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I never heard the word "boring" when I was a child. The word didn't exist for me. I followed the ants on their trails to see where they built their homes. I chased lightning bugs. I built leaf boats and with a ladybug at the helm, I sailed them down the creek to unknown destinations. And I fixed all the flowers in my mother's garden so that the birds could drink from them.
Often overlooked, these Mexican succulent rosette plants are among the best landscape and potted plants in the family Crassulaceae. And their hybrids with Echeveria are even better.
In your zeal to grow the hottest pepper on the block, how many varieties of chiles did you plant this year? If you’re harvesting five alarm peppers by the basketful, with no idea of how you can possibly use so many of these blazing beauties, you need to learn to make hot sauce! Our homemade habanero hot sauce turned out so well it’s been splashed (gingerly) onto everything from tortilla chips to scrambled eggs.
The study of how plants function is known as Plant Physiology. In this and following articles I'll introduce you to the essential plant functions and how they relate to everyday gardening.
The Horseradish Root has been well known as a condiment for fish and beef since the Middle Ages and more recently in a cocktail sauce or a Bloody Mary. The medicinal uses are less familiar although the Egyptians knew about horseradish as far back as 1500 B.C, and medicinal uses were recorded by the Greek scholar and herbalist Pliny the Elder, AD 23-AD 79.
Transplanting a Zone 6 New England daughter into a zone 8 southwestern college. Will she survive the transplant shock? Will I? And what IS that cactus, anyway?
You have the space but is getting that first house plant a hard thing for you to do? Or do you have a few house plants and are looking for a few more to add to your collection? Here is a short list of a few very simple and very easy house plants for you to look at and consider adding to your indoor “garden”.
Bouncing Bet must have been named after my great Aunt Bett. There was no doubt about it. One look at those tiny white flowers bouncing around in the sun all summer long and I could just see her five steps ahead of me bouncing up the mountainside. It never mattered how old she was, she always had white hair, and when she took that bonnet off, her white curls bounced in the sunshine.
If you've ever lost something you valued, then years later found it unexpectedly, you'll understand how I felt that day when I was out in my garden and noticed a small Alocasia plant growing up near where recently I had planted a Heliconia plant. If something is yours, it really does come back to you . . .
Do you cringe at the word “xeriscape”? Does that mean boring, thin-leaved, un-colorful plants to you? Well think again. Xeriscape gardening can look lush, colorful and be a snap to maintain. To help people learn how to have a beautiful garden while being water consious, Colorado Springs Utilities has created two xeriscaped demonstration gardens for denizens to learn about and apply water thriftiness in their own gardens. The display at these gardens provides a lesson for everyone, even if you don’t live in a drought prone area. Can you imagine not having to water much *at all* between rains?
So simple: one big flower on a stem. So complex: each flower holds hundreds of seeds and each seed holds countless genes. Within the simple North American sunflower lay the genetic material that allowed humans to develop the species into a worldwide crop. Here's a brief history of Helianthus annuus, from its roots as a wildflower to its current status as an important agricultural species.
My neighbors carouse. They prefer bottle rockets to books, booze to basil, moonshine to sunshine. That is sometimes a problem for this neighbor, who loves books, basil and quiet days in the sun. And, while I don’t mind the firewater, my dog definitely minds the fireworks. I'd love to put some distance between us & the drama that generally plays out over there.
Though it may seem like a simple concept, there are a few things about watering palms that one might not think of. The following article goes over some ways to water palms in the landscape.
The memory of my great grandmother's home sits hazy in my mind. The edges are fuzzy, but the scent of love and the beauty of providing will always be crystal clear.
Nosy Be is a quite small island, though its name in Malagasy means ‘the big island’. And indeed, even if it remains restricted in terms of surface, it is as big as the inhabitant's smiles and full of wonders hidden here and there. We’ll get there for a short visit.
Gardeners, have you ever returned from vacation to find your plants in a state of disaster? After a recent two week trip to Belize, I found a lot of work waiting for me in the garden...but it wasn't as bad as I initially thought, thanks to careful examination and diagnosis.
Grape hyacinths are a staple in the spring garden. Few other lesser spring bulbs have flowers in such an intense blue (possibly excepting Scilla). They combine beautifully with daffodils and tulips. Most are easy to grow, multiple quickly and have lovely fragrances. There are a surprising number of lesser known grape hyacinths to choose from, some quite bizarre. This article will introduce you to some of the divesrity that exists among grape hyacinths.
During cucumber season, my mandoline becomes my favorite kitchen gadget. With it, cucumbers practically slice themselves – thinly and evenly, piling up in delectable heaps to be used in every way imaginable. Whether you use a mandoline or a trusty knife, you’ll love freshly sliced cucumbers in everything from hors d’oeuvres to refrigerator pickles!
On Saturdays, the Writer's Group would like to say thanks by presenting a "You Supply The Caption" photo. A gardening related photo will be presented, and you the Readers will provide humorous captions. The wit available on Dave's is some of the best around, so please join in the fun! This feature is not a "for compensation" article - just our way of saying Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoy...now let's hear some funny stuff!
Three little girls watched with wide eyes. The knife chopped, chopped, chopped through the dark green rind. Rectangles of white watermelon rind capped with a tinge of pink remained. This part of the process was complete. However, some work and time remained before we could devour the wonderful Watermelon Rind Pickles. Mother knew the recipe by heart by now; these were a family favorite. It was great fun to surprise our friends and family with the pickles; it seemed no-one could believe the delicious specialty was made from the rind from watermelons. Don't waste another watermelon rind; read on for my family's "secret" recipe and for a few other mini watermelon rind recipes tossed in for good measure.
"Where are all my butterflies?" is the question repeated over and over on the Dave's Garden Hummingbird and Butterfly forum this summer. Theories are varied with no real answer, however there are clear steps to attracting butterflies to your garden.
I fondly remember an August tradition from my childhood, when much of the family would converge at my grandmother’s home in rural Iowa. For an entire week, my cousins and I helped Grandma preserve the daily haul of sweet corn until we had frozen enough corn for all of our families to enjoy throughout the coming year. If you have never frozen your own vegetables, this would be an excellent first project!
Are your hot pepper plants out of control? Do you see heaps of beautiful, bright colored chiles at the local farmers’ market and wish you could make something wonderful from them? Have you made all the salsa your freezer can hold, and you’re still looking at a mound of hot peppers waiting for you to do *something* with them? Homemade hot sauce is the answer! It’s fun and easy to make, and it’ll be a big hit at your next party!
A stroll through your garden will reveal flowers, fruits, stems, branches and leaves, but you'll have to do some digging to see the rest of your plant. Here I'll introduce you to the underground plant parts, including roots and a variety of underground storage organs that are used by plants and by us as food sources . . .
Too often I see Geraniums treated as annuals. Allowed to die in the fall and then mulched or thrown in the trash. This is not necessary, a few simple steps and your Geraniums can last for years.
Until this gardening year I killed ALL weeds, without mercy. It was a never-ending and tedious job. No matter what weed cloth I used, no matter how thick the mulch I applied, I still had weeds... and I am against using chemicals. In my mind, NO weed had any redeeming qualities. I was wrong.
What is the superhero of the fruit tree world? Why the humble Plum, able to thrive in places other fruits have long forgotten, live in famine or in deluge, and be able to produce at a very young age. This is one fruit tree you need in your garden. They are stunning in full bloom or fruit.
This is one of the funniest Aunt Bett stories I will ever tell you. If you have ever laughed out loud at a most inappropriate time, you will surely understand the quandary I found myself in. A church service is a serious event, but in this one instance.....well, I might as well just take you with me on this little trip back to my twelfth year.
Do you appreciate the rich patina of an antique? Is your house filled with relics form days gone by? Perhaps Granny's priceless heirlooms reside happily in your parlor. Antiques add character to the decor of a home. Did you know there are a variety of antique flowers? These antique flowers can be found in many gardens and in countless settings. Why not travel back in time by creating a garden abundant with antique flowers?
Once I get a new plant, I like to know what kind it is. This means that I want to know the genus and species of the plant, and perhaps what variety it is. Most gardeners may not realize that this simple desire is not so easily met, even amongst scientists who specialize in the accurate identification and ancestral lineage of plants. Read on to see why this is so . . .
Dasylirions are one of the most ornamental of the desert landscape plants commonly available in cultivation. This article serves as an introduction to these beautiful plants along with some cultivational information as well.
Every year, on the last weekend of July, I have the pleasure of visiting Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin for a memorial golf tournament with my boyfriend Jack. The weekend itself is a tribute to the spirit of Jack’s friend Vinny, who died much too young, and to the joie de vivre of his surviving sister, Ginny, who keeps a summer house on the lake.
Daylilies abound in gardens across America. Is it because they are so easy to grow and inexpensive, hardy, or pretty and dependable? Maybe its because daylilies (Hemerocallis) lend themselves so well to sharing. Even the most inexperienced of gardeners can successfully divide daylilies at any time during the growing season. Here's a pictorial tutorial about dividing and sharing daylilies.
As I recently travelled to France to meet relatives and friends and spent some time in the Minervois I thought it would appeal to some readers to discover this rather poorly known area of France.
Erythroniums are among the most graceful of the spring-flowering bulbs yet are not grown nearly as much as they should be. If you have a lightly shaded garden or rockery, then these bulbs are ideal. Turk's-cap like flowers, lovely mottled foliage...what's not to love about these plants? Read on to learn more about these under-utlized bulbs.
