It pains me to see customers spending hundreds of dollars on new plants and simultaneously refusing to spend a few more on a bag or two of compost and a box of starter fertilizer. These two items are not unnecessary “add-ons” that the retailer is just trying to add to the sale, they are critical components of a successful transplanting process - or as I like to refer to them as “plant insurance”. Unless you have phenomenal soil, you should always add compost and starter fertilizers when you are planting new plants. Here is why…
I have this theory (I know, some of you are thinking, “OMG, what is he going to say next”), that gardeners possess a special “horticultural hormone” that I have dubbed “hortitostrogen”. This is a non-gender specific hormone that kicks in about this time of the year and causes my fingers to start twitching with an intense desire to go dig in the dirt. I wonder if any of you can relate…
January is seed starting time and like a lot of things in life, it’s not always as easy as we professionals make it look, (nor I might add is it the kind of activity that you can walk away from for a week or two, like knitting). To be successful you have to show up on a consistent basis and pay attention to what is happening…
Growing fruit trees in our own backyards can be lots of fun and nutritionally rewarding. It does, however, take some time and effort to be successful and a willingness to accept less than perfect (blemish-free) produce. If you have any interest in growing your own fruit, then these next two months are prime time to take action…
Okay my gardening friends, 2020 is behind us and it is time to start drooling over the seed catalogues and visiting garden centers to see what looks interesting this time of year. During the next several weeks of rain storms (remember, this is a La Nina year so there’s likely to be lots of rain and mild temps) find a moment to take stock in the garden to see where you want to make additions and deletions, take some notes, and then get ready for spring. It will be here before you know it!
In this day and age of social distancing, I am inclined to think that the vast majority of us, either consciously or unconsciously, are suffering from a lack of physical contact with our fellow human beings. There is something healing that happens when two individuals connect with each other through a hug and it turns out that a similar feeling can also be obtained when we hug a tree….
There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t receive yet another email listing the “top 25 gifts for gardeners”, which invariably includes a whole host of garden gadgets… But if you are looking for a gift that will keep on giving year after year, then why not consider a winter blooming plant? Each year at the same time, they will come into bloom and decorate your garden at a time when the days are dark and long and the hope for another bright spring is still far off in the future. Here are some of my favorite winter blooming choices…
The Golfing Gardener
Trevor Cameron
We dove into oxygenating our indoor spaces with houseplants a couple of weeks ago, and now let’s continue our indoor discussion by investigate some superior pet-friendly options. As the weather continues to cool and the wind and rain ramp up, it becomes easier and easier to garden indoors and work outside a bit less. Many of us have…