The Most Fun You Can Have With Your Bibs On!
Written by Ruth Harrigan – Urban Beekeeper & Gardener As civilization continues to encroach on wild habitats it is now more imperative than ever for gardeners like us to lend a hand to all the pollinators who need a variety of flowers as a source of nectar and pollen. An oasis can be easily created… Click here to read more…
Single digits here in Ohio this week! Brrrrrr. Both the plants and the Donkeys are Doing Fine. The donkeys stay in their little shelter house during the day, it’s pretty open but it keeps the wind off of them. Then at nighttime they check into Their Little Semi Underground Bedroom. The plants? The plants are… Click here to read more…
April is a busy time of the year for gardeners. Lots and lots to do! Early spring is the ideal time to divide ornamental grasses just before, or just as they are starting to grow. A few years ago I made a movie about that process, you can watch that here. Early spring is also… Click here to read more…
Fresh garlic is a staple in many kitchens, and good cooks know that a hint of garlic can enhance many dishes. The pungent bulbs are incredibly easy to grow and homegrown garlic will be far better and keep longer than what is sold in the supermarket. Fall is the best time to plant garlic. Garlic… Click here to read more…
Proper care of rose plants in the fall will help ensure that your plants come back strong and healthy next spring. Roses love the warm days and cool nights in the fall and often put out their best blooms for fall enjoyment. Fall weather encourages the plants to form more perfect blossoms, but the weather… Click here to read more…
Here in Ohio, the month of September is one of the most pleasant months of the year. Warm days and cool evenings are perfect for getting work done around the yard. You might think that the growing season has ended, but you’d be surprised at all the work there is to be done! Here are… Click here to read more…
I don’t know how many times someone has sent me a picture and asked me to identify their “mystery plant”. Countless times! There’s now a solution… at least for anyone who owns a smartphone. (It was brought to my attention that this app was really made to identify plants from Western Europe. I didn’t realize… Click here to read more…
This invention, designed by these twin sisters, is absolutely brilliant! It uses an origami-based design that allows the pot to expand to fit the sized of the plant as it grows. Bike and Begum Ayaskan, the twin designer duo, call it Growth. You definitely need to check out their website and look at the other… Click here to read more…
It is very common for tomatoes to split, and there are a couple of reasons for these unsightly cracks. Split tomatoes can be caused by either moisture or heat stress. You may find tomatoes with large cracks that form concentric circles around the stem. This splitting is caused by moisture stress, when the fruit becomes… Click here to read more…
Growing roots from sticks has always been fascinating for me and is pretty much what I try to teach everyone! Boring? Never! Check out this video about how amazing roots actually are! source: voice of america
If you started your garden back in May, then I am sure that you, like me, are beginning to harvest your squash and zucchini. I found this very unique recipe for actually stuffing and frying the blossoms themselves! Take a look:
“The “Skeleton Flower” (Diphelleia grayi), is a white woodland blossom that turns transparent when it gets wet. This plant can be found in three parts of the world. The plant grows on moist, wooded mountainsides in colder regions of Japan, China and the Appalachian Mountains in the United States, and it’s very easy to spot… Click here to read more…
Balloon flower, also known as Chinese bellflower, has been a favorite of many plant enthusiasts for more than 50 years, yet it’s still not found in many gardens. I hope this article and my video increase it’s popularity. Balloon-shaped flower buds pop open into beautiful blue, white, pink, or purple flowers in summer. They emerge… Click here to read more…
This 390 year old Japanese White Pine was donated to the National Arboretum in Northeast Washington for the Arboretum’s National Bonsai and Penjing Museum. Think about it! This tree has survived since the 16th century and also survived an atomic bomb! The bonsai tree’s history is being honored this week, as Thursday marks the 70th… Click here to read more…
Giant Hogweed is a phototoxic plant. Its sap can cause phytophotodermatitis (severe skin inflammations) when the skin is exposed to sunlight or to ultraviolet rays. Initially, the skin colors red and starts itching. Then blisters form as it burns within 48 hours. They form black or purplish scars that can last several years. Hospitalization may… Click here to read more…
Gardening Tips for August From the Farmer’s Almanac 5th-7th Good days for transplanting. Root crops that can be planted now will yield well. 8th-9th Any seed planted now will tend to rot. 10th-11th Plant seedbeds and flower gardens. Good days for transplanting. Most favorable days for planting beets, onions, turnips, and other root crops. 12th-16th… Click here to read more…
A recent study published in the journal, Scientific Reports, compiled data from multiple cities in Toronto and came to the hypothesis that adding 10 trees to your neighborhood could result in the equivalent of feeling $10,000 richer or even 7 years younger! Trees do add beauty and shade but they also remove pollutants from the… Click here to read more…
On March 11, 2011, a 9.0 earthquake triggered a tsunami that hit Japan and nearly destroyed the city of Fukushima. The following day, 12 March, substantial amounts of radioactive material began to be released, and resulted in a nuclear meltdown of three of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power plant’s 6 nuclear reactors. In the four… Click here to read more…
Grafting is the art of attaching a piece of one plant to another in such a way that the two pieces will bond together and become one plant. One plant is used to provide the root system and sometimes the stem, and is commonly known as the rootstock. If you are daring enough to try… Click here to read more…
The Swedish company Husqrvana is a manufacturer of outdoor power products including robotic mowers, garden tractors, chainsaws and trimmers. This past week Husqrvana had issued a recall on about 24,000 lawn and garden tillers due to the potential hazard caused by the transmission engaging itself and going either forward or backward without warning. So far… Click here to read more…
