| September 4, 2008 10:48 - Flower Seeds, Celebrities And Zero Scape
"Gardeners who love abundance can be daunted by the price of plants" or, to put it another way, visits to the garden center can prove very expensive if you get carried away. But there is another way as Ann Lovejoy explains. Grow your flowers from seed and you will save yourself a fortune. While she admits that perennials grown from seed take time to develop their full size, this is not a problem with annuals. Read more..
While it's a well known fact that pets look like their owners (or vice versa), did you know that your favorite plant or flower reflects your personality? To find out whether this is really the case Kelly Heidbreder interviewed local TV celebrities and quizzed them on their favorites. As you will see they came up with some interesting choices. Read more..
The county administration building in Eagle, Colorado is having a makeover. The landscape is changing. Grass and flowers are out and xeriscape is in. The idea is to choose plants that thrive on little water in a mountain climate. I liked the way that horticulturist Laurel Potts distinguished this from zero-scape which she defined as rocks and silk flowers. This reminded me of a garden near my home where they install plastic flowers in the winter to give some gaudy color. Read more..
Wow it's September already and this is the time to plan for spring flowering bulbs. But no need to plant them yet explains Margaret Lauterbach. That is a job for October when the soil has cooled. After some advice on storing tulip bulbs she considers USDA hardiness zones and how they are changing in the light of global warming. Read more..
 
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September 11, 2008 11:56 - Perennials, Sedges And Global Cooling
Last week I mentioned an article by Ann Lovejoy in which she suggested ways of cutting the cost of stocking your garden by saving seeds. Grow your own plants from seed saved from the year before and you will save yourself a packet. Although this works well with annuals, she had to admit that growing perennials from seed was a different matter since the plants took longer to grow to full size. But you can increase your stock of perennials by dividing your existing plants and this weeks article includes detailed instructions on how to do this. Read more..
If you are looking for something that will give texture and beauty to your landscape and will be at their best for the next few weeks you should try sedges suggests Norman Winter. One that he has had particular success with is the orange sedge Carex testacea. The grass-like foliage begins olive green and then turns orange in the fall. He describes several other varieties which are suited to different areas of the garden. One that he does not mention is Carex pendula which is rampant in my garden. I spend countless hours removing the seedlings from my flower beds. Read more..
Losing weight is a problem for many of us and it appears that for some people the reason may be genetic. Scientists believe about 30% of white people of European ancestry have a genetic variation that makes people more likely to gain weight. But this will be no comfort for gardeners who are struggling with their diets because 3-4 hours moderate activity a day will counteract the effect of the genetic variant. Read more..
Climate change and global warming is a fact and mankind is responsible. We can see it with our own eyes in that plants which were restricted to the warmer areas of the country can now be grown further north. So we all have to stop driving our cars and cut down on our flights to reduce the co2 emissions. Not so according to the Old Farmers Almanac. Global cooling is their forecast and it is likely to continue for the next half century. "We say that if human beings were not contributing to global warming, it would become real cold in the next 50 years". Read more..
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September 25, 2008 12:34 - The Autumn Equinox, Lawns And Garlic
After a time check "The autumn equinox began at 10:44 in the morning on Sept. 22" Molly Day paints a glorious picture of her flower garden. "Summer annuals are tall and crowned with flowers. Zinnias, castor beans, 4-O-Clocks, coleus, petunia, alyssum, cosmos and marigolds are at their peak bloom time." And then she moves on to perennials and herbs. Advice on saving seed follows, but her special praise is reseved for Caryopteris Sunshine Blue. "The lime green leaves and blue, scented flowers combine to attract even the casual garden visitor. The flowers attract honey bees, butterflies and skippers. Because of its scented leaves and flowers, deer are not attracted to this shrub." Read more..
With a double negative in the title to drive the point home, Margaret Lauterbach cautions that "Now is not the time to neglect your lawn". Now is the time to apply fertilizer and it's also the best time of year to seed a new lawn. And if that's not enough to keep you busy, now is also the time to move lilies and to divide perennials. Read more..
Everyone knows that this is the month to buy spring flowering bulbs, but while you're at it, why not include some edible bulbs as well asks Terry Kramer. Garlic, shallots and onions are her suggestions. Plant them this autumn and you will be able to harvest the crops next summer. Read more..
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