Dear James: I want a patio, butterfly garden and a sitting wall by a slope. I think a simple no-mortar wall would look nice. What is the best way to build a stable wall this way? — Catherine T. Dear Catherine: Butterfly, and pollinator in general, gardens are very popular today and really needed. With…
Landscaping Questions
If you haven’t bought an Easter lily, you should go buy one now. They will be on sale after this weekend, and if you want to you can call it a spring lily. You can enjoy the flowers and fragrance for the next few weeks and then you can plant it outdoors. Keep the lilies…
Keep Mothballs out of the Garden
Q: Bradley, our young indoor-outdoor cat, recently experienced a bout of vomiting, lethargy and seizures. By the time we got him to the veterinarian, he seemed normal and the vet could find nothing wrong. Two days later, however, Bradley suffered a repeat episode. I just now remembered that our neighbor had scattered mothballs in her…
Letting Nature Do Its Thing: Balancing the Birds and Bugs in Our Gardens
Something is happening in our gardens. Little by little, a very unsettling silence is falling upon them. During my childhood, our garden was a blur of color as a multitude of brightly patterned insects busied themselves amongst the flowers. The number of bee species on the lavender bushes was a sight to behold and butterflies…
Rhododendrons: Guide to Planting, Growing, and Care
While this article applies to Rhododendrons, 99% of it also applies to planting and care for Azaleas, as they are in the same genus, Rhododendron. While all azaleas are rhododendrons, not all rhododendrons are azaleas. Leaves and flower characteristics differ, but site requirements, soil, and care are for the most part identical. Naturally, as with anything…
Savvy Scottish Woman Saves US$8,000 Transforming Her Garden Into an Outdoor Haven
A young Scottish woman has managed to save 6,000 pounds (approx. US$7,900) by transforming her dull garden into an outdoor haven that is fitted with a hot tub, fire pit, and lounge area. Alex Lawson, 26, from Aberdeen, Scotland, had spent months transforming the garden of her three-bed terraced house into an outdoor living space….
How to Grow Spring Flowers in Containers
No sight is more welcome after a long winter than the first blooms of crocus, tulips, daffodils, Muscari, hyacinths, and other spring-flowering bulbs. Gardeners and non-gardeners alike can enjoy the view up close by layering these bulbs with container gardening methods. It’s perfect for those with mobility problems or limited space in urban areas. Bulbs for spring flowers…
A Remarkably Effective and Safe Do-It-Yourself Option for Pest Control
There is an old adage out there that promises, “Teaching teaches the teacher.” I believe that with all my heart. Never does a day go by that I don’t learn something from my readers. Most days those lessons are small, perhaps even insignificant. And then there are days like today when it’s just one big…
A 3-Minute Composting Primer
Perfecting the art of composting can be tricky, but it’s essential to the health of your garden. Compost adds beneficial microbes to the soil and provides the highest nutrition for your garden plants. Composting is an essential part of organic gardening. It’s the ultimate recycling of your grass clippings, food waste, and yard waste. It also adds…
Which Plants Grow Well in Acidic Soil?
The vast majority of flowers, perennials, vegetables, and fruits grow well in a neutral soil pH between 6.2-7.0. But some species – or more precisely, some varieties of those species – require an acidic soil for optimum growth and health. What pH is considered an acidic soil? pH is the measure of how acidic or…
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