Monthly Archives: December 2008

Big Tree, Big Hole

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A 35-foot linden provides instant impact, even when planted in December. Special delivery: A linden tree, weighing 15,000 pounds, 35 feet tall. It's hard to sell trees in the fall. Just ask a landscaper or anyone who works at a garden center. Customers seem to think fall planting is risky. After all, winter is coming. And planting in December? In Vermont? That seems even more foolish. But it's not. To wit: Our Vermont garden center arranged delivery of a 15,000 lb., 35-foot linden, which Read more [...]

Aromatherapy for Gardeners

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Let the scents of summer take you back to the garden. The rose harvest in a warehouse in Turkey. This time of year is always difficult for gardeners. The days grow short, the garden is covered with snow and winter settles in. It's too early to start seeds—the catalogs have only just begun arriving. What's more, it seems like you just finish lunch, and the sun starts going down. Flowering houseplants and pots of forced bulbs are sure to lift the spirits, but there's another way to get relief: Read more [...]

Live Christmas Trees

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Having a live tree requires extra effort, but the result can be rewarding. A live tree makes a lovely indoor display, but it requires a little extra effort. So, you want to have a live tree in your house for the holiday. It's a lovely idea, but you need to commit to ensuring the tree's survival after the tinsel is gone. A live tree cannot remain in the house for longer than a few days — any longer and the tree will break dormancy and is unlikely to survive. If you want an indoor tree that Read more [...]

Tiny Terrariums

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Desktop gardens make delightful gifts for office-mates. Desktop gardens make delightful gifts for office-mates. Combining my passion for plants with a desire to craft some of my holiday gifts inspired me to make a set of “horticultural cocktails” for my work mates this year. For the containers, I paid a visit to ReCycle North, our local reuse and thrift store that’s filled with inexpensive household goods in need of new homes. A half-dozen martini and wine glasses and a couple of brandy Read more [...]

Better Batteries

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Rechargeable batteries are better for the planet — and less expensive in the long run. Americans throw away 3 billion batteries a year. My parents and grandparents lived by the adage, “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.” Our generation’s version lacks the frugal connotation, but we reduce, reuse and recycle in their footsteps. The recycling-to-trash ratio in my household is about 3:1 because we consider the environmental costs as well as the dollar price when we shop. Read more [...]

Product Reviews Tell All

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Customers share opinions in online reviews—more than 18,000 online now! Reviews are featured with each offer, right below the picture of the product. I agree that the best gardening advice comes "across the fence" from neighbors and fellow gardeners. If you want to grow potatoes in your back yard, who knows better than the guy next door who harvests them by the bushel every year? The same can be said for gardening stuff, whether it's plants, tools or other products. I've always valued the Read more [...]

Suet is for the Birds

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Some birds, especially those that mainly eat insects, simply aren’t interested in seeds. Mockingbirds prefer suet to seeds. To entice the widest variety of birds to your feeding station, you’ve got to offer more than seeds. Some birds, especially those that mainly eat insects, simply aren’t interested in seeds. Discerning mockingbirds, bluebirds, and wrens will flock to suet, however. Attract insect-eating woodpeckers with suet feeders. Birds that cling to tree Read more [...]