Mention the word “pruning” to any gardener and most will automatically think of tree and shrub pruning. Yet there are other plants you can and should be pruning this time of year and those are your tomatoes. Tomato pruning or topping isn’t talked about much but it’s something we’ve been playing with in the greenhouses […]

One of the maple trees in my yard is looking like fall has arrived because it is already turning to red. Since I know it’s way too early for that to happen naturally, that appearance is usually caused by a condition called iron chlorosis and it’s easily treated. Autumn Blaze and Hot Wings Maples seem […]

It’s the time in the growing season when that spectacular hanging basket you got for Mother’s Day or the bedding plants you put in a few weeks ago begin to look a little weary and watering problems are often the cause. Watering for success takes some practice but it’s easy once you learn a few […]

If you hate weeds as much as we do at our house, you look for any available method to keep them at bay. One of my favorites is the use of weed barrier. Weed barrier is a thick, woven material. The top side is shiny and usually has yellow lines at one foot increments and […]

If you are like many of us, you are starting to plant your vegetable garden right about now. One of the most popular vegetables are homegrown tomatoes and what a summer delight they are! Rich, robust, juicy tomatoes straight from the garden can’t be beat, yet many people don’t know how to properly plant and […]

Stories are found in the diaries of early settlers about transporting cuttings of lilacs across the rough, unsettled country and then planting them at the door of their newly established homesteads in order to remind them of home. Quite a journey for a plant whose roots originated in Europe and Asia! Hardy in most climates […]

Our wet winter has provided us with a glorious spring and of the current show is courtesy of flowering crab apple trees. Blooming from April to June, in the past crab apples have gotten a bad rap as a undesirable tree for the homeowner because of the mess that they make once the fruit ripened […]

After you’ve fertilized your lawn, the next chore for the season is to fertilize your trees. Ideally this should be done before they begin to break dormancy in the spring and as cool as this spring has been, many of them are delayed so now is the perfect time to do this. It’s important to […]

There’s nothing like the smell of fresh cut grass in the summer! As the days begin to warm up, your yard is beginning to wake up and turn green which means that it’s time for one of the most important tasks of the year- the first application of fertilizer for the season. Nitrogen is the […]