If you can grow vegetables in less space, what about flowers? Our new cutting garden plans show you how it can be done. During the summer months, we like to keep a fresh bouquet of flowers in our reception area. I cut this bouquet from one of our two cutting gardens and just plunked it into a vase. No flower-arranging skills required! I planted the beds in early May, using the wooden planting grid from our Square Foot Garden Kit to mea…
…. Cline, former director of the Garden’s Kemper Center for Home Gardening, started the program in 1998. The botanical garden’s Pots to Planks program sells 6″ x 6″ timbers made from ground-up pots (No. 2 and No. 5 plastics). The rigid, heavy timbers are great for raised beds and strong enough to use for retaining walls. “They are fantastic,” Cline says. “It’s a lot of plastic in one product, but we&…
…gh the dozens and dozens of choices. The American Dahlia Society sorts dahlias into categories based on their flower form. The number, shape, and arrangement of the flower’s petals determine its form. The ADS recognizes 20 different flower forms, from the familiar cactus dahlia with spidery petals to the aptly named pompons. Some dahlias resemble peonies, some look like waterlilies, and others could be mistaken for daisies or coneflowers. F…
Cutting garden gets a low-maintenance makeover. Early June in my “sweepable” cutting garden. When possible, overlap the fabric to avoid any unnecessary cuts. Tuck the edges under, giving yourself a 5″ or 6″ hem, and anchor securely on ends and sides to prevent fraying. Headed for the dahlias, his life was cut short … It was about six or seven years ago that I began to realize I’d create…
Since we launched the Kitchen Garden Planner in 2009, we’ve been hearing how people use it. Beginners find it helpful when starting a garden for the first time. Meanwhile, avid gardeners use it to create complex designs and keep records. Recently, we heard that the Peterson Garden Project, a community garden in Chicago, is using our online tool. LaManda Joy, founder of the Peterson Garden Project. Photo by Jennifer Stix. Since we la…
…ompany Ernst Benary Samenzucht. Founded in 1843, this family-owned business has a long and interesting history. Their specialty is begonias, but over the years they’ve introduced hundreds of new perennials and more than 20 All-America Selection winners. Bred in Holland specifically for the cut-flower trade, Benary’s Giants have long, extra-sturdy stems and extremely long-lasting blooms (7 to 10 days in a vase). The plants are hefty —…
There’s nothing boring about canna lilies! If you read this blog on a regular basis, you may be aware of my fondness for canna lilies. This winter I am overwintering eight large trash bags filled with canna roots. Friends are starting to place their requests for planting-size chunks this spring! I wasn’t always a canna fan and I still don’t like the full-size flowers very much. My friend and fellow blogger David Grist got me st…
If you’re trying to improve the look of your garden, start at the edge. Not a bloom in sight, but the edges are looking nice. The back yard looks pretty grim at this time of year. The lawn looks terrible. Everything seems to be either gray or brown. Still, I love looking down at it all from the second-floor window. Why? The fresh-cut edges on all the beds are so crisp. Some might say that I’m a little bit obsessive about bed…
owdeswell’s Delphiniums in New Zealand. Terry Dowdeswell has bred a new and more vigorous strain of delphiniums, which he christened New Millennium. This new strain of plants first became available in the U.S. market in 2008, but only a few of the varieties are available — and at a dear price. New Millennium delphiniums growing in raised beds at Sue’s house. So my gardening friend Sue and I decided to grow our own. She’…
There are lots of good reasons to mulch your vegetable garden. Covering the soil with mulch conserves moisture, suppresses weed growth and helps control soil borne diseases. Here are some tips for choosing the best mulch for the job. Pro Weed Mat There are lots of good reasons to mulch your vegetable garden. Covering the soil with mulch conserves moisture, suppresses weed growth and helps control soil borne diseases. Here are some tips to…