GardenSpotlight

Now that you have a great new area to plant in after the last “double digging” article, what are you going to plant?  Last year, we saw a huge increase in vegetable transplant sales thanks to all the national food scares (more about that another time) and the cost of fuel rising so high that it affected just about everything. Vegetable gardening is very rewarding and is a wonderful activity to do with your kids too, instilling a sense of pride and self-worth after a realized accomplishment of a job well done and freshly picked vegetables to eat. It may even get your kids to eat more veggies since they helped to grow them. If you’d like to start early, try planting lettuces, spinach, peas, beets, carrots, rappini, radishes, onions, leeks, radicchio, braising greens, romanesco, kale, cabbage, cauliflower or broccoli. Those items can take lower temperatures and actually grow better in the cooler weather. Keep an eye on the lettuces and spinach, harvesting them while young so t...

Now that the soil is warming up, it’s time to start prepping your gardens for the new planting season. If you have established perennial gardens, then not too much will be needed other than cleaning out the debris between the established plants. Now is also a good time to either pull or cultivate out the weeds that are beginning to grow. You may also choose to feed the perennials as you water with a liquid fertilizer, or spread a granular fertilizer on top of the soil between the plants at the recommended rate on the label and then water in well. If you are developing a new area for your garden, you should evaluate the type of soil you have and determine if it needs additional drainage. Creating a new planting bed will require some effort on your part, but you will be rewarded handsomely by the fruits of your labor. (Pun intended) A good weekend project, you will need a wheelbarrow, spading fork, square-edged shovel and some good muscle rub cream or access to a hot tub for afterwa...

We plant and grow many different mixed containers in our greenhouse. Many times I just create as I go, placing whatever suits my mood at the time. We sell a lot of ready-made containers, but we also have a lot of gardeners coming in to purchase plants for containers they wish to design themselves. I am asked all the time which plants work well together, how should the containers be planted or what do I think looks good together? I want to start out by saying this is YOUR chance to be creative and get your juices flowing. I certainly don’t mind telling customers what I think looks good, but it’s their container garden and I want to know what they might like. It is easy to be overwhelmed when you visit your local garden center or greenhouse, so it helps to have some idea of what size planter you need, what colors you need and whether you are placing the container in a sunny location or shade. Take a look at your home or wherever you are placing your container gardens. In front of a la...

In my last post, I mentioned that Argyranthemum would be a good early spring choice for cooler area gardens, but after discussing it with my husband, we decided maybe not so I struck it from the post and added a few other plants he suggested.  The list that is now there should give you a wider range of plants to chose from and also be more hardy to the colder weather.  I hope that clarifies any confusion.  Thanks for reading! :-)

It's no doubt all this warmer weather has got us gardeners itching to get out and play in the dirt!  At the farm, we start in January sowing seeds for spring crops in the greenhouse, but the color starts around Easter time with the bulb crops.  Easter brings visions of Spring...a new beginning for us all.  Lilies are bursting with blooms in the stores and Tulips spring to life even though it is still a bit chilly outside.  Bulb crops are cold tolerant for the most part, but if you are thinking of planting those Lilies or other Easter plants outside in hopes of them growing back next year, think again as most of the varieties sold at Easter are not hardy in our area.  Bulb crops are very short lived as far as flowering is concerned as they quickly go into a phase known as senescense, where the leaves and stems yellow, or biologically age.  The longer they are kept at cooler temperatures, the longer they will last.  It i...

I know this may seem an odd time to talk about a plant that is traditionally a Holiday item, but many people still have Poinsettias in their homes after Christmas is over.  I thought I'd mention a bit about them, and a few tips on keeping them growing until the following season.  Poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima) are native to Mexico and can grow from 2 - 16 feet in height, although here in the Northeast, we typically see the shorter ones.  In places such as Florida, they can be grown as shrubs due to the warmer, year round weather.  I imagine they lost many of them this winter though with the frost, as Poinsettias cannot tolerate temperatures below 50 degrees. The plant bears dark green leaves and brightly colored bracts, which many think are flower petals.  Actually, the bracts are colored leaves.  The leaves change color due to photoperiodism which means that the plant requires 12 hours of continued darkness...

It's almost March 1st!  Feels like we just were celebrating the Holiday Season, doesn't it?  Well, I have to apologize for not writing much....it has been a very crazy past year.  My niece was married last summer, my dad had surgery in the fall (he's fine), and trying to keep up with our daughter's activities has been insane.  Insane but well worth it!  She sings quite well and takes voice lessons.  She would someday like to be a professional singer and wants to attend the Julliard School of Music. She participates every summer in the local theater and now this year, she joined the acting troupe at school.  And here's the kicker....she joined the boys wrestling team at school and won her first match a few weeks ago...against a boy!  It took her two solid weeks of her begging me to let her join; I was a nervous wreck!  When she won her first match, I jumped up and down and screamed so loud that I think I not only embarrassed her, but everyo...