Normally when one thinks of a floral shop, the thought of fresh flowers arranged or a dozen roses or maybe even a live plant comes to mind. But many have found that your typical flower shop has so much more to offer. Live floral arrangements can be . . .
There is always a perfect time to do certain jobs in the garden to ensure the best results for this year and the next. Of course cleaning up dead, decaying plants, leaves and stems from your gardening area helps to prevent the return of the same pests . . .
Planning/planting, when it comes to spring flowering bulbs they sort of go hand-in-hand. You must plant spring bulbs such as tulips, hyacinths and daffodils (and other bulbs as well) during the months of October and November in order to get that great . . .
This cold weather should have triggered your brain into thinking about your plants outside. Houseplants like Boston fern hanging baskets are especially touchy to the cold nighttime temperatures and should be brought inside immediately. The longer your . . .
October is here and that really marks the end of summer. There are many outdoor jobs that simply must be accomplished right now. Your yard needs the final Weed and Feed or just plain Lawn Fertilizer applied to rid your yard of pesky weeds that will . . .
One of the easiest-to-grow, blooming bulb plants is the South American Amaryllis. This bulb thrives on normal household temperatures of around 70 degrees and will bloom in only 6 to 8 weeks after it is planted. The botanical named Hippeastrum, or Amaryllis . . .
While researching for “facts” on the topic of Hardy Mums, I was caught by surprise to see that every article recommends planting these perennials in the spring. What’s so odd about this is that Hardy Mums are usually only available . . .
Most of the questions that are coming my way are about weeds growing in the yard and how to get rid of them. Pulling and digging is maybe alright for a small area but getting down to the root, literally is another matter.
Most broadleaf weeds multiply . . .
June/July are the times to get your pruning and dead-heading done as pruning in the fall is generally looked down upon.
Most evergreens such as junipers, euonymus and aborvitae are cutback during the month of June but now is still better than later. . . .
Garden mums, chyrsanthemums are easily fooled into thinking that every time the temperatures outside at night cool down just a little, it must be Fall, so they immediately want to set bud and flower. The problem is that just as fast as they set bud, . . .
Witches’ Broom disease, known as Rose Rosette when it is mainly on your roses, usually attack multiflora roses and shrub roses as opposed to your more ornamental roses. It is first detected by red pigmentation on the underside of the leaf in . . .
This is your final chance to prevent those nasty bacteria spores from splashing up onto the lower leaves of your tomatoes, roses, melons and squash plants, spores that cause spotting and ugly devastation to the lower foliage that then rises all the . . .
If you have seen “organic” looking bags hanging on your trees and shrubs, or even in your grass, they are most likely bagworm. During the fall season those bags are filled with hundreds of eggs that winter over and hatch in the spring, . . .
Everyone wants to know how to get the colorful green, yellow and red bell peppers. I truly believe that we have all heard the answer but choose to believe that there just might be an easier way. Sorry there is not…patience is how we get the different . . .
During the winter months we all look forward to temperatures that climb up to 25* to 35* degrees and consider that a warm spell. But now that spring has arrived, we are shivering even at 50*. This is why when it gets a little chilly we all think we . . .
Easter is one season that brings out a wide variety of beautiful blooming plants including tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, azaleas, hydrangeas, chrysanthemums and, of course, lilies. But what do you do with all of these plants after the blooms fade?
Most . . .
Every year (and this year is no exception) gardeners get anxious to start gardening just as soon as the weather breaks. Well this is not the year for that early start-up, at least not outside. It is however, time to get your tomato and pepper seeds . . .
Well, totally unlike last year’s spring season, this year’s spring gardening is off to a very slow start. In 2012 we experienced temperatures in the middle to high 80s in March, repeated again and again in April. This year frankly, it is . . .
After all of this terrible cold weather along with record amounts of snow, Fort Wayne is ready for a touch of spring. Colorful, fresh-cut flowers are going to be a very welcome sight and just in time for Valentine’s Day. Mixed flower arrangements . . .
If you were fortunate enough to receive a blooming holiday plant this year, you may be wondering just how to best care for it and how to keep it going on for next year. Poinsettias, Christmas cactus, amaryllis and Norfolk Island pine are among the . . .
During the late fall and early winter I get lots of calls about re-potting house plants that are not doing so well. The problem however is only going to get drastically worse if you do indeed re-pot your plant. Re-potting plants at the beginning of . . .
There are over 750 genera of orchids in the world so when choosing the one for your home, try my simple method. Just buy any that you see available at any store. Most stores (unless an orchid specialty shop) only offer the varieties that are easy to . . .
Here is something that’s fun, quick and easy to grow that can be done with your kids or grandkids that cannot fail. Watering is easy and these bulbs will bloom on time every time. White narcissus (N. tazetta), or paperwhites as they are commonly . . .
Now is the time to start planning your strategy for bringing your houseplants inside for the winter. Moving your plants inside early in September (before temperatures dip into the low 40s and even into the 30s) is what keeps the leaves from falling . . .
We have all been bombarded by the insect known as the Stink Bug. But did you know that the Stink Bug has only been here in the USA since 1998? It was accidentally shipped into the United States from Asia and first showed up in Pennsylvania. This bug . . .
During the fall months your Christmas cactus will set its buds for flowering around Thanksgiving (sometimes sooner) and this is the crucial time for getting blooms and keeping them from falling off just after you see them form. There are three reasons . . .
Bringing poinsettias back into bloom for Christmas is all about the timing. Poinsettias are “day-length” sensitive, which defined means that they must have short days and long nights (just the opposite of African Violets). The reason that . . .