Garden Supplies News

Two of today's items come from articles in Seattle papers and both have dirt in their titles. The first is by Marianne Binetti who has five tips for dirt-cheap gardening. These include using "hand me down plants", ideas for saving water, avoiding pesticides and "go small" gardening. To get the greatest benefit from her advice you will have to visit the Northwest Flower & Garden Show which opens Wednesday. For all the details, read more..

Mary Robson tells you to "Get the Dirt" when she explodes a number of myths about container gardening. Fill the bottom of your pot with crocks to aid drainage - wrong. Use small containers - wrong. Plants will grow in any container - wrong. Potting soil wears out and needs replacing annually - not just wrong, but double wrong! "I have some that probably predates the Carter administration" says Mary. Read more..

You either love them or hate them, but whichever it is, you will be passionate about it. What am I talking about? Why, those adorable items of backyard decor, garden gnomes. Gnomes are never far from the news, either because they have been kidnapped or, less frequently, because the police have discovered a hoard and are then left with the unenviable task of trying to reunite them with their owners. I have at last found time to add a Gnome Gallery to my site where you will find a selection of these cute (or horrible depending on your point of view) little creatures. Do take a look.

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February 9, 2006 11:03 -

Last week (February 4) I mentioned an article by Mary Robson in which she exploded a number of myths about container gardening. Today I have just come across this: "Container gardening, the latest trend in home gardens, is just like any other trend: arguably a good idea, yet something people will eventually look back and ask, "What was I thinking?" The piece is not completely anti containers, but more of a plea to choose the right plants for each situation. Read more..

Under the title "A giant uprooted" Kym Pokorny writes about the life and achievements of Christopher Lloyd who died on January 27. "The landscape has changed. Christopher Lloyd, writing nearly until the day he died, will never again tip the gardening world on its head with one of his famous opinions, infamous horticultural decisions or wicked practical jokes. Determined, curious, charming, brusque, flirtatious, brilliant, loquacious, impertinent, gentlemanly -- all these words have been used to describe Lloyd. But the one that will be used the most now is "missed"." Read more..

Every year the Mailorder Gardening Association presents Green Thumb Awards in recognition of the coolest plants and accessories available online or by mail. Sarah Robertson surveys the tools and gadgets that have won top honors this year. These include a Water-Wise Timer, a Pollinating Pals Mason Bee Nest and the Mantis E-System. Mason bees are apparently excellent pollinators, but I just hope that they are not the same species as those that are proficient in boring holes in masonry and cement. A few years ago I spent a long time re-pointing a wall of the house in which I then lived. Read more..

It's that time of year again and right on cue Gardeners Supply Company is offering Valentine Tulips along with Cupid's Crocus and a set of three Heart Stones. And if you don't like any of those they have, guess what? A Gift Certificate!

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February 16, 2006 15:41 - Agapanthus, Palm Trees and a Nail.

Many of us may have accidently swallowed an insect or a piece of grass while out in the garden, but then forgotten all about it. While mowing his lawn one day Guy Hart felt a slight pain in his throat and saw a small trickle of blood. "It was like a bee sting," Hart said. "But I didn't think much of it." Then a few days ago a coughing fit expelled an inch-long nail that had been the cause of the injury to his throat. But the bizarre twist to this tale is that the original injury happened 35 years ago in 1970. Read more..

If you're a fan of agapanthus shrubs and palm trees you should think twice before planning a move to New Zealand. It appears that the Auckland Regional Council is planning a ban because the plants are self seeding in the environment. Needless to say people in the gardening industry are not too keen on the idea and said they intend to keep planting what they like. Read more..

The February edition of my Garden Ramblings newsletter is now out. There is an article on organic gardening and more on garden gnomes. You can view it online click here

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February 22, 2006 10:55 - A Gardening Tool that is Becoming More Popular by the Season

Since you will be reading this on your computer, you will not be surprised to hear that both the desktop and laptop models are used by gardeners just as often as their trowels and shovels. According to Dean Fosdick the computer is the one garden tool that is becoming more popular by the season. Used by farmers for many years both for recording milk and crop yields and controlling fertilizer applications, the technology is now being embraced by gardeners for many tasks. Everything from recording your seed orders to managing your digital photos. more..

While Spring may be just around the corner you do not need to be reminded that we are still in winter's grip. If you cannot get outside in the cold and damp, you can at least dream of the warmth of summer. And what is the fruit that is most associated with summer? Well, I guess that has to be the strawberry. While you dream, imagine a whopper strawberry that is four times the normal size, as big as a peach. Now wake up and rush over to Gurneys.com where you can buy 50 Whopper Strawberry plants for just $19.99! The link takes you to the Home Page - just select the "Small Fruit and Berries" category to find the Whopper.

Coneflowers have been loved by gardeners for generations. Originally native to the meadows of North America, they have been cultivated and enjoyed since colonial days. Brecks Bulbs have a Country Coneflower Collection for $29.99 which is 65% off the regular price.

On a more practical level Gardeners Supply Company are offering Heavy Duty Tomato Ladders which can support up to 100lbs of fruit.

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