Gardening Basics

Caution in the Garden… Chlorosis

Caution in the Garden… Chlorosis

Yellow means caution, even in the garden. While leaf yellowing, chlorosis, may be a signal that there is a problem that requires attention, it may also be normal.  Chlorosis is the scientific word used to indicate the full or partial yellowing of plant leaves or stems and simply means that chlorophyll is breaking down.

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Planting Basics – Trees & Shrubs

Planting Basics – Trees & Shrubs

Are you ready to add trees and shrubs to your landscape? You don’t need to hire professionals to do the planting when you learn the basics of doing it the right way yourself. Soil Preparation How quickly and how well trees become established once they are planted is affected by…

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Jump Start Your Pond

Jump Start Your Pond

Are you ready to get your pond started up for another beautiful spring and summer? It can be a big job to rejuvenate such a large water feature so it remains balanced and healthy after a long, harsh winter, but with a few careful steps, your pond can be back…

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Ladybug or Lady Beetle?

Ladybug or Lady Beetle?

The different names given to ladybugs are almost as numerous as the number of species. But bug or beetle, understanding more about these garden guests can help you better appreciate their diversity and all the help they can offer in your garden and landscape. What’s In a Name You may…

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Worrisome Weeds

Worrisome Weeds

Gardeners spend hours carefully cultivating their favorite plants, whether they are delicious veggies, flavorful herbs, sweet fruits, stunning flowers or luxurious grasses. It hardly seems fair that unwanted weeds barge in and take advantage of all that work, and seem to sprout up without any effort. Fortunately, there are many…

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Creepers & Crawlers: Ground Covers for Walkways

Creepers & Crawlers: Ground Covers for Walkways

The durability of some plants is absolutely amazing. A number of them are so robust that they may even be tread on! These are the plants to choose when filling in the space between pavers, walkways, patios and steps. Placing plants in the gaps of your hardscape will soften its…

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Espalier

Espalier

Espalier is the process of training trees or shrubs, by pruning and trellising, to create a vertical, two-dimensional, formal pattern. The purpose of espalier is to artfully train a tree to grow in limited space, to provide pattern and texture on a solid wall, to grow fruit in a limited…

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Tomatoes and Peppers – A Gardening Tradition

Tomatoes and Peppers – A Gardening Tradition

Tomatoes and peppers are two crops you can never have too much of. They freeze well without the difficulty of blanching, and although the texture of tomatoes disintegrates, the flavor remains good. Both tomatoes and peppers offer brilliantly colored fruit that can be particularly attractive in the garden or in…

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Attracting Hummingbirds

Attracting Hummingbirds

It is an awesome sight to capture a glimpse of a ruby-throated hummingbird hovering over the flower garden on a sunny summer morning. One or two a year may be seen seeking food in the landscape, sampling everything in their path. Unfortunately, they leave as rapidly as they arrive. This…

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Raising Root Crops

Raising Root Crops

Root crops are among the easiest vegetables to grow, and often the first and last vegetables in the garden to mature. Your garden may produce enough vegetables to take you through the entire year and, if kept correctly, root crops will last a long time in storage. These vegetables are…

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Begonias for the Home

Begonias for the Home

Begonias are a beautiful and diverse group of plants, with more than 1,500 species. Some are suitable for use as bedding plants or in container gardens, some for hanging baskets and others for indoor cultivation. Begonias are treasured not only for their colorful flowers but also for their unique foliage,…

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Top Native Shrubs for Year-Round Interest

Top Native Shrubs for Year-Round Interest

We just love incorporating natives into the home landscape! Including native plants is an important part of sustaining local pollinators and wildlife. They are all low maintenance and, wow, are they beautiful!

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Pink Muhley Grass

Pink Muhley Grass

Becoming increasingly popular, there is now an over-abundance of ornamental grasses available at garden centers. So many choices can make the selection process difficult. There is, however, one that takes the cake. Pink Muhley Grass is arguably the most colorful ornamental grass around and it is sure wow your friends and neighbors.

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Try Something New: Pomegranates

Try Something New: Pomegranates

Want to grow an exotic fruit that is delicious, nutritious, beautiful, incredibly hip and rarely grown in our area? You really should consider planting a pomegranate!

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Get Your Mint On!

Get Your Mint On!

This is the 140th anniversary of the Kentucky Derby. What does that mean? Mint Juleps, of course.

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