They say that “April showers bring May flowers,” and this year, I’m sure I’m not the only one clinging to that promise! With the last nine months bringing a 100-degree spread in temperatures, endless rain, and for many, flooded yards and gardens, I think we’re all ready for a good stretch of nice weather. With the effects of severe weather in the last year becoming obvious around your yard, now [...]
I’m not the athletic sort, so forgive me for mixing metaphors when I say that we gardeners have to learn to roll with the punches when life throws us curveballs. Whatever word picture you prefer, the heat and sun we experienced late last month was a curveball we’ll talk about for a long time. As you clean up damaged plants and try to help your garden recover, here are some [...]
In gardening, timing is everything. Whether getting your vegetable seeds or starts in the ground at the proper time, feeding your lawn and garden when needed, and spraying or treating for insects before an infestation ruins your fruit or flowers—the success of your endeavors hinges largely on doing things at the right time. As you wrap up planting your vegetable garden for summer and begin to focus on maintaining your [...]
Rudyard Kipling once wrote, “Gardens are not made by singing ‘Oh, how beautiful,’ and sitting in the shade.” To be fair, this hobby we call gardening can be downright hard work sometimes, but what joy to see a garden flourish and know that you played some small part in refining its beauty. With spring officially here, it's time to enjoy working the soil once again. As you start gardening [...]
As a lawn and garden enthusiast, I find spring particularly invigorating—new life is bursting forth throughout the garden, shrubs and trees are in bloom and the lawn is waking up from a winter’s sleep. As you start to tend the yard and work up your flower beds again this spring, here are some tips to keep things looking their best as well as a few of my favorite new plants [...]
Spring is a time of renewal in the yard and garden, and that’s never been truer than this year. Whether you’re looking for a shrub to replace one damaged or killed this winter, want to plant something new and exciting to lift your spirits, or need help continuing to repair your lawn, here are some of my top suggestions for this month. Each spring brings about the introductions of [...]
