The North American landscape is almost entirely dormant. Just because the landscape is dormant doesn’t mean gardeners have to be. Now is a good time to visit your local botanic garden’s greenhouse. It is warm and full of beautiful green plants. Many gardeners also love bird-feeding and birdwatching. Now is a good time to build…
How to Clean Up Storm-Damaged Trees
Question: The recent storm winds blew lots of small dead branches off my soft maple. Should the tree be pruned? I did not think the tree was dying, but now I am wondering how healthy it is. Answer: Silver maples, honey locusts, and many other trees will lose a lot of small branches during a…
Gardening Resolutions for the New Year
Aren’t you glad 2021 is over? Hopefully, 2022 will be better. Gardening makes everything better, so let’s talk about how to make gardening better. Make a New Year’s resolution to learn more about gardening. Resolve to take a gardening class with your local extension office, which is part of your state university. All year long,…
Gift Books for Gardeners
If you have ever seen a hydroponic gardening system, especially a DIY project to build your own hydroponic system, you probably saw a lot of pipes and pumps. If you are not a plumber, you were probably not impressed. These systems tend to be ugly and only meant to be used in the garage or…
Smart Gifts for Gardeners
With the shipping problems across the country, many of us are looking for garden gift ideas closer to home. American-Made Outdoor Furniture If you are looking for outdoor furniture, check out Berlin Gardens LLC in Berlin, Ohio. They make a wide variety of tables, chairs, pergolas, and gazebos out of high-density polyethylene (HDPE). It is…
Winter Gardening: A Checklist for the Prepared Gardener
It may seem like there isn’t much to do in the garden over the winter, but here are some ideas that may keep you busy. For northerners, is your snowblower ready? Do you have the gas and oil it needs, or electrical cords that aren’t frayed? Make sure you have sand or salt and snow…
Fall-Blooming Rhododendron
Q: I have many native and hybrid rhododendrons. One of my hybrids is now blooming and covered in buds. The flowers are much smaller than usual, and this past spring it had hardly any blooms. Never have I seen this plant bloom at this time of year. Not complaining. Just confused. A: Your rhododendron is…
Picking Poinsettias
Have you seen poinsettias for sale yet? I have. Were they red? Probably. That’s because we all know that poinsettias are red, right? Well, not so fast. There are pink, purple, white, spotted, striped, and even yellow and orange poinsettias. Every year, the commercial plant breeders of poinsettias come out with 5 to 20 new…
A Big-Picture Look at Pest Control
The methods used in integrated pest management (IPM) have been around for as long as gardening has been around. The word “integrate” means to incorporate separate compatible parts to form a unified whole. The pest can be anything that is alive that can cause harm to people or their animals, crops, and property. We try…
Wilted Trees and Finicky Birds
Q: Back in the spring, we planted several 10- to 15-foot-tall trees around our new house. We tried to keep up with the watering, but the trees looked a bit wilted all summer long. Now that they are going dormant for the winter, is there anything special we can do to help them? A: You…
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