If you spend any time gardening, you probably understand what I mean when I say it feels good — despite the lifting, sweating and straining involved. Yes, exercise is good for our bodies, but there’s something about digging in the dirt while listening to a bird soundtrack that lifts my ...
If you’d love to grow fruit trees but think you don’t have the space, think again. You don’t need an orchard or even a large backyard to enjoy garden-picked fruit. Instead, use a method perfected by Louis XIV’s gardeners back in the 1600s at Versailles, when cold, windy winters, ...
It’s time — or getting to be time — for us gardeners to reap what we’ve sown. Although it’s fairly evident when some edibles, like tomatoes, are ripe for the picking (uniform red, yellow or orange color), that isn’t the case with every crop. Popular crops' telltale signs ...
METRO — Plants add aesthetic appeal to any landscape. A pop of plant-produced color here and there can complement any landscape, but homeowners also can use plants to liven up hardscapes as well. Outdoor living spaces are more than just places to relax. A recent survey from Green Builder Media found that 90 percent of homeowners consider the outdoor living areas on their properties to be important to their health and well-being. That same survey found that four in five homeowners prefer secluded outdoor living spaces that provide privacy. Plants can help fulfill that goal, which ...
I’ve seen a rash of social media posts recommending the application of sticky-tape bands around tree trunks to prevent spotted lanternflies and other garden pests from accessing tree canopies and munching on foliage. But those bands also catch caterpillars, butterflies, bees and birds, ...
As home gardeners become more educated about the benefits of native plants (supporting native insects, birds and wildlife and the environment as a whole), the focus has mainly been on trees, shrubs and perennials. Native annuals have somehow gotten lost in the shuffle, likely because most of them aren’t readily available at the garden center. And most of the annuals (and tender perennials treated as annuals) that ARE sold in local nurseries are introduced species from faraway places. As such, they don’t provide much benefit to the local ecosystem. Native insects have evolved ...
