Don’t be afraid to get bare root plants! Story by Helen Newling Lawson You’ve finally tracked down that plant your local nurseries don’t carry, and at a great price to boot! But the description says, “Ships bare root.” Not sure what that means? Or are you afraid of getting a bunch of dead-looking roots that …
Story and Photos by A.J. Heinsz-Bailey In 1978, Charlotte Fanz found the perfect property to call home. It was a 4-acre tract with a cottage and a pasture and plenty of room for native plants, which are Charlotte’s favorites. It reminded her of the cattle ranch she grew up on. She brought her family to …
Understanding what they are and their purpose in production Story and Photos by Bob Westerfield We live in a world full of modern conveniences. It’s hard to find anyone that doesn’t own at least one smart phone, computer, GPS, or a host of other electronic gadgets. But, in spite of all the technological advances, when …
A healthy population of earthworms leads to a healthy garden Story and Photos by Kristi Cook I have worms. But I wish I had more. I’m talking about earthworms, some of nature’s most significant earth healers. These creatures can do everything from aerating garden soil and improving poor soil structure to fertilizing the garden. All …
Listen to what your plant is telling you Story and Photos by Susan Jasan Just as we communicate through facial expressions and the spoken and written word, plants communicate as well. When we learn a foreign language, it is to understand our neighbors, just as it is important for gardeners to understand the language of …
The needs and rewards of a backyard wildlife habitat Story and Photography by Yvonne Lelong Bordelon If you appreciate wildlife and the outdoors like I do, then you may enjoy creating a wildlife habitat in your own backyard. You don’t have to have a large piece of land. Our first registered habitat, back in the …
Story and Photos by Yvonne Lelong Bordelon If you enjoy large, showy, saucer-shaped flowers that attract hummingbirds and pollinators, then you will love native rosemallow. This cold-hardy, heat-tolerant hibiscus grows well in wet places or in moist full-sun to part-shade beds and perennial borders, in formal or naturalized settings. Several outstanding cultivars and hybrids have …
Invite the mints into your herb garden Story by Kristi Cook Of all the herbs one can grow, the mints (Mentha spp.) are perhaps the easiest and most prolific. Enticing names like chocolate mint, pineapple mint, ginger mint, and peppermint, make many of us unwitting “collectors,” filling our already overflowing gardens with each new flavor …
Making use of the latest outdoor lighting technologies Story by Katie Jackson A moonlit garden is enchanting, but sometimes the moon needs a little help shedding light on a garden’s nighttime beauty. That’s when it’s time to turn to technology. One of the most helpful developments in the outdoor lighting realm is the increased availability …
Spicy herb or an herbal spice? Story and Photos by A.J. Heinsz-Bailey Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum) starts life as a green rosette of fragrant, tasty leaves and with the arrival of warm weather, sends up slender, two-foot-tall stems with tiny white flowers that produce tasty seeds that we know as the spice called coriander. Cilantro is …
