Pacific Northwest
October, 2007
Regional Report
National News - From NGA Editors
Striking Purple-Leaved Pineapple Lily
Pineapple lily ( Eucomis comosa ) is a subtropical plant that produces sword-like leaves and pineapple-like flowers. Its hardy only in USDA zones 7 to 10 but can be grown as an annual in colder...
Identify Your Plants Via E-mail
It happens even to the most knowledgeable gardeners: You see a plant you like but you don't know the name of it, and your gardening friends don't know what it is either. Sometimes even a local...
New, Stronger String Trimmer
Cutting weeds and edging grass with a string trimmer is a thankless job, yet many homeowners like the manicured look that these machines afford. One of the most annoying aspects of using string...
Will Biofuels Help Reduce Global Warming?
Biofuels are all the rage. With soaring oil prices and a desire to reduce our dependence on foreign energy resources, there's a lot of interest in growing corn and other crops to be processed into...
In the Garden
Growing Great Apples
Our apple crop was sparse this year but the apples are first class. Not a single trace of apple scab disease and no worms. I'd like to take credit for keeping apple maggots away, but the fact of the matter is, they have yet to discover our trees. I...
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Resources
Books
Trees and Shrubs Simplified Trees and Shrubs for Dummies , by Ann Whitman (IDG Books, 2000; $17), is a concise, sometimes...
Favorite or New Plant
Autumn Crocus Colchicum autumnale , better known as autumn crocus, is one of the plants I love this time of...
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Regional Reminders
- Harvest Winter Squash
- Prune Hydrangeas
- Mulch Strawberry Plants
- Ripen Tomatoes Indoors
- Clean Garden Tools
