Garden | Journal Gazette

Maintenance essential for drip irrigation

MAUREEN GILMER — Sun, 19 May 2013 03:00:00 EST

Murphy's law prevails, so don't assume last year's drip system is ready for your spring garden. Devoting just an hour to checking its components before you plant can ensure this year's crop is better than ever.

Seasons change: Going from spring fever to spring frenzy

CHRISTINE ARPE GANG — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 03:00:00 EST

the malaise characterized by a painful longing for milder weather, leafy plants and flowers - is gone, thanks to the seasonal sensory pleasures we are now seeing, feeling, smelling and even tasting.

Create garden that heightens senses

KIM COOK — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 03:00:00 EST

The silky petals of a fragrant pink shrub rose; the crunchy texture of a gravel path; a nook where grass rustles and a stream runs. What we smell, see, hear, touch and taste can make a garden walk a wonderful sensory experience.

Wait a bit for tomatoes

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 03:00:00 EST

Sow tomato seeds for transplanting in early to mid-May. When seedlings reach three to four inches, transfer them to larger pots for proper root development - a six-inch pot can take four seedlings. The larger pots can be placed in a cold frame that vents on warm days.

Right vine gives life to your arbor

Adrian Higgins — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 03:00:00 EST

If you build an arbor, fence or trellis, a vine or climber will give it life, soften the structure and enhance the sense of space.

Secondhand goods find new life in garden

Adrian Higgins — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 03:00:00 EST

Ruthie Mundell opens a door within the warehouse of the nonprofit thrift store known as Community Forklift and eagerly displays the donations of countless gardeners.

Follow 4 key steps to create a weedless garden

LEE REICH — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 03:00:00 EST

For a time many years back, I would become nervous every time I went out to my garden to weed. The weeds were so few that I feared something was wrong with the soil.

Preserve fresh herbs

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 03:00:00 EST

Freezing herbs such as basil can provide fresh flavor for months. When I was talking with a friend recently about what to plant in our herb garden, she said, "Everyone I know who plants basil has more than they can use."

Capillary system good for seeds

LEE REICH — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 03:00:00 EST

Ready. Set. Go. Growing seedlings indoors seems almost like a race. Of course, it has a staggered start, with onions already growing strongly and tomatoes not yet sown.

Shaking up the Dumbarton gardens

Adrian Higgins — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 03:00:00 EST

Ten thousand lead-crystal pendants dance beneath a cloud of scrunched-up chicken wire. Suspended on nine poles above a fancy patio, the art installation "Cloud Terrace" captures the stark, cold winter light and throws it back in flashes of color, intense bursts of orange, scarlet, indigo.

Teen spends his time nurturing plants, people

PENNY CARNATHAN — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 03:00:00 EST

George Lewis knew next to nothing about autism when he met the little boy who would plant the seed for his Eagle Scout project.

Tune up mower as spring arrives

Rosa Salter Rodriguez — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 03:00:00 EST

With all but the most glacier-like parking-lot snow packs melted and Easter around the corner, can lawn-mowing season be far behind? Of course not, and that means it's time to get the mower a spring tuneup.

Happy hours in the garden

DEAN FOSDICK — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 03:00:00 EST

Gardening can be an intoxicating hobby, especially if the botany is booze-related. Consider the possibilities: grapes fermented into wine, corn distilled into bourbon, hops used to flavor beer and fruit to sweeten liqueurs.

Sprouting garden

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 03:00:00 EST

Seeds grow happily under basic four-foot shop lights, but make sure the lamps can be lowered and raised to keep the bulbs four to six inches above the seedlings as they grow.

Late winter is ideal time to begin pruning

Adrian Higgins — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 03:00:00 EST

If you are itching to get into the garden on a mild winter's day, you might want to grab a good pair of hand pruners and some sharp loppers and go in search of a shrub to prune.

A tightwad's tips for equipping a garden

JOE LAMP'L — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 03:00:00 EST

Until recently, I've never really considered how much of what you need to start and maintain a garden can be acquired for free or nearly free.

Wait to cut back

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 03:00:00 EST

Pruning or cutting back spring flowering shrubs will remove all or much of this year's flower display.

Some seeds need coaxing to sprout

LEE REICH — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 03:00:00 EST

You wouldn't think that the dead of winter would be a good time to sow seeds. But it is, for plants whose seeds need some kind of long-term treatment before they will sprout.

Some veggies taste best young

DEAN FOSDICK — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 03:00:00 EST

Vegetable gardening is an exercise in patience. Sweet potatoes can take more than 100 days to ripen; some tomato and watermelon varieties require five months. But there are ways to shorten the wait.

Think you've got a big tree? Check the registry

LEE REICH — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 03:00:00 EST

A few months ago I happened upon an enormous cucumbertree magnolia. "Must be the biggest cucumbertree magnolia anywhere," I thought.

Sow plants and reap fitness

DEAN FOSDICK — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 03:00:00 EST

Gardens can be great training grounds for fitness buffs. Add trails for jogging. Build benches for workouts. Use trees and fence posts for stretching. Lose calories by squatting or lifting while weeding, planting, hauling and digging.

Grafted seeds gain popularity

DEAN FOSDICK — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 03:00:00 EST

In many of the seed catalogs arriving soon in mailboxes, the headliners will be grafted vegetables, in which one or more different varieties grow from a single rootstock. Tomatoes seem to be the grafted transplants most frequently offered, providing greater disease tolerance, bigger harvests, increased vigor and better taste.

Caring for poinsettias

Mon, 24 Dec 2012 03:00:00 EST

With its bright red, star-shaped blooms, the poinsettia is one of the most popular Christmas decorations. But it doesn't have to be. According to Flower Delivery Express CEO Wesley Berry, "they can be grown on to flower again next year if you know how."

Plant garlic now

Mon, 29 Oct 2012 03:00:00 EST

Plant garlic cloves and shallot bulbs this month and next for harvest in July. Garlic cloves should be planted with the tip about an inch below soil level and spaced four to six inches apart. Shallot bulbs, planted with the tip emerging from the soil, should be spaced six inches apart.

Cutting gardens yield beauty inside, out

DEAN FOSDICK — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 03:00:00 EST

Cut-flower gardens are attractive options for those who don't like removing the best blooms from their borders and beds for indoor display.

Oldest botanical garden a treasure trove of rarities

LEE REICH — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 03:00:00 EST

He was America's first botanist, and his garden is still one of the best. John Bartram was called "the greatest natural botanist in the world" by no less than Carl Linnaeus, who in the 18th century devised our system for classifying plants.

Some annuals thrive when cool weather arrives

JOE LAMP'L — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 03:00:00 EST

If it hasn't happened already, you're going to wake up some morning soon to a shimmering coating of frost on the garden. That usually signals the beginning of the annual fall ritual of "garden cleanup" - and the end of the flowers.

Exotic gardens reflect couple's worldwide travels

Debbie Arrington — Sun, 23 Sep 2012 03:00:00 EST

Most travelers bring home souvenirs. In their globetrotting, John and Peg Poswall collect ideas, then transplant them to their home and gardens.

Tree bark is not to be overlooked

JOE LAMP'L — Sun, 23 Sep 2012 03:00:00 EST

Every garden is a thing of beauty in the growing seasons - spring bulbs, summer flowers and fall foliage all carry on with extravagance. But winter is coming, so the colorful garden superstars will soon be retiring for the year. Fortunately, that's when one of the most overlooked features, tree bark, comes out for its season in the spotlight.

Garden tip

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 03:00:00 EST

A manual dethatching rake is the perfect tool for overseeding areas of the lawn in September. The rake will remove thatch and wire grass while preparing thin areas of the lawn for overseeding. Grass seed must have good soil contact to germinate.

Indoor herb gardens can yield home remedies

JENNIFER FORKER — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 03:00:00 EST

What if you could soothe a sore throat or a headache with the snip of a scissors? Plant some herbs indoors now, before fall sets in, and you could have a winter's worth of folksy remedies.

Save seeds to help your plants live on

JOE LAMP'L — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 03:00:00 EST

One of fall's most pleasant chores is collecting, drying and saving the seed from my favorite garden flowers and vegetables. It's relaxing, and fills me with anticipation about next year's garden even as this one is winding down. I also love to share seeds with other gardeners. This preserves and propagates favorite plants across the land - and propels them into the future.

Pull now to foil weeds

Mon, 03 Sep 2012 03:00:00 EST

Many annual weeds are going to seed now and should be pulled to reduce seeding next year. Look for plantain, galinsona, wood sorrel, nutsedge, crabgrass, purslane and vining bindweed.

New to gardening? Tips for green thumb

Home and Garden Television — Sun, 19 Aug 2012 03:00:00 EST

New to gardening? Here are fresh tips for successful gardening: Start small. Of course, "small" is a relative term; in an area of, say, only 100 square feet, you can plant a lot more than you might think.

Garden tip

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 03:00:00 EST

Abruptly drooping cucumber vines are suffering from bacterial wilt and should be pulled.

Garden tip

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 03:00:00 EST

Tomato leaves that develop brown and yellow patches are probably suffering from early blight. Remove affected leaves and apply a straw mulch to reduce spore splash from rainwater.

Even when it rains, don't forget to water. Maybe.

LEE REICH — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 03:00:00 EST

If it happens to be raining hard when you read this, my words might make you want to pelt me with ripe tomatoes - if you had them yet. Still, I'll say it: Timely watering can eke the best plant growth from any plot of ground in any season.

Deadheading keeps perennials looking best

JOE LAMP'L — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 03:00:00 EST

There's nothing more rewarding to a gardener than watching a garden come to life after a long winter. But as the summer progresses, many of those wonderful blooming plants start to look a little worse for the wear. A lot of that worn look comes from spent flowers going to seed. The cure is deadheading.

Prep for time away

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 03:00:00 EST

Before leaving for vacation, water potted plants thoroughly, trim back annuals by a third to half and move pots into a shady corner.

Gardener's passion lives on

Adrian Higgins — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 03:00:00 EST

Suffering from arthritis but determined to keep gardening, Charlie Bowman decided to sell his cozy brick house in Silver Spring, Md., and move to Arizona, where he and his beloved desert plants would rejoice in the dry heat.

Garden, aquarium a team

DOUG OSTER — Sun, 24 Jun 2012 03:00:00 EST

The relaxing sound of trickling water echoes through Hank Brinzer's attached greenhouse in a Pittsburgh suburb. Underneath a bench filled with lush plants, goldfish unknowingly feed seedlings as the water splashes into their tank.

Summer color

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 03:00:00 EST

For quick, effective and beautiful summer coverage of garden arbors, fences and arches that will last into October, sow seeds of a fast-growing legume named purple hyacinth bean.

Flowering wonders will please throughout season

Joe Lamp'l — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 03:00:00 EST

When folks think of clematis, most imagine the big pinwheel flowers of hybrids like Jackman. These bold, deep-purple summer beauties are one of the most popular and widely planted clematis on the market, with dozens of cultivars. But there are countless other garden-worthy candidates.

Do your homework before buying plants

Home and Garden Television — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 03:00:00 EST

If you're shopping for new plants and you'd like them to stay as healthy as possible, consider the following: •Learn which trees, shrubs, vegetables, perennials, annuals and herbs are experiencing pest problems in your area. Which pests or diseases are the culprits.

Design principles make gardens beautiful

JOE LAMP'L — Sun, 27 May 2012 03:00:00 EST

A garden can be defined many ways: a plot of land used for the growing of flowers, vegetables, herbs and trees; an area of fertile, cultivated property; even as a verb "to lay out, develop or tend."