New England Regional Report

Painted Tongue

One of the best reasons for growing your own plants from seed is to be able to add those unusual beauties to your garden that aren't often offered as seedlings at garden stores and greenhouses in spring. A favorite annual of mine that I don't recall...
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Resources

Oh, Deer!
Spring into the Garden Symposium

Keep Moth Orchids in Bloom
Give African Violets Plenty of Light
Start Onion Seeds
Remove Snow, Not Ice from Woody Plants
Stay off Frozen Grass

Thinking Inside the Boxwoods

Boxwoods are among my favorite shrubs. Which may seem at first like a rather hopeless fancy for a northern New England gardener. After all, it's in warmer climes than mine that boxwood really grows in all its glory. But while I may not be able to grow...
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Resources

Growing Perennials in Cold Climates
First Yellow Geranium

Check on Stored Bulbs
Start Making and Pruning Lists of Seeds and Plants
Keep Indoor Cacti Cool and Dry
Clean Clay Pots
Plan for Color in the Winter Landscape

Potatoes and the Columbian Exchange

The potato is often regarded as the Rodney Dangerfield of the vegetable world -- it just can't get no respect. Demonized as a contributor to the obesity epidemic or seen as simply an economical source of calories, this humble looking tuber is actually...
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Resources

Tasty Tubers
Red and Blue Potatoes

Give Houseplants a Bath
Care for Your Amaryllis
Bring Home a New Houseplant
Add Under-Cabinets Lights for Herbs
Look for Snow Fleas

Good-by and Keep Cold

We have had a mild fall in New England this year, with a couple of notable exceptions for brief, unseasonable snowstorms. But overall, it has been warm. In fact, according to UMass Extension, this past November was the second warmest on record for the...
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Resources

Garden Primer
Foiling Fungus Gnats

Check Houseplant Leaves
Clean and Oil Garden Tools
Give the Gift of Gardening
Take Measurements to Aid in Planning
Clip Greens Carefully for Winter Decorating

Send This Garden Myth down the Drain

Who knows how garden myths get started? Sometimes a piece of advice that seems on the surface like it ought to make sense gets passed from gardener to gardener over the years. It becomes gospel without ever having been scientifically tested to see if it...
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Resources

Stewardship of the Urban Landscape
Portable Potting Tray

Erect Teepees to Protect Shrubs
Set up Stakes to Guide Snow Removal
Grow Herbs Under Lights
Put out Bird Feeders in Bear Country
Protect Trunks of Trees

Dealing with Storm Damaged Trees

While northwestern Vermont gardens like mine received just a dusting of white stuff several weeks ago, areas of the state to the south and east and many other parts of our region were not so fortunate. The freak Halloween weekend snow storm that dumped...
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Resources

ZZ Plant
Vegetable Gardening Questions Answered

Give Plants a Drink
Clean and Fill Bird Feeders
Clean up Fallen Fruit
Turn your Compost Pile
Check for Deer Ticks

Crabapple of my Eye

The November landscape in Vermont is a palette of muted colors. Only the oaks and beeches hang on to tawny colored leaves, and the fields and roadsides are a patchwork of tans and browns. The bright fruits of winterberry and viburnum add a little...
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Resources

Big Pumpkins.com
Oak-leaf Hydrangea

Protect Tender Roses
Plan Ahead for a Living Christmas Tree
Move Houseplants to Better Light
Get the Lawn Ready for Winter
Build a Compost Pile

Asters -- Love 'Em and Leave 'Em

A few weeks ago, as I was taking a walk through a old field on a beautiful, blue-sky fall day, I came upon an amazing sight. In among the tawny grasses and sunny sprays of goldenrod rose the pinks and purples of wild New England asters. And on one...
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Resources

Ice Follies Daffodil
Erect Stakes for Winter Screening

Disconnect and Store Hoses
Cut Back Some, Not All Perennials
Mulch Root Crops to Extend Your Harvest
Replenish your Soil
Get Your Christmas Cactus Ready for Bloom

Ornamental Grasses for Small Spaces

While I love the color, texture, and movement that ornamental grasses bring to the landscape, many are too large for my modestly sized gardens. Also some of the grasses tend to get floppy, especially when they're weighted down with fall rains....
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Resources

Grow a Pot of Chives on a Windowsill
Canby Paxistima

Clean Your Cages
Clean Up the Potato Patch to Control Late Blight
Edge Garden Beds
Sow Seeds for Spring
Keep on Weeding

Fall Fruit Garden Care

I've been enjoying a daily sweet, antioxidant-rich snack as I stroll out into the gardens here at NGA and pop luscious red raspberries from our fall-bearing bushes into my mouth. What a great excuse to take a break from work! But now, as the...
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Resources

Mow, Don't Rake Leaves
Fallscaping

Pick Pumpkins and Winter Squash
Let Frost Sweeten Fall Crops
Harvest Green Tomatoes
Store Cannas, Dahlias, and Gladiolus
Cover Greens for Extended Harvest

A Burning Issue

When I worked at a local garden center in the past, at this time of year we always placed the burning bushes (Euonymus alatus) on offer in the sales yard so that they could easily be seen from the road by passing motorists. As soon as the leaves of...
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Resources

Design a Native Mixed Border Garden
Invasive Plants in New England

Freeze Herbs
Pick Pears at the Proper Time
Plant Evergreens in Early Fall
Take Care Harvesting from Flooded Gardens
Aerate Your Lawn

New England Regional Report

Painted Tongue

Resources

Reminders

Thinking Inside the Boxwoods

Resources

Reminders

Potatoes and the Columbian Exchange

Resources

Reminders

Good-by and Keep Cold

Resources

Reminders

Send This Garden Myth down the Drain

Resources

Reminders

Dealing with Storm Damaged Trees

Resources

Reminders

Crabapple of my Eye

Resources

Reminders

Asters -- Love 'Em and Leave 'Em

Resources

Reminders

Ornamental Grasses for Small Spaces

Resources

Reminders

Fall Fruit Garden Care

Resources

Reminders

A Burning Issue

Resources

Reminders