Readers ask — and the Swamp Gardener answers …
Reader: Hi. I am an avid fan of your column. A while back, I saw your column on replanting poinsettias. I thought I saved it, but guess it was thrown away before I claimed it to put atop my pile of...
View ArticleFor southeast Colorado, a new dust bowl is blowing in
Alice Webb, 97, tosses tumbleweeds from her front yard in Karval on Monday. Lincoln County and much of the Eastern Plains have been hit hard by the current drought. (RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post) BACA...
View ArticleThe Garden Guru: The season’s not over yet
Somebody asked me several days ago if it was too late to plant Bermuda seed, and I had to answer, “Yes. By five or six weeks.” There’s a time for everything, and I’ve made a hard-and-fast list of 20...
View ArticleGardening Q & A with Richard Nunnally
Q. There seem to be more acorns falling from oak trees than I have seen in my nine years in Richmond. I’ve heard three explanations: it’s because last winter was so cold; it’s because there was so much...
View ArticleJohn Switzer commentary: Backyard birds enliven winter
The Carolina chickadee, possibly the smallest bird at the backyard feeder, also might be the bravest. Chickadees also sample all the seeds and have the endearing trait of grabbing one seed and flying...
View ArticleAsk the Gardener: Umbrella magnolia causes a stink
I have a strange, small tree at the edge of the woods in my yard that has big leaves and grew large white flowers this spring and really stunk! One of my neighbors thought it was a magnolia, but aren’t...
View ArticleTHE FRAGRANT GARDEN: Elements of a flower arranger’s garden
Although it appears we are to have one more “cold front” before late winter is over, the plantings in my Bishop Street Cottage Garden are coming into flower. I lost the annual Alyssum and Lobelia...
View ArticleDeck the halls with plants from the garden
Open up any garden book, and one constant in addressing proper landscape design is the consideration of the garden in winter. Pittsburgh's growing season typically ends by mid-November, with most...
View ArticleTips: How to grow your own bird seed
Plants have a lot more to offer than just beautiful flowers. Why not get the most out of your garden by growing plants to feed birds? Here, you'll find eight great blooms that offer seeds for birds....
View ArticleMaster Gardener: Sweetgum pods have many uses
Q: I have a sweetgum tree, and it is shedding these prickly balls all over my yard. What is best to do with them? Can I prevent them next year? Olga, Tulsa.A: Sweetgum trees are common in our area....
View ArticleIn the Garden with Urban Harvest: Planning for fall vegetable garden
Here I sit on another hot July day, not wanting to be outside after 10 in the morning. What else is there to do but take a journey through seed catalogs for interesting new varieties to grow, and then...
View ArticleAutumn options for your garden
As the gardening season begins to wind down, your garden does not have to take a break from color and texture. Consider plants that have several season interest. For example, crabapples. They...
View ArticlePlant lovers’ almanac: Fall highlights at Nature Realm in Akron
It was a rare sight last week, just off the paved path at Seiberling Nature Realm in Akron: the clear white flowers of the Franklin tree (Franklinia alatamaha) in bloom. The Franklin tree is rare as...
View ArticleSelf-seeders can help you cover ground fast in Colorado garden
"Windwalker" garnet penstemon, just one example of the species that can be a nonaggressive self-seeder. (Provided by Plant Select) Do you have what it takes to grow self-seeding plants? Maybe — if you...
View ArticleDiggin' In: 10 must-have gardening catalogs
There's something comforting and convenient about the feel of a gardening catalog while you sit near a window on a cold winter day and count the days until spring. Many companies have gone "green,"...
View ArticleThe Garden Guru: Worry-free loosestrife loves soggy soil
It’s one of my favorite Texas garden perennials, yet compared with day lilies, daisies and coneflowers, purple loosestrife is a newcomer. You seldom saw it in Texas landscapes in the ’60s and ’70s, and...
View ArticlePreparing the fall garden
Although the current run of 100+ degrees days doesn’t seem very conducive to working in the garden, now is the time to begin preparations for a fall garden. If you can get outside in the early morning,...
View ArticleGarden checklist: Clean up after fruit trees
Don’t leave a mess; pick up after your fruit trees. Clean up debris and dropped fruit. This cuts down on insects and prevents the spread of brown rot and other...
View ArticleJohn Switzer: Milkweed ensures generations of monarchs
Now that May is soon to melt into June, most of our large, flashy butterfly species are flittering about in the sunshine. Butterflies are Mother Nature’s billboards. They turn the heads of even the...
View ArticleColorado Garden to-do list for September 2014: Plant, aerate, harvest!
September is the right month to pull root vegetables, bring in the last of the green tomatoes, put plant-sale perennials in the ground and give your grass lawn a head start on next year's growth. (Karl...
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