with Teri Knight
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Extending your mum life and what to do with plastic pots
Mums are THE fall plant and we want to keep them as long as we can.
The best place to buy your mum is at your local nursery. However, some nurseries also deliver to local grocery stores too. Look for deep green, non-droopy leaves and a lot of buds, not blooms. Those will come.
Remove your mum from that black pot, rough up the roots and repot … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Protecting and feeding birds
Last week I talked about bird feeders and squirrels. Today’s it’s about WHAT to feed those birds as winter comes roaring in… at some point.
To offset the white of winter, or the bleak brown, it’s the BIRDS that help us through. And this is OUR time to help THEM through with plenty of nutrition! Contrary to what I’ve heard some people say, feeding the birds in winter is a good idea. Birds will … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: What to do with your containers as Winter approaches
We all know it’s coming, the s-word! While I could be talking about stew and sweatshirts, what I’m really talking about is getting our outdoor chores done. Including cleaning out the annuals in our pots. Yes, this is early as we still have beautiful mums and such in our containers, but there are some pots unsuitable.
The pot above will be moved (by someone stronger than me!) to my … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: What does “hard frost” mean?
It’s not Winter yet, but it’s on the way and some have already experienced some temperatures dipping into the 30’s. Some folks “Up North” have covered tomatoes or just given up!
We’ve traded out the summer annuals for mums…
We’ve brought the tropicals inside or bid them adieu into the compost pile and are working on getting those spring bulbs in the ground before our fingers freeze.
There’s also digging OUT bulbs such … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Protecting your Evergreens
As we head into the “Season of Shivers”, according to the Farmers Almanac for the winter of 21-22, protecting your evergreens is a subject we can get started on early!
Evergreen foliage is subject to winter burn. This happens when winter sun and wind trigger transpiration allowing water loss, also called desiccation.
First I want to remind you to water your evergreens up until the ground is frozen, that is into late November! With the … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Protecting your woodies
It’s not too early to start thinking about winter protection for your woodies! Before you get the wrong idea… I’m talking about your trees and shrubs!
Woody plants are plants that have hard stems (thus the term, “woody“) and that have buds that survive above ground in winter. The best-known examples are trees and shrubs (bushes). These are commonly broken down further into the deciduous and evergreen categories. The opposite of “
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Herbs indoors
Fresh herbs are a necessity in my garden…
…but you can also have them indoors. And there are local nurseries that are happy to supply you with some fabulous plants! Not all herbs enjoy the great indoors but plenty do and I’ll share them with you.
Most herbs need six hours of direct sunlight.
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Bird feeders, roosting houses and squirrels
We’re gearing up for the migration of many birds. It’s time to clean out those bird feeders, get rid of the old bird seed and refresh them. I highly recommend Spike’s feed, seed and pet supply. Their bird feed is locally sourced and milled daily.
I spoke with a bird expert who said does not recommend anything but vinegar water to clean them. Do not use bleach or soaps due to residue … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Planting before the ground freezes
You can still plant healthy shrubs and trees into November! The ground in our zone 3 and 4 climates doesn’t “generally” freeze until late in November and December. That means you can take advantage of deals at your local nursery.
When shopping, don’t be afraid to take the plants out of their container, if you can do so without harming them, to see that the roots are in good shape. Root bound is … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Digging up bulbs for winter storage
Yesterday was about digging IN bulbs, today it’s about digging them OUT!
Gladiolas, dahlias, cannas, begonias and elephant ears to name a few, need to be dug up when the foliage is toast and then stored for the winter.
Clearly this canna is not finished! While it IS growing in a container, I will dig this up after it’s toast and store it. This will be a first with this ‘Cleopatra’ canna. … [Continue reading]