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Home » Gardening » Page 27

How to Ruin a Japanese Maple Tree.

Updated : April 12, 2019

403 Comments

Why would I Write a Blog Posting about Ruining a Japanese Maple? Because people do it all the time unintentionally.  Here’s the deal;  “You only know what you know.”  That includes me. So my job here is to make sure that all of my followers/subscribers learn things that I know and they may not. Contrary… Click here to read more…

Should I Remove the Burlap Before Planting My Tree?

Updated : April 9, 2019

64 Comments

Excellent question and here’s my definitive answer;  “It depends.”  There are a lot of different kinds of so-called burlap being used to ball trees today and there’s no way for me to know what kind of burlap your tree has on it. I often like to leave the burlap intact when planting trees because it… Click here to read more…

Spring Pruning Tips. Should I Prune Now?

Updated : April 5, 2019

106 Comments

Pruning, pruning, pruning, pruning! When to prune?  How to prune?  When to prune this?  When to prune that? People seem so confused by it all. So in as few words as possible I am going to give you my take on pruning. Hey!  Do You Have an Extra Square Foot in Yard?Just One Square Foot? … Click here to read more…

Preventing a Back Injury While Gardening.

Updated : November 5, 2014

32 Comments

To many, gardening and back injuries go hand in hand.  But that shouldn’t be the case.  Gardening can be the most back friendly activity that you engage in, but you have to be smart about it. Gardening is not about killing yourself with hard work, heavy lifting or tugging and pulling. I’ve got back problems… Click here to read more…

Are Hybrid Plants Better?

Updated : May 20, 2015

54 Comments

Lavender Twist Weeping Redbud Tree

Nature Intended for Plants to Reproduce by Means of Sexual Reproduction. Along time ago when the earth was green (stole that line from the Irish Rovers song “The Unicorn”) new plants were born.  Chance seedlings that just popped up.  Probably a tad more complicated than that but for the sake of simplicity we’ll just assume… Click here to read more…

Heirloom Seeds, are they Really Better?

Updated : November 5, 2014

276 Comments

Let’s start with . . . what exactly is a Heirloom seed? Heirloom seeds come from plants that are really old like me, even older really.  I was born in 1956, most or all heirloom seeds come from plants that were being actively grown prior to 1951.  Why 1951?  What’s so significant about that?  I… Click here to read more…

Fruit Trees that Fail to Make Fruit.

Updated : July 16, 2019

271 Comments

Do you have a fruit tree or trees in your yard that just don’t seem to know how to make fruit?  Are you frustrated with your fruit trees and their lack of adequate fruit production?  I know it can be frustrating, but here’s the deal… Fruit trees are programed at birth to be robotic fruit-producing… Click here to read more…

Top 10 Gardening Tools

Updated : December 18, 2014

2 Comments

Here is a list of the top 10 gardening tools you should have in your shed.Hand trowels are a gardening staple. They can be used to dig holes, transplant seedlings, pull weeds and plant bulbs. All gardens require water. Whether you are using your hose for drip irrigation or just attaching a soaker nozzle, a… Click here to read more…

10 Reasons Not To Be Afraid Of Garden Spiders

Updated : November 7, 2014

5 Comments

 Garden spiders are not aggressive. They are much, much more likely to run than to attack. They are typically found in gardens, meadows and clearings….not in your bed. If you do happen to find a garden spider in your house, its most likely in search of disease carrying flies. There are approximately 120 known species… Click here to read more…

The Easy Digger

Updated : November 7, 2014

100 Comments

The Easy Digger

The Easy Digger gets a big thumbs up from Mike McGroarty! I first came across this handy gardening tool a number of years ago, then my Easy Digger somehow went missing as often happens with gardening tools.  At least my tools often go missing! Anyway, I really, really like the easy digger.  It is by… Click here to read more…

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Rooted cuttings of variegated weigela in bunches to harden off.

Over Wintering Rooted Cuttings.

Posted On January 8, 2023 By Mike

Mike's Big Perennial Bed.

Mike’s Big Perennial Garden

Posted On January 8, 2023 By Mike

A Profound Thank You from Mike.

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Finnegan keeping the sun off his head.

An Old Guy, Two Donkeys, a Puppy and a Hammock. What could possibly go wrong?

Posted On July 17, 2022 By Mike

This upside down donkey is a hoot!

An Upside Down Donkey and Cute Puppy.

Posted On July 14, 2022 By Mike

'Rockin Raspberry' Bee Balm.

‘Rockin Raspberry’ Bee Balm.

Posted On June 26, 2022 By Mike

'Bubblegum Blast' Bee Balm.

‘Bubblegum Blast’ Bee Balm

Posted On June 26, 2022 By Mike

Blue Angel Hosta.

‘Blue Angel’ Hosta.

Posted On June 25, 2022 By Mike

Big Daddy Hosta.

‘Big Daddy’ Hosta

Posted On June 25, 2022 By Mike

'Humpback Whale' hosta.

‘Humpback Whale’ Hosta.

Posted On June 25, 2022 By Mike

Complete Guides

Growing, Rooting and Propagating Dappled Willow in Tree Form from Cuttings.

Growing Seeds, Winter Sowing, in Milk Jugs and Kitty Litter Jugs.

The Correct Way to Pot Rooted Cuttings, Nursery Stock Liners and other Plants.

Training Arborvitae and other Conical Evergreens to Grow with a Single Leader.

How to Propagate, Root Cuttings, of Dwarf Alberta Spruce.

Recent Posts

Blue Angel Hosta.

‘Blue Angel’ Hosta.

'Blue Angel'hosta is by far one of my favorite blue hostas. A big hosta like this in a perennial bed covers a lot of area and that keeps a ton of weeds at bay! These giant heart shaped leaves are very slug resistant. We have this plant in full sun. With … Read Full Article

Big Daddy Hosta.

‘Big Daddy’ Hosta

'Big Daddy' hosta is one of my favorite big hostas, mostly because it's big, it's blue and it has very interested leaves that are a bit dimpled. Big Daddy hosta gets about 24" tall and 36" wide. It's hardy in zones 3 through 9, the flowers are blends of … Read Full Article

'Humpback Whale' hosta.

‘Humpback Whale’ Hosta.

We sold out of 'Humpback Whale' hosta pretty early this year. Humpback Whale is pretty impressive hosta and this one really hasn't matured yet because they can get three feet high and 7 feet wide. I've also seen photos of them that show them to be a lot … Read Full Article

Ice Plant, delosperma

Ice Plant, delosperma

How pretty is that? And it's a ground hugging perennial that comes back year and year. These plants were new to our nursery last year so Pam and I planted three of them in our landscape at home. Not only did they do really well last year but they wintered … Read Full Article

Electric Red Dianthus

‘Electric Red’ Dianthus

I've been working on my perennial bed at the nursery and this Electric Red Dianthus caught my eye and was screaming "make my picture". So I did! Dianthus in general are great perennials for your garden. They are super winter hardy even here in cold … Read Full Article

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