When Mother Nature Does the Pruning
Mother Nature doesn’t put up with weakness. She ruthlessly roots out unfit animals and plants. In the winter, she sendsContinue Reading
Latest Posts
New Book About Community Gardening
I was involved in community gardening for many years. At first, only as a lot holder, then I joined theContinue Reading
To Stand Tall, Grasses Need Sun and Wind
Ornamental grasses like maiden grass (Miscanthus spp.), feather reed grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora), fountain grass (Pennisetum spp.) and switchgrass (PanicumContinue Reading
Don’t Kill House Spiders: Move Them to Your Houseplants!*
When you find a spider in your house, don’t kill it! Instead, put it on one of your houseplants. ThatContinue Reading
When a Houseplant Gets Frosted
Normally, you shouldn’t expose houseplants to frost. The vast majority are tropical plants, incapable of supporting even light freezes. AndContinue Reading
Botany 101: Flowers
We probably all learned some basic botany back in school … and have almost certainly forgotten some of it. InContinue Reading
How to Recognize Fake Cactus Flowers
Every year, many houseplant enthusiasts, especially beginners, are taken in by a long-standing horticultural rip-off: cacti bearing fake flowers. ThisContinue Reading
Newspaper Test for Houseplant Lighting
Although most of us have heard that human beings aren’t so great at seeing in the dark, we’re actually notContinue Reading
Should You Really Water Orchids With Ice Cubes?
In garden centers and box stores, you’ll often see orchids with a label suggesting to water them with ice cubes. JustContinue Reading
Tree Stakes Should Always Be Temporary!
Many gardeners like to stake trees when planting them to ensure that the trunk remains upright. That’s fine, but … the stake has toContinue Reading