Mid-Atlantic Regional Report

Spring's Charms and Chores

Airy, blue flowers float above creamy white-edged, heart-shaped brunnera leaves. Twin white bells dangle from the arching stems and white-margined leaves of variegated Solomon's seal. Delicate, lilac 'Lilafee' fairy wings dance over wavy epimedium...
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Resources

Daffodil Photo Database
Home Depot Canada Going Enviro-Friendly

Beware the Brown Recluse Spider
Avoid Buying Weedy Perennials
Save Money, Grow Your Own
Remove Garlic Mustard
Prune After Bloom

Sustainable Roses?

At first blush, "organic roses" seems an oxymoron. Unfortunately and with good reason, many people associate growing roses with chemicals, fungicide, powdery mildew, black spot, thrips, and aphids. But times are changing and so are roses. There's a...
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Resources

Renee's Garden
John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds

Plant to Attract Ladybugs
Deal With the Deer
Loosen Fibrous Roots
Cut Back Ornamental Grasses and Trim Liriope
Divide Ornamental Grasses

Spring Blooms

Opening the cottage gate, I sniffed the night air, then inhaled deeply. Yes, it was the sweet scent of star magnolia in bloom. When untouched by a late freeze, Magnolia stellata bursts into an early spring flurry of white flowers. I snipped about a...
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Resources

Growing Vegetables
Angela's Garden Gloves

Check Your Tree Branches
Prune Young Early-Flowering Trees
Keep After Invasive Weeds
Clean, Sharpen, Replace Tools
Celebrate Arbor Day

Spring's Arrival

After winter's browns, spring's spectrum of green hues is welcome. Chartreuse hydrangea buds unfurl from burgundy-brown sepals. Forest-green chives are one of the first to unfurl from cold soil; oniony, lavender-pink flower heads soon follow. Tips of...
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Resources

Travels of John Bartram Reconsidered
Vigoro Ergo Hand Trowel

Ask Yard Care and Equipment Questions
Dispose of Electronic Waste Responsibly
Fertilize and Tidy Up the Garden
Wait for Dry Soil
Clean Up and Divide Water Plants

New Orleans Swings Into Philadelphia

I had given in to my aching feet. Time to leave, they pleaded, taking me to the Philadelphia Flower Show exit. Wait, what's that sound? Trumpets, trombones, a tuba, and saxophones heading my way! A whirling Mardi Gras chanteuse in purple draped with a...
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Resources

Virtual Flower Garden
Degradable Lawn Debris Bags

Tend Your Coralbells
Fertilize Spring-Blooming Bulbs
Start Tithonias Indoors
Mind Your Peas and Sweet Peas
Measure Before Buying Mulch

Eat, Drink, and Talk Gardens

With each doorbell ring, someone brought something delicious to complement hostess Susan Yeager's bubbling turkey mushroom tetrazzini. White beans with rosemary, roasted peppers and portobellos, chili and cheese, Asian noodles, sweet and syrupy baked...
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Resources

Action for Nature
Omnivore's Dilemma

Apply Preemergent to Control Goutweed
Fundraise with Flower Power
Celebrate National Agriculture Day
Clean Up Leaves Around Plants
Consider Early Spring Spraying of Invasives

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

In frigid winters past, hibernating indoors was de rigueur. Now global climate change brings spring or autumn weather every few days. Which makes me (maybe you, too) want to putter outdoors even though gardens aren't ready for tending. What to do with...
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Resources

Holland Bulbs
Jazz It Up at the Philadelphia Flower Show

Stop Tree Seedlings
Dispose of Toxic Products Safely
Record Spring's Firsts
Pot Up Tender Bulbs
Start Cool-Weather Flowers and Veggies Indoors

Thumbs Up From The Pros

Though we may watch our pennies, gardeners like "stuff" -- useful, attractive, fun, and interesting tools, gadgets, plants, and other gardening paraphernalia. I asked some garden professionals about their favorite finds and here are the things they'd...
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Resources

Friendship and Birth of Longwood Gardens
Historic Tree Nursery

Plan a Sunflower Maze With a Child
Prepare Exhibits for Your Local Flower Show
Apply For Project Orange Thumb Grant
Remove Overwintering Insects on Trees and Shrubs
Tend Indoor Plants

Snowdrops and other Winter Bloomers

Bright white snowdrops are the first flowering bulbs to poke through the soil's crust as winter slowly gives way to spring. Snowdrops (Galanthus) in several sizes and many cultivars are the January mainstay in Hedgleigh Spring, Charles Cresson's garden...
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Resources

Saved by the Bud
National Parks Conservation Association Podcasts

Fix Stone Walls, Garden Paths, and Ponds
Bring Your Own Shopping Bags
Provide Fresh Water for Birds
Control Slugs
Create Something "Naturally" Fun With a Youngster

Hardy Camellias Creep North

Two weeks before Christmas in Philadelphia, one rose-red blossom popped brightly on Doris' 'Winter's Fancy' camellia. A miracle, I marveled, because her plant had maybe seven leaves left this spring. North, in Chestnut Hill, four pink camellia flowers...
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Resources

National Weather Service
Glorious Winter Photos by Roger Foley

Time to Mulch
Make a Wildlife Plan
Ring in the New Year with Easy Exercise
Winterize Ponds With No Fish
Winterize Pond With Fish in Mind

Tuning Into Winter's Rhythm

Not one for crowds or intense holiday shopping, I'm drawn to quiet projects, the greener the better. Or anything involving dark chocolate and blueberries. Last week in 55-degree temperatures, I wrapped up outdoor gardening loose ends in anticipation of...
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Resources

Japanese Farmer's Knife
Christmas Games

Look for Creative Opportunities
Pamper Your Poinsettia
Repot Holiday Herbs, Ivy, Topiaries
Dig Hole for Live Christmas Tree
Celebrate the Light of Winter Solstice

Mid-Atlantic Regional Report

Spring's Charms and Chores

Resources

Reminders

Sustainable Roses?

Resources

Reminders

Spring Blooms

Resources

Reminders

Spring's Arrival

Resources

Reminders

New Orleans Swings Into Philadelphia

Resources

Reminders

Eat, Drink, and Talk Gardens

Resources

Reminders

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Resources

Reminders

Thumbs Up From The Pros

Resources

Reminders

Snowdrops and other Winter Bloomers

Resources

Reminders

Hardy Camellias Creep North

Resources

Reminders

Tuning Into Winter's Rhythm

Resources

Reminders