Your home outside the city limits.
Each year the National Garden Bureau designates one bulb or bulb-like plant to highlight and this year’s featured plant is Dahlia. The Dahlia genus was named by the Madrid Botanical Garden for Andreas Dahl, a Swedish botanist and student of Carl Linnaeus. Mexico and Guatemala is the original homeland of dahlia species used to develop today’s garden cultivars. Spanish explorers of Central... Continue Reading →
One of the most important aspects of raising any animal is the feed that is fed to them. When you’re considering livestock and poultry, roughly 70% of your overall cost of raising those animals is tied up in feed costs. With that being said, feeding poultry the proper ration is key to the success, viability... Continue Reading →
This year the National Garden Bureau features Snapdragon, Antirrhinum majus, as its annual flower of the year. Snapdragon is often thought of as an old-fashioned flower, evoking childhood memories of a grandparents’ garden. But snapdragons are an easy to grow, multi-purpose plant, which add great color, fragrance and pollinator habitat to any garden. If you haven’t used snapdragons in your... Continue Reading →
In early winter, pollinators are often the last thing we expect to see in the landscape. But as the days start to warm our native bees and moths come out and stretch their wings. On days over 40°F many species of bees, moths and wasps emerge from their winter homes ready to forage. Flowers can... Continue Reading →
As we shiver through winter’s freezing temperatures and heavy snow, many gardeners hope the severe weather translates to fewer garden insects in the coming growing season. But, unfortunately, insects have evolved many coping mechanisms enabling them to tolerate winter conditions just fine. Most commonly each insect species overwinters in a specific developmental stage – egg, larva,... Continue Reading →
It’s a great time to notice attractive features of trees and shrubs in the landscape.
In the wintertime, people tend to get the winter blues. As a horticulturist, I get the winter blues because I cannot go outside and garden or go to my backyard to get a tomato while I’m cooking supper. One way we can reduce our gloominess due to lack of gardening would be to have houseplants.... Continue Reading →
Welcome to January everyone… it seems that our weather has really on a yo-yo lately which makes it hard to know what to plan for, bitter cold or unseasonably warm. Whatever it is, it’s great to be out and about and enjoy our surroundings. Last weekend I brought a load of firewood up and stacked... Continue Reading →
“Is there any garden that doesn’t cast a backward glance, gather meaning to itself by allusion to the places in our past” Michael Pollan January is a time for a glance back. Colder weather, the end of holiday busyness and a lull in home and work activities offer time for reflection. It can be useful... Continue Reading →
In January and February, gardeners are placing seed orders and making plans to start plants for this year’s flowers and crops. Starting plants from seed isn’t difficult, just make sure to purchase high quality seed. In the long run, spending a little more on seeds will ensure good germination and healthy, vigorous plants that perform... Continue Reading →
When it comes down to the basics, songbirds are no different than any other animal. They need food, water and shelter to live. The better the provision of these elements, the more time they stay in a certain area such as your acreage. Food – A wide variety of bird food choices are available,... Continue Reading →
A common host gift we take to Holiday parties are Poinsettias. If you receive one for Christmas this year, do you know how to care for it? Poinsettias are a staple for the Christmas season, but they don’t have to be a short-lived gift that is thrown away at the beginning of the year. Poinsettias... Continue Reading →
