with Teri Knight
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Best planting practices for trees and shrubs
We used to tell you to plant trees and shrubs at the same level they came in in their container. The great part about horticulture is that we are continually learning!! NOW, the best advice is to take a look at those plants. Turns out that some of those plants come with too much soil on top of their graft of trunk flare.
So, what does that mean? It means you … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Planting slopes
If you’ve ever had to push a lawn mower up a hill you’ve probably thought, what can I plant to get out of this horrendous chore! You’re not alone, folks are always asking about what they can plant on slopes.
That’s a tough one. You’re looking for plants to prevent soil erosion and yet the site is usually difficult to work on for anything including maintenance. Adding a mix of shrubs, grasses, perennials and hardscape items … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Raingardens
I’m super excited… I live on a corner and both my streets are getting ripped up and redone! Oh boy…. okay, so that part is a pain in the butt, what I found out was that I qualified to have a raingarden installed! If you’re City is redoing your road, be sure to check with them to see if they have programs like that! I’ll keep you posted on the adventure… it won’t happen till mid summer. … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Garden myth busting
It’s April Fools day! To celebrate, let’s pull some tall tales out of the Garden Myth bucket.
Wound dressing is one of the top myths. We used to think that trees, like humans, needed some sort of “bandaid” after they’ve been cut.
Not so, in fact, there are times that those wound dressings may even inhibit the plant’s ability to heal itself. Tars, emulsions and waxes can dry and crack.
If water gets behind the … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min Garden Bite radio show: Easter lilies – selection and preserving
Easter will be later this year… April 21st! But that leaves you plenty of time to select a beautiful Easter Lily and preserve it for some time!
This Christian Holy Day is marked by cherished traditions including the Easter Lily. The beautiful trumpet-shaped white flowers of lilium longiflorum symbolize purity, hope and life – the spiritual essence of Easter – a time of renewal. They’re often given as gifts!
When choosing an … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Of poo and perennials
Oh boy, those warm temps we had made getting out in the garden very tempting. But be careful! Make sure you’re not mucking around in spongy soil. This is the snow next to our back porch! It slid off the roof of the sun porch….
I did cut back some perennials I’d left up for winter, at least the ones I could get to!
If you have the opportunity, meaning your landscape isn’t filled … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Making your own Maple Syrup
As promised… a primer on making your own Maple Syrup. It IS an adventure. It’s time consuming but the flavor can’t be beat.
In another life, I lived with an engineer who couldn’t wait to make his own Maple Syrup! This is his story. (unfortunately we didn’t get pictures of his original tapping – the next year he bought bags and taps from a company)
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: It’s Maple Syrup season!
And the sap is running…. It’s not too late to tap your trees for some golden goodness. Although it’s not really gold out of your tree, it looks more like water! However… despite wonky weather, the sap is flowing! Milder days and cooler nights will do that. Nature does her thing.
You don’t have to have Sugar Maples to make some great syrup. The only difference is the percentage of sugar content in the … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Fresh from the Garden – myth busting
I had a chance to interview John Whitman, he’s the author of a new vegetable gardening tome called “Fresh from the Garden – an organic guide to growing vegetables, berries and herbs in Cold Climates”.
He also talks about myths in the garden. The leading myth is that some people are born with a green thumb! He says, nope. Good gardening comes from
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Barerootin’
While it may be a while this year…. when the soil thaws and it’s not too wet…. it’s time to go barerootin’!
A bare root tree has no soil at all around its roots. It’s been removed from the soil while still dormant. These trees are generally kept dormant by refrigeration until sold.
Bare root trees, shrubs and roses are often quite a bit less expensive than any other type. As for frost depths – check with … [Continue reading]