One of the earliest memories many people have of the holiday season is that of the smell of a fresh cut Christmas tree. Cut Christmas trees are probably the most highly used greenery in homes over the holiday season. If you are having guilty feelings about buying a cut tree- don’t! Today’s Christmas trees are […]

With the pandemic putting toys and other holiday gifts in short supply this year, you may want to consider some living alternatives for those on your gift list. The most obvious holiday plant is the poinsettia. Brought to this country in the 1800’s by Joel Poinsett from Mexico, it has become the plant most associated […]

There are a group of plants I call the “grandmother plants.” They’re the ones that you probably remember seeing on your grandmother’s windowsill when you were growing up. It seems like every grandmother had at least one African violet, snake plant, or Christmas cactus but there’s another one I include in that group, though it’s […]

The arrival of November means that gardening season is truly over for most of our area. However, there are a few things you’ll still need to do in order to prepare for winter. Avoiding these fall gardening mistakes can save you a lot of time and possibly heartache come spring. Keep an eye on the […]

One of the chores that should be on your list for fall clean up is cutting back your perennials. This is an important task for a number of reasons. Cutting back some perennials now will help them prepare for growth next spring in much the same way that bulbs do. By cutting them back once […]

It’s difficult to think of the fall season without having beautiful mums come to mind. Mums are a versatile addition to any fall garden and, along with fall pansies, they’ll take you through the season in a blaze of color. Their warm yellow, red, and purple tones are well suited as an addition to any […]

Think about how it feels when your feet hit icy water in a river. Then consider how they feel if they are plunged into a warm foot bath. It’s the same with your plants and it’s the reason that fall really can be the very best time for planting many things. As air temperatures drop, […]

A whitefly infestation can be one of the most annoying problems in the plant world. These little white, fly-like insects love houseplants, vegetables, annuals and many other things, and they can be difficult to eliminate. There are many varieties of these pests and greenhouse whiteflies are the most common here. They are small but easy […]

If you notice what appears to be small holes in the bark on your trees, you might have a woodpecker in residence, but most likely you’ve got borers. It’s important to identify these pests because if they are left untreated, they can kill not only the original tree, but spread to many around it. Spruce […]

Even though the summer monsoons have begun, I’d be willing to bet that we’re going to get hit with another bout of hot weather before the summer ends. Now that you know what signs of heat stress to look for in your plants, I want to give you some ways to reduce that stress in […]