with Teri Knight
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Fall this&that
There are still some sales going on at garden centers. If you find a must-have, go ahead and buy it but be sure to give it extra TLC. That means adding organic matter to the soil and digging a wide enough area to spread those roots out into soft soil. Water well up until the soil freezes, sometime in December. THEN add about 3 inches of mulch.
-Tough perennials such as monarda, hosta and sedum … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Grandma’s plant – Episcia cupreata
At my Uncle’s funeral, he was 94 and lived a good long life, my cousin brought my sister and I cuttings from my Grandma’s plant… a plant my cousin had for 37 years and who knows how long Grandma had it! She died in 1998.
I don’t know the name of the cultivar but Nancy sent me a picture of her recent cutting and some of the leaves are as big as her … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Canna care
Cannas are those gorgeous plants that look like they should be in the tropics. They bloom late in the summer and have these marvelous leaves that make you think of being fanned in a cabana and eating grapes… or maybe that’s just me!
Anyway, for those of us in cold climates, these plants come from bulbs that do not tolerate our temperatures. Each Spring they’re planted and each Fall, you dig them up… That sounds like … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Howling Fall displays
Some folks grow gourds or specialty squash for howlingly cool Halloween or Harvest displays. Or those monster pumpkins that, literally, weigh a ton!
Well, maybe not that many of us have room for that, but there are those who grow some unique varieties. Head to your local farmers markets!!
If you grew corn this year you have a great tall accent for your decor, cut the stalks and tie them to bamboo … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: More pumpkin love with seeds!
Another tradition we had in my family and probably yours, was to roast pumpkin seeds. My job, as I told you yesterday was to scoop the goop and separate the seeds.
My mom would leave the seeds soaking overnight in water that had to be saltier than the Dead Sea. She’d drain them and roast them for what seemed like hours.
My taste is a bit more sophisticated now and I don’t soak … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Gearing up for Goblins
Pumpkin PICKING for carving is an art itself! For the best results using stencils, you want the smoothest pumpkins. Choose a nice even color and the stem should be at least long enough to use as a handle for the lid. If you happen to break off the stem, don’t worry, just cut out the bottom instead. You’ll also want a flat bottomed pumpkin.
Here’s a little video I made in 2010 … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Falling for the Season of Pumpkin Spice
Love it or hate, it’s pumpkin spice everything season. I have a friend who grinds her teeth every time the pumpkin spice comes out at her favorite coffee shop, another who can’t wait for the pumpkin spice creamer and sends her husband to buy as many as a husband is willing to do! About 3 bottles worth. In case you’re interested here’s a recipe for Pumpkin Spice Latte!
I happen … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Tenacious bulb eaters
Those darn little rodents!
Ya, you!
People have discussed ideas about what to do for as long as we’ve planted bulbs. The best method so far is to place chicken wire over your bulb bed, secure it with stakes or heavy rocks and then mulch it with woodchips, shredded bark or leaves. The plants will grow up through the wire or hardware cloth.
You could sink the wire into the ground, making a pen around … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Grab bag of gardening
Today we’re revisiting some emails I’ve received. If you’ve taken advantage of those plant sales but find you don’t have time to plant – Don’t panic. Find a spot in your landscape and plant those perennials still in their pots. Sink them into the ground up to the pot level, keep watered till the ground freezes and mulch.
Then come spring, after you’ve decided where you want to plant them, dig them up carefully … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Repellex – a later version
Deer are beautiful animals until they mosey over to my landscape and start munching !
As gardeners we’ve used loud noises, Irish Spring soap, pepper spray and a variety of other so-called surefire ways to keep the deer at a distance without consistent results.
There’s also another critter that creates chaos for young trees in particular, it’s the lowly mouse and it’s cousin the vole. Mice like to nestle up to young trees … [Continue reading]