Winter Warmth with a Chimenea
Is it just a bit chilly to sit outside and enjoy your fall or winter garden? Hundreds of years ago, Mexicans had the same problem. They solved it by making chimeneas and using them for heat and cooking. Will a modern chimenea help you enjoy your outdoor living space even as the weather turns cooler?
Holiday “Cactus” (Schlumbergera varieties)
Have you noticed the odd-looking plants with neon bright flowers blooming since Halloween? You may know them as Thanksgiving cactus, Christmas cactus or Crab Cactus. Whatever you call them, they're certainly bright and cheerful, and bring a bold bloom of color indoors during the winter months.
Kiss, Kiss: Mistletoe, a Holiday Tradition
One of our sweetest holiday traditions is kissing under the mistletoe, but how much do we really know about this custom or, for that matter, the plant itself?
Herbal Delights
No matter how cold the temperatures or how deep the snow, you can enjoy the pleasures of herbs this winter season by growing them in your windowsill. Herbs are great for adding zest to any food and are a delicious substitute for salt and artificial flavors.
Holiday Gifts from The Garden
Your garden is filled with bounty, and not just during the growing season. With a bit of creativity and some help from your local garden center, you can find many lovely gifts and holiday accents in your garden and landscape, letting you share your love of gardening with friends, family members, neighbors, teachers, and everyone […]
Waxed Amaryllis
Waxed amaryllis is a beautiful, unique, and easy-care holiday plant, and you can enjoy it for weeks after the holiday season. The more you know about waxed amaryllis, the better you will be able to care for the plant and keep it looking glorious. What Is Waxed Amaryllis? Waxed amaryllis is no different botanically than […]
Building A Simple Raised Bed
It’s a bittersweet time of year. Frost has put to rest another growing season. It is a time for endings as we clean up the garden and jot down this year’s successes and failures. It is also a time for new beginnings, such as planning and anticipating next year’s garden. For those who love gardening, […]
Tulip Time
It’s finally here, that time of year that we’ve all been anticipating – fall! And, you know what fall means? Tulip time! The cooler days of fall entice us back into the garden that the August heat forced us to abandon. This is when your garden retailer is brimming with fresh, new, seasonal plant material […]
The Fall Herb Garden
The end of the summer doesn’t mean the end of deliciousness from your garden, not when a fall herb garden can add tantalizing tastes to all your meals. As the season changes, give your herbs a little tender loving care to ensure that they thrive through fall and into winter. Caring for Perennial Herbs Perennial […]
Fall Mulching Pros and Cons
Mulch can add a protective layer to any fall garden, flowerbeds, or shrubs, but is it best for your landscape? Understanding the pros and cons of fall mulching can help you better prepare all your plants for the changing season. Benefits of Fall Mulching There’s no denying that when done properly, mulching in fall can […]
Growing Under Black Walnut
If you have a black walnut tree on your property, you know how difficult it can be to find anything that will grow anywhere near this plant. Black walnuts release a substance called juglone into the soil, which is toxic to many ornamental and edible plants and can stunt their growth significantly – in fact, […]
Bringing Butterflies to the Backyard
In spring, female butterflies will be mostly concerned with finding their species' specific host plants on which to lay fertilized eggs. Instinctively, they know they must find plants to ensure that their caterpillars will have appropriate food for survival after hatching. Both male and female butterflies will be looking for flowers with nectar for their own survival.
Cultivating A Passion for Garden Photography
Does your gardening passion include taking photos of your plants and progress? Capturing the beauty of a garden through photography is a gratifying experience that allows one to freeze moments of natural splendor in time. With cell phones, it couldn’t be easier. Whether it’s the vibrant hues of blooming flowers, the delicate dance of butterflies, […]
Love in a Houseplant – Heart-Shaped Houseplants
While roses are red and violets are blue, consider gifting your Valentine something different this year. What better way to say “long-term relationship” than with a heart-inspired houseplant? Let love blossom as your love does with these gorgeous, eye-catching, heart-shaped plants. Ruhlig Farms & Gardens has so many options for you to choose from, but […]
Kokedama: Easy How-To Instructions
Are you a gardener with a minimalist vibe? Well then, kokedama will give you all the right feels! What is Kokedama?Kokedama, loosely translated as “ball of moss,” has become a popular trend in recent years, and for good reason. This Japanese art form eliminates planting pot use by wrapping moss around the root ball to […]
Rock Gardens
Rock gardens can be amazing options for challenging spaces in your landscape, whether your yard has poor soil, narrow sections, steep terraces, deep shade or other concerns. You can even design a rock garden anywhere just to enjoy their elegant lines, varied texture and easy care. But how do you put in a rock garden? […]
Communal Supplies for a Community Garden
A community garden can be a great way to bring neighbors, family members and friends together to expand gardening efforts and increase harvests while simultaneously sharing the workload and expense necessary to keep a garden thriving and productive. Instead of simply grouping individual plots together that each participant must work in isolation, however, the most […]
Vertical Gardening for Small Spaces
It’s easy to maximize even the tiniest garden space when you look up – and up, and up, and up. Whether you have a balcony, deck, small terrace, raised beds or container garden, vertical gardening is a great way to increase your cultivated ground and enjoy a more abundant harvest no matter how small your […]
Watering Tomato Plants
Proper watering plays a significant role in producing a healthy tomato plant with tasty, meaty, juicy fruit. So, what’s the secret?
Edging and Trimming
Edging and trimming the lawn is like having a manicure after cutting your fingernails…everything is just more perfect!
General Soil Amendments
The number of soil amendments sold in garden centers often confuses gardeners. These products fall into two categories, inorganic and organic.
Rain Barrels
You’ve heard it said, "When it rains, it pours." This could refer to the amount of rain on the roof going through the gutters and downspouts, and then out to the storm drains and pouring away from your garden. With the unpredictability of rain and the cost of water, don't you wish you could keep some of that rain?
Growing and Containing Rampant Spreaders
What do you do when you fall in love with a plant but you know it spreads and could take over your entire garden? You don’t have to give up your hopes of nurturing this plant, you just have to learn how to contain it securely without destroying its beauty. Favorite Spreaders Many different plants […]
Determinate Versus Indeterminate Tomatoes
Halleluiah, it’s tomato-planting time again! If you’ve grown tomatoes in the past, you most likely have your favorites. If not, just ask! You’ll find some pretty strong opinions regarding tomato choices.
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 in shape in no time. […]
Growing Grass in the Shade
Cool season turf grasses prefer to grow in the sun. To establish a thick, healthy lawn of Kentucky bluegrass and perennial rye, you will need at least six hours of full sun daily. Fine and tall fescues are more shade-tolerant and require a minimum of four hours of full or eight hours of filtered sun […]
Green Gardening
Planting a vegetable or flower garden seems like the perfect thing to do when you are looking for ways to adopt a greener, more environmentally-friendly lifestyle. Some traditional gardening practices, however, may not be quite as “green” as you might think. Planning your gardens with the environment in mind and choosing some practices that maintain healthy […]
Conserving Water Through Proper Planting
Worried that you may have to give up color in your landscape to save on maintenance and water? Afraid that watering restrictions in your area will put a damper on your colorful flowerbeds, borders and shrubs? It doesn’t have to be that way! Many brightly-colored trees, shrubs and flowers don’t require as much water once […]
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 the amount of stress they […]
Watering: How Much?
Water is critical for a healthy garden and landscape, but how much water is too much, how much isn’t enough and how much is just right? Unfortunately, there isn’t a specific answer that suits every gardener’s needs. All plants have different water requirements, which change depending on the type of soil, amount of sun, temperature, […]
Insect Control Begins Now
It’s hard to think of insects in winter, but don’t forget the havoc these tiny creatures can bring to your garden – defoliating leaves, contaminating produce, even destroying complete plants. Before these pests begin to be a problem is the perfect time to take steps to control them. Why Winter Control? Late winter is the […]
Feng Shui in the Garden
Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese philosophy that believes in attracting and guiding the flow of cosmic energy to influence your health, wealth and happiness. If you are already familiar with Feng Shui, you should know that it is assumed by many that the same fundamental principles that apply to your home also apply to […]
Year-Round Container Gardens
The best gardens provide interest all twelve months of the year. In the spring and summer, gardens are full of color with bright, cheerful bulbs, pastel spring-flowering trees, vivid, multi-colored bedding plants and striking perennials; fall gives us shades of yellow, gold, orange, red and purple with the changing of the season, as well as […]
Flirting with Spring
In January and February, winter flirts with spring on occasional warm days. Quince, Forsythia, and Pussy Willow begin to emerge from dormancy. With this slight swelling of buds, it is time to cut a few branches to bring spring indoors!