by Ann Whitman
The quest for native plants and more natural landscapes is leading many gardeners to rediscover an often-overlooked jewel -- moss. In favorable conditions, moss forms velvety emerald cushions and richly textured carpets and tapestries that grow ... [... more]
National Gardening Association |
Getting Gardens Ready for Winter
With the first blasts of arctic air from Canada comes the cold, hard truth that winter is right around the corner. While gardeners in warmer climes (USDA zones 8 to 10) relish the cool air because it signals fall planting time, most gardeners ... [... more]
National Gardening Association |
When to Plant Vegetables
By keeping one eye on the signals nature is sending, you can plant your vegetable garden according to nature's calendar. If you live in the North were crocus are common, you can time your seed sowing to their their bloom: When you see the ... [... more]
National Gardening Association |
Worms vs. Deep Tilling
Gardeners know that earthworms in the garden are a sign of healthy soil. These earthy allies loosen the soil, create fertile soil clods or aggregates, provide pathways for plant roots, redistribute organic matter, and drain and aerate the soil. ... [... more]
National Gardening Association |
Best Clematis for the North
Nothing is more stunning, in my view, than a trellis loaded with bright, colorful clematis flowers. This popular climbing perennial often has the reputation of being difficult to grow. Success is at least partly due to choosing the right variety. ... [... more]
National Gardening Association |
A Sprinkler for Any Lawn
Most portable sprinklers work well if your lawn or garden is round or rectangular, but what about curved beds and oddly shaped lawns? If you're tired of watering the sidewalk and driveway instead of the lawn, there is a new sprinkler that adjusts ... [... more]
National Gardening Association |
All About Cloches
Gardeners are always trying to extend boundaries by squeezing in just one more tomato plant, or planting a shrub that should grow in a warmer climate zone. And we'd all like to find a way to stave off Jack Frost for a while before he ends our ... [... more]
National Gardening Association |
Aspirin For Your Garden
The next time you have a headache and reach for the bottle of aspirin, consider sharing some with your garden plants. Tests last year at the Organic Vegetable Garden at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston showed that spraying a water ... [... more]
National Gardening Association |
Award Winning Daylilies
Plants that combine beauty with edibility are in vogue, and a new selection in the mint family fits this bill. Agastache 'Blue Fortune' has anise-scented leaves (hence its common name of anise hyssop) and purplish blue flower spikes that are ... [... more]
National Gardening Association |
Best Winter Annuals
For gardeners in the South, fall is the time to switch gears. While northern gardeners are pulling out plants in preparation for freezing temperatures, southern gardeners can plant pansies, violas, and other hardy annuals to provide color from ... [... more]
National Gardening Association |
A Roundup of Unusual Rakes
Although a general-purpose wire or bamboo rake is fine for raking leaves and grass and cleaning up around shrubs and perennials, some unusual new rakes are designed for specific gardeners and specific fall gardening chores. After National ... [... more]
National Gardening Association |
Add Beneficial Fungi When Planting
Many gardeners, especially those in warm areas, are still planting bulbs, trees, and shrubs, and adding soil amendments such as compost and fertilizer when planting. But the most critical additive may be fungi. Mycorrhizae are fungi that colonize ... [... more]
National Gardening Association |
