Save treasured tropicals for next season’s garden. They’ll be bigger and better! Panache canna I used to save quite a few plants through the winter. I had dreams of plants that would be more grand and beautiful with each passing year. Well, overwintering isn’t always as easy as it looks. In some cases, there are pests to contend with. My Meyer lemon tree was constantly plagued by scale insects. Bulbs and tubers can be t…
I was 50 before I discovered dahlias. Part of it was about being a flower snob. Dahlias (like glads) were “out” for many years. But I’m sorry to say that it’s also about climate change. This variety is called Who Dun It. I was 50 before I discovered dahlias. Part of it was about being a flower snob. Dahlias (like glads) were “out” for many years. But I’m sorry to say that it’s also about c…
…nd what went into producing it. So how come I can’t have the right to know what’s in the food I buy in the store? That’s the goal of the Just Label It campaign, which last month submitted a record-breaking 1.1 million signatures to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in favor of labeling genetically engineered (GE) foods. And in polls by ABC, MSNBC, NPR, the Washington Post, Consumer Reports and others, consistently…
…here’s nothing like banana trees. They grow fast and tall. And because it’s fairly easy to bring them through the winter, you can get bigger and bigger plants each year. Just don’t expect any fruit—they need 18 months of warm weather for that. For me, the huge leaves are enough. When I first started with bananas, I grew them in containers. But now, I put most of them right in the ground and dig them up in the fall, right after h…
At this time of year, it’s easy to find yourself with a few new houseplants. They’re the outdoor plants that you can’t bear to toss out as winter weather arrives. Rubber grids help ensure high humidity yet keep pots from sitting in water. With bright light and cool temperatures, camellias will bloom indoors. At this time of year, it’s easy to find yourself with a few new houseplants. They…
…eek we had a couple nights in the mid-20s and it was definitely time to make the big transition into the basement. The list of those headed indoors had expanded to include six bamboos, one cordyline, 20 cannas, eight dahlias, 12 pots of tender succulents and a friend’s mandevilla. If we wanted to still be able to use the rowing machine (you never know when the physical fitness urge might hit!), it was clear that we needed to use our space more ef…
…en the earth-friendly ones. At first, I tried neem, a relatively harmless spray that does wonders on aphids and controls blackspot on roses. It worked to control the larvae the first year, but I had to spray frequently (every 10 to 15 days). The second year, I couldn’t keep the larvae under control. My lily crop was hit hard, and I got few blooms. Last year, I decided to resort to a systemic called imidacloprid. The results were instantaneo…
Soil and shade conditions that weaken turfgrasses are ideal for moss growth. Soil and shade conditions that weaken turfgrasses are ideal for moss growth. How to get rid of moss in the lawn is one of the frequently asked questions on our Ask An Expert question-and-answer service. In the same way that fever is a symptom and not the disease itself, moss is an indicator of underlying problems. Lawn grasses need moist, fertile, well-draine…
Like many who lost tomato plants to late blight last year, I’m wondering: How can I make sure it doesn’t happen again this year? Plant a diversity of tomato varieties to reduce the possibility of disease. Like many gardeners who lost their tomato crop to late blight last year, I’m wondering: How can I make sure it doesn’t happen again this year? Unfortunately, there’s no silver bullet. The most important thin…
…o freezing a large amount of corn at one time (500 ears!) but fun to see how it was done in most farm kitchens 50 years ago! This second guide is geared to more modest quantities of corn. I usually do two freezing sessions of 100 ears each. That’s about as much as I can take at one time. I should say as much as we can take. It’s a job I couldn’t do solo. The shucking, de-silking, cooking, chilling, cutting and bagging all have to happen within a…