands in the soil, our striving to grow plants as best we can. Struggling with raising temperatures, lower water and freakish weather patterns can stymie the ardent efforts of the best green thumbs. These are global issues, but what’s to be done on […]
Imagine walking into a leafy greenhouse. There you find a group of plants, suspended in space, each growing out of a rounded ball of moss, and dancing lightly in the breeze—an utterly exquisite show. You’re looking at kokedama, an elegant Japanese bonsai technique for showing off superstar plants. Several years ago, Chance Justbe, a Pacific […]
This morning, as I waddled in my full-length puffy coat down the front walk amid the slabs of gray ice in my garden, I saw something amazing and heartening: the bud of a hellebore, trying to bloom under a dusting of snow. It’s a bold move for a flower, at 9 degrees F in early […]
The sun has broken out, the snow is melting on the garden paths and I am thinking warm thoughts to hurry it all along. Among them I recall sitting with Rosemary Verey in her grotto cum conservatory on a cool English spring day, which leads to memories of the many women I’ve worked with, learned […]
As a greenhouse owner, to get the best growth from your plants, you often need to supplement the light that they need, especially during the winter months. In general, your greenhouse gets plenty of natural light from the sun, but there are times when you may want to keep plants growing into fall or start […]
I think of indoor flower and garden shows as giant greenhouses where you can walk among the plants and pick up great ideas for your garden. I recently attended the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival in Seattle. Here are some terrific takeaways you can use from that show. Play with perspective –The multiple award-winning Asian-inspired […]
Living in a house built in 1958, the design of which borrows heavily from California architect, Cliff May, I am only too aware that a Glasshouse structure suited to mid-century modern style needs to be spare in form and more committed to defining architectural space than serving as a decorative ornament. Having gone through several […]
It’s well known that really obnoxious invasives can overpower our native plant populations. Now meet Nancy Lawson, garden columnist, habitat consultant, and author of the book, The Humane Gardener. She’s got great advice for how gardeners can assist natives to fight back—and win. In Nancy’s two-acre garden outside Baltimore, Maryland, a fallen tree allowed the […]
As I write this, it’s 18 degrees below zero (F) where I live on the edge of Chicago, thanks to a nasty little twitch in the polar vortex. If you are someplace warmer and want to enjoy some schadenfreude about our near-record cold, you’ll find plenty of shivery photos here. Am I concerned about the […]
