Dry It, You'll Like It!
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Drying fruits and vegetables is a great way to preserve food. Its one of the best ways to retain nutritional value, enhances flavor, long-lasting, and economic since it requires little equipment other than a food dehydrator. Usually tomatoes are a big seller for us at Farmer's Market but last... .. read more..
Clematis: Discover the Many Varieties
Monday, September 14, 2015
When we think of clematis , the large-flowering, star-shaped blooms come to mind. However, there are beautiful small-flowering and shrub-types that few people even know about. Did you know that there are over 200 species and hundreds of hybrids of this popular flower? There are saucers, bells, tu... .. read more..
Windowsill Herb Garden
Thursday, September 10, 2015
Do you enjoy using freshly snipped herbs from the garden as much as I do? Now that summer is winding down it is time to think about bringing some of our favorites indoors. Everyone has some herbs they can't do without. I'm a big fan of basil, rosemary, and oregano. What do you use the mos... .. read more..
Seed Saving
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Blog Name: Gardening Saving seeds from your favorite plants and swapping them with friends is one of the best ways to share your love of gardening. Select the best plants to save seeds from based on traits that are important to you such as disease resistance, size, color, yield, flavor, vig... .. read more..
Pruning Hydrangeas for More Blooms
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Before you start pruning hydrangeas, it's important to know which variety you have. If you prune at the wrong time, you could be cutting off next year's blooms. The extreme weather we had last winter did a number on my hydrangeas. Even though my area is hardy to zone 5, my ' Endless S... .. read more..
Grow Sunflowers: Pretty and Practical!
Thursday, August 13, 2015
The quintessential summer flower, sunflowers ( Helianthus ) are a truly native American plant and are honored as the state flower in both Kansas and Nebraska. There are about 70 species of sunflowers. Most are native to the Great Plains, Mexico, and Peru. The Hopi Indians, who believed the sunflo... .. read more..
Edible Landscape
Monday, August 10, 2015
Harvesting is in full swing and gardeners are enjoying the fruits of their labors. If you wish you had room for more edibles, take another look around your yard. There are many creative ways to sneak more edible plants into your landscaping without sacrificing good looks. Beautiful Enough to Eat ... .. read more..
Bountiful Bouquets
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
The beauty of the summer garden is fleeting, so take full advantage of it by having bouquets of freshly cut flowers in every room. Just a few old-fashioned roses, a sprig of honeysuckle, or one Oriental lily can scent an entire room. To avoid having boring bouquets, try to pick a variety of flowe... .. read more..
The Heat is On
Monday, July 20, 2015
Maybe it's because I live in the frozen north but in the summer I love hot weather. Bring it on—the sweatier, the better! I know I am in the minority though when I hear other gardeners complaining about the heat and humidity . Whether you like it hot or not, it is important ... .. read more..
Second Coming
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Have your peas pooped out? Did your lettuce go to seed? Now is a good time to plant more of these veggies and other traditional spring crops to harvest this fall. I know that summer is not even half over but it is never too early to plan for fall. Many gardeners consider fall to be a four l... .. read more..
Eat Your Weedies
Friday, July 10, 2015
This time of year you can't turn your back for minute without the weeds ganging up and trying to take over the garden. Did you think you had things under control and it was safe to go away for a few days? Did you come home to find that weeds had taken your garden hostage? Before you resort to... .. read more..
Beetlemania
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
When gardeners aren't talking about the weather they are talking about bugs. This year in my garden there seems not to be so much damage from slugs and cutworms as there is from beetles. This should not come as a surprise since beetles are the most common insect in my neck of the woods. Most ... .. read more..
Xeriscaping
Thursday, June 25, 2015
In many parts of the country demand for water has already exceeded the supply leading to bans on car washing and watering lawns and gardens. The need to conserve water has made xeriscaping a popular concept in gardening. From the Greek word "xeros" meaning dry, combined with landscaping... .. read more..
Allergies and Gardening
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Allergy season started early for many gardeners this year and shows no sign of letting up. Depending on what triggers your allergic reactions—tree pollen, dust, mold spores, grasses, weeds, or strongly scented flowers—there are irritants present from early spring until hard frost. As ... .. read more..
Tick Talk
Thursday, June 11, 2015
This is the season for ticks! Prevent Lyme disease by keeping yourself tick-safe with these precautions. We welcome your tips, too! As many as 300,000 people may be diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease each year through the bite of infected blacklegged ticks. Typical symptoms includ... .. read more..
Changes to the BBC Gardening website
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Many of the BBC's factual websites will be changing over the next twelve months. Exciting changes are planned but in the short term, it means that we will no longer be updating some of our existing sites including BBC Gardening Online. You'll still be able to access existing content but this blog... .. read more..
Happy New Year!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
The Gardening Blog team are taking a short break for a few weeks, but we'll be back later in January. In the meantime, have a very Happy New Year and we wish you all the best for 2012! .. read more..
'Tis the Season to be Holly
Saturday, December 24, 2011
‘The holly and the ivy When they are both full-grown Of all the trees that are in the wood The holly bears the crown’ What would Christmas be without holly? Its red berries bedeck our Christmas puds and liven up the wreaths which hang on our doors: and never mind the extra food... .. read more..
Winter Flowering Trees and Shrubs
Monday, December 19, 2011
Prunus x subhirtella 'Fukubana' If you thought there wasn't much to look at outside at this time of year - think again. Dozens of beautiful trees and shrubs are at their colourful best in December and into early spring and here are some of my favourites. Flourishing in the coldest part of our Der... .. read more..
Pruning
Friday, December 16, 2011
No other part of fruit growing creates more uncertainty and confusion than pruning . Terminology such as renewal pruning, replacement pruning, tip bearers, spur bearers, fruit buds and growth buds abound and cause confusion and trepidation. And that's before the question of winter or summer pruni... .. read more..