When you go on vacation, your plants will suffer unless you make arrangements for plant care while you are away from home. In our previous post, we discussed vacation care for outdoor garden plants; but you’ll also need to make vacation arrangements to protect container plantings, hanging baskets and indoor plants. Container-grown plants are far more exposed to the dangerous drying effects of heat and evaporation than garden plants. Constantly bombarded by summer heat on all sides, the soil in containers and hanging baskets dries out quickly. Even in only mildly hot weather, container-grown plants rely on daily watering for the moisture they need to grow and thrive.  ...read more

Summer vacations are wonderful for gardeners but not so wonderful for their gardens. While you’re spending a delightful week or two at the beach or in the mountains, your garden is on its own and at the mercy of the elements. If the weather is mild and rainfall is consistent while you’re away, your garden should manage just fine without daily ministrations. You’ll have a few more weeds to pull and some deadheading to catch up on, but well-established plants can tolerate a week or two of mild neglect. However, with the dog days of summer nearly upon us, the weather while you’re away is likely to be broiling hot and desert dry. To protect the investment you’ve made in your garden – not to mention the sweat equity you’ve poured into your little piece of heaven -- you’ll want to add a few garden care chores to your vacation to-do list to ensure that when you return from your travels your garden will be just as beautiful as it was when you left.  ...read more

Hostas and Hardy Ferns are the usual stars of shady garden areas. Their lush, green, leafy growth provides dependable filler in garden areas that receive little to no sunshine. However, over-use of these two shade garden stalwarts has diminished their star power. When we see a bed of hostas spreading under a shady maple, we’re more apt to think “ho-hum” than “wow.” There’s no reason not to use hostas and ferns in shade plantings, but perhaps it’s time to relegate them to the background chorus and introduce some new stars to shade gardens.  ...read more

Most gardeners find shady areas a challenge to plant. Hostas, also known as Plantian Lilies, are a popular choice for shady garden spots. The green hues and variegated patterns of this leafy plant make an attractive filler under mature shade trees and along shadowy garden paths. Hardy ferns are another group of shade-loving plants that usually spring to mind when gardeners shop for plants that require minimal sunlight. But when planting a shade garden, gardeners need not limit themselves to these two popular standbys. There are quite a few shade-tolerant plants available at local garden centers that can bring a delightful variety of color and texture to shade plantings.  ...read more

An encounter with poison ivy while gardening can lead to weeks of itchy misery. (See our previous post on how to identify poison ivy.) All parts of the poison ivy plant -- leaves, stem, roots and berries -- are poisonous to humans. Allergic reaction is caused by urushiol, a caustic chemical in the plant’s sap. Gardeners rarely react to their first poison ivy exposure. However, even the slightest contact with urushiol stimulates the production of antibodies that provoke an allergic reaction during subsequent exposures. ...read more

An enjoyable day of gardening can turn nasty if you encounter poison ivy while weeding between the Gerbera Daisies (Gerbera) and Petunias or behind the Hydrangeas. Poison ivy’s blistering rash may not erupt until the next day, but by then the damage is done and you’ll be in for a miserable week or two of intense itching. The best way to avoid the misery that poison ivy brings is to know what this poisonous plant looks like and how to safely remove it from your garden. ...read more

Summer’s barely begun, but garden centers are already marking down popular annuals. If you’re a vegetable gardener, this is the perfect time to stock up on Marigolds (Tagetes). These colorful, low-growing annuals with the tightly-ruffled pom-pom heads are the super hero of vegetable gardens.  ...read more

A beautiful vining plant that produces large, colorful flowers from late spring through fall, Clematis is a garden favorite (see our previous post). With proper pruning this old-fashioned perennial will produce years of thick, lush foliage and abundant blooms. But there’s the rub. After a few years of improper or negligent pruning, clematis vines can become top heavy, the greenery and blossoms bushing out above unattractively barren stems. Unfortunately, pruning clematis is not a simple matter. This flowering vine is divided into 3 pruning groups based on peak blooming period and whether flowers are set on old or new growth.  ...read more