Monthly Archives: February 2008

Bougainvilleas require lots of light when they're grown indoors. Mine are happy in the southeast corner of my dining room. This photo was taken during February—it was 20 degrees and snowing outside.

Growing Bougainvillea Indoors

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I used to have dozens of houseplants, but over the years I've cut way back. Today, there are only three plants in the sunny, southeast corner of my dining room and all three are bougainvilleas. They are orchid-pink ‘Texas Dawn’, the deeper pink ‘Barbara Karst’ and sunny yellow ‘California Gold’. These plants started out in little 2” pots that I got from one of my favorite wintertime escapes: Logee’s Greenhouse in Danielson, Ct.,(due west of Providence, R.I., just over the Connecticut Read more [...]
Autumn owes its bright colors to red, gold, and apricot maple leaves.

Maple Trees for Small Spaces

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The big old maple tree in my yard finally came down last summer after years of dropping twigs and branches. I loved its dappled shade and fiery autumn foliage, but not its huge size. I’m planning to replace it this year with a smaller maple variety that has good fall color and a finer texture. There are two new maples being introduced for 2008 that are both contenders for the empty spot in my side yard. The foliage and shape of the native Big Tooth or Rocky Mountain Maple resemble those of its Read more [...]

Delphinium Envy

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'New Millennium' Delphiniums are available from a handful of U.S. nurseries this spring. The photo above comes from Graceful Gardens, which is offering several different cultivars. I wish marigolds did it for me. Why is it that we always crave the flowers that are most difficult for us to grow? In my garden the soil is heavy and shallow. Winters are cold (zone 4) and snow cover is pretty undependable. Summers can be warm and humid. The prevailing southerly winds are strong, and they funnel right Read more [...]

Think Before You Eat

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Michael PollanEat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. When I read those words last year, written by Michael Pollan, all of my questions about what to eat were answered. Simple, clear and direct. As we struggle to eat right—whether it's for personal health or global sustainability—we are presented with many labels: low-fat, organic, vegan, sustainable, local, whole-grain, grass-fed and more. Many choices-perhaps too many. And what do these terms really mean? A free-range chicken from California Read more [...]
Arugula for salad

Awesome Arugula

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Once you've cultivated a taste for arugula, you'll probably want to eat it as often as possible, dressed very simply as the Italians do. Arugula (Eruca sativa) is a non-heading, peppery green, also known as rocket or roquette. Popular in Italian cuisine, it's been cultivated since Greek and Roman times. Usually eaten raw in salads, it can also be made into pesto, sprinkled on a just-cooked pizza or be tossed into hot pasta. The smell of arugula leaves can be a bit "skunky" (my kids feel the Read more [...]

New Plants Inspire Perfect Pairings

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Rex Begonias paired with silvery Dichondra and Sedum light up a partly shaded garden.Choosing plants and planning color combinations for my collection of garden pottery is a satisfying way to spend a snowy winter afternoon. Every spring, I fill these mini gardens with foliage and flowering annuals to decorate my deck, add fragrance to the sitting area in the perennial garden, and flank the path through the orchard. Amalfi PlantersThis year I’m considering a red-hot color scheme for the cobalt Read more [...]

Wild Bees to the Rescue

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A bee at work in an apple orchard. As gardeners, we are more aware than most, of the role bees play in pollinating flowers, fruits and vegetables. In the U.S., 30 percent of the food we eat requires bee pollination. European honeybees (Apis mellifera) in particular, do about 80 percent of that work. Bee colonies are transported in hives so the bees can pollinate a cherry orchard.European honeybees have been working in the U.S. for several hundred years. Unlike wild bees, which tend to be solitary Read more [...]

Of Peat Pots, Yogurt Cups and Accelerated Propagation Systems

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When starting plants from seed, it's a good idea to experiment with different sorts of pots and trays. I like the fact that gardening is a leisure-time activity that doesn’t require buying a lot of stuff. Of course my basement, barn and garden shed tell quite a different story, but most of it isn’t anything I really NEED to be a successful gardener. That said, I've found there are a few gardening activities in which gear does make a difference. One of those is seedstarting. It’s true Read more [...]

Dahlias for the Cutting Garden

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Gallery Sisley is compact, making it ideal for containers. Photo by Dalbert G. of Berlin Heights, Ohio. See the original image in the Dutch Gardens Photo Center.February is here and if you haven't done so already, now's the time to order your dahlias. Since the selection of dahlia bulbs and plants is usually limited at local garden centers, I always order my dahlias by mail. This gives me access to the full range of colors, forms and sizes. Dahlias have become a staple in my cutting garden. They Read more [...]

Cochineal: A Pest Redeemed

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Opuntia cactus covered with white scale insects.I hate scale. This persistent insect pest eventually caused the untimely death of my prized Meyer lemon tree. During the annual winter infestations, I would try to keep the insect in check with periodic applications of Neem oil, but after several years of battle, I grew weary of fighting and let the tree die. Scale isn't all bad, though. On a recent trip to Mexico I discovered that there's a type of scale (different from the one that plagued my Read more [...]