Pine, spruce, and cedar boughs start to appear in garden centers and grocery stores in November. I love to browse, even though I usually “shop” for most of the materials in my garden. But I will pick up some different types of foliage, like holly or magnolia leaves to fill in the spaces. I like to switch things up a little bit each year. But what I consistently will do is apply the same thrillers, fillers, and spillers concept that I use to plant my spring, summer, and fall containers.
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How to protect your hydrangea for the winter
I hosted a radio program on KDKA Radio in Pittsburgh for fifteen years, and the most common question my co-host and I were asked on-air is “Why doesn’t my hydrangea bloom?” Upon further inquiry, we would often come to learn the caller was asking about a big-leaf hydrangea, Hydrangea macrophylla. While these old-fashioned hydrangeas bear gorgeous balls of pink or blue flowers, they’re notorious for their unreliably here in the northern U.S. Some years they bloom beautifully, while other years there’s not a single bud in sight. If you’re a USDA zone 5 or 6 gardener who has faced this experience yourself, here are a few tips you can use right now to get better blooms from your hydrangea.
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Three quick steps to winter carrots
Carrots are the most popular crop in our winter garden with the cold temperatures turning the roots into sugar-filled ‘candy carrots’. Our winter carrots are planted in mid-summer in both garden beds and cold frames, and although ‘Napoli’ and ‘Yaya’ yield the sweetest orange carrots, the kids also like to seed a rainbow of colours including red, yellow, white, and purple.
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Prevent squash vine borers organically
If you grow zucchini and squash, you’ve probably lost many plants over the years to squash vine borers. Well, at long last, here comes the calvary! I’d like to share the technique I’ve used to prevent squash vine borers organically in my own garden for years. It’s worked like a charm to keep these pesky, stem-hollowing insects from ruining my zucchini crop. Give it a try and report back with your results.
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Vegetables that taste better after a frost: Niki’s handy cheat sheet!
Psst.. did you know that there are certain vegetables that taste better AFTER a frost? It’s true! In cold conditions many starchy vegetables like parsnips, celeriac, and carrots, turn the starches in their cells into a botanical ‘anti-freeze’ to avoid cold damage. That anti-freeze is sucrose, also known as sugar!
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Feeding your garden soil: 12 creative ways to use fall leaves
I could waste your time and wax poetic about the joys of autumn in the garden. I could talk about the lovely colors, the cooler temperatures, and the fall harvest. I could tell you how thankful I am for such a successful gardening season. I could go on and on about what a beautiful time of year it is. But I’m not going to, because – let’s talk frankly here – fall can be a gigantic pain in the butt. Especially when it comes to finding a use for all the leaves you’re raking. But, by using the following inspiring ideas, those leaves can be put to work feeding your garden soil in some pretty creative ways.
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