The Most Fun You Can Have With Your Bibs On!
We stick our softwood cuttings in June in a bed of sand outdoors. In a matter of weeks they are fully rooted Using this Plant Propagation System. We can pull them from the bed and pot them in the summer but I don’t unless I absolutely need them because summer potting can be stressful for… Click here to read more…
These are rules for digging trees and other plants. Only dig trees or plants when they are dormant. Here in Ohio dormancy occurs usually right before Thanksgiving, after we’ve had at least on night with temps down around 28 degrees F. or lower. That’s when digging season begins, and for us it usually ends about… Click here to read more…
Transplanting is a winter sport! Transplanting season typically begins around Thanksgiving in most northern states. It lasts all winter and ends in very early spring before plants leaf out. Usually around mid April in cold states, earlier in warmer states. Once plants make leaves in the spring, digging/transplanting is over. That means that if we… Click here to read more…
There are some plants that are absolutely breathtaking when covered with fresh snow. I have a few favorites that I’ll share with you here. Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick is one of them! Weeping Nootka Cypress! When I share photos of this plant online I get two reactions. People love it or they hate it. But… Click here to read more…
Why would you need an underground root cellar? An underground root cellar can provide you a place to store plants, or plant bulbs, anything that you want to protect from freezing. I build mine to store rare Japanese maples that I’d get shipped in during the winter months but couldn’t plant out until spring. One… Click here to read more…
Some growers stratify seeds like dogwoods or Japanese maple seeds in a cold, but not freezing space. Some actually put them in a cloth bag and hang them in the well, far above the water level but at least a few feet down because the air in the well is never cold enough to freeze…. Click here to read more…
I’ve always had a difficult time over wintering ornamental grasses in containers so last fall I decided to try something different. We pulled the grasses out of the pots and heeled them in an above ground, but not really raised bed. Then we mulched around them with potting soil to make the roots were not… Click here to read more…
Ornamental grasses can be really challenging to over winter in pots. If you cover the pots with white plastic like I show here that helps a great deal because it keeps them dry so they don’t rot. But uncovered, they don’t do well in pots over the winter here in the north. So this year… Click here to read more…
Recently Duston and I traveled to Roger’s Backyard Nursery in Cranesville, Pa, only about a 37 mile drive for us and took a tour of Roger’s Backyard Nursery. Roger is One of Our Members. He showed us why he is successful over winter ornamental grasses when others are not. In the photo you can see… Click here to read more…
Heeling in? What do you mean by that? I’m telling people that they can temporarily “heel in” plants until they are ready to deal with them and this often confuses people. Why do I need to do that? There are a lot of reasons for heeling plants in, but the reason that we do it… Click here to read more…
Tropical plants such as cannas, elephant ears, and caladium have underground structures called tubers, which can be dug up and successfully over wintered, then replanted in the spring. Palms, Mandeville and hibiscus can be brought indoors to a sunny location or put into a greenhouse. With Bananas, depending on your climate, you have some different… Click here to read more…
A cold frame is a bottomless box with a sky light that creates a micro-climate by trapping solar energy. If possible you will want the top to slope so you catch the slanting winter sun. More sun will enter the higher the angle of the slope. STEP ONE: Select location The best location should have… Click here to read more…
Did you know that mums (chrysanthemums) don’t have to only last one season? With a little work, your hardy mums can survive the winter! Step #1: Prepare the Soil for Water Drainage A very important part of winterizing your mums begins when you plant them. Make sure that the soil drains well so puddled water… Click here to read more…
Geraniums are often used as container plants or planted as annuals. They naturally grow in hot climates (zones 9-12), but that doesn’t mean they have to die off each winter in colder climates. Your geraniums will last for many years if follow this simple technique for overwintering them. Step 1 Dig your geranium. Dig your… Click here to read more…
There are a lot of different ways to protect the plants that you are growing for the winter months. There are a few things that you need to understand about protecting plants for winter. 1. You don’t need a greenhouse. You should be growing plants that are hardy in your growing climate, therefore they will… Click here to read more…
As a gardener there are a lot of things that you can do to protect your flowering shrubs and fruit bearing trees and shrubs from frost damage in the early spring. Of course the size of the plants determines how much you can do and be successful. Frost is the quiet enemy that looks in… Click here to read more…
