When I moved into my first home, I inherited a lovely perennial garden from the former owner. The one corner of the backyard garden included a couple of rose bushes that had obviously been around for some time—one of them had enormous, thick canes with massive spikes. They terrified me. I promptly added rose gloves to my birthday list. Besides being a challenge to prune, my old rose also suffered after bad winters and had several pest issues, like black spot. Overall, I found it a finicky, hostile plant to care for and I told myself I’d never purposely add a rose bush to my garden. That was until a few varieties of hardy roses suddenly crossed my radar.
A Handy Guide to Harvesting Vegetables
Growing your own vegetables is a great way to provide your family with homegrown, organic food, but it’s not always easy to tell when crops are ready to harvest. Harvesting at the right time can have a big impact on crop yield and quality, and in order to help you get the most from your garden, we wanted to share our best tips on harvesting vegetables.
Summer succession planting basics: What to plant in July and August
Savvy vegetable gardeners know that summer succession planting is the key to a non-stop harvest. This technique can be used in large vegetable gardens, small plots, and even on decks and patios where food is grown in containers. The premise is simple. As soon as one crop is finished, clean out old crops from the bed (or container), amend the soil, and plant fresh seeds or seedlings.
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Ideas and inspiration from the RHS Chelsea Flower Show: A first-timer’s diary
Back in May, I crossed the pond, as they say, and spent my first full day in London at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. This yearly gardening extravaganza was on my must-do list for a long time. I actually had to write an article about it for a magazine I worked at around 2009 based on someone else’s trip and photos. This year it was my turn and I came home brimming with ideas and inspiration.
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The 7 best herbs for container gardening
There are many benefits to growing herbs in containers. For me, it’s all about access. I love having fresh herbs growing in pots just outside my kitchen door. That way, when I’m in the middle of making dinner and realize I forgot to harvest a handful of basil or parsley, it’s only a few steps away. As well, different herbs have different moisture needs and growing them in pots is an easy way to control soil moisture. Of course, growing herbs in containers will also keep aggressive spreaders, like mint and lemon balm, under control and away from garden beds. Here are seven of the best herbs for container gardening.
Plant Diseases in the Garden: How to Prevent and Control Them
Even the healthiest gardens sometimes fall victim to plant diseases. While giving your plants plenty of room to grow and caring for them properly can help cut down on disease prevalence, there are times when a gardener will need to step in with a product control. To help prevent and manage plant diseases in the garden, we’ve compiled a list of the best products for the job.
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