If your tomatoes dropped their blossoms instead of setting eagerly awaited fruits, you’re not alone. The weather for the last month or so has been quite inhospitable for tomato fruit set. Most plants have experienced colder temperatures than what is needed for pollination to be successful. In stark contrast, we had a brief period of unseasonably warm weather. Warm-season crops, which include tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash, cucumbers and melons, require temperatures above 55 […]
Want to add a little drama to your garden? Need to perk up a shady bed? Big, bold foliage can make a long-season statement! Foliage often provides the bones of the garden, but it can also take center stage with dramatic size, color variegation, texture and shape. Many of the following plants have beautiful flowers, in addition to big, bold foliage. Acanthus spinosus (spiny bears-breeches) features spiny foliage accented by purple or white […]
If thinking about the end of summer is getting you down, start planning your spring flowering bulb show. Autumn is the time to plant crocus, daffodils, tulips and many other spring bloomers. Spring flowering bulbs are planted in fall to allow them to establish roots before top growth begins in spring. Planting too early may cause the bulbs to sprout this fall, only to be killed back by winter weather. Planting too late may not […]
Whether you’re looking to expand your planting of iris or just need to rejuvenate an older planting, late summer through early fall is a good time to lift and divide iris. Dividing every 3-5 years will help rejuvenate the planting and encourage more blossoms for the subsequent years. Most iris plants spread by means of underground stems called rhizomes. These rhizomes become too crowded over time, resulting in reduced flowering. By lifting and dividing the […]
As summer is nearing its end, gardeners will soon be harvesting their onions, which may just bring tears to their eyes. Onions are ready to harvest when the tops bend over at the neck. Gently lift the plants out of the ground to collect the bulbs and avoid bruising the tender skins. For short-term storage, spread the plants in a single layer, leaving the tops attached, and air dry 2-3 days in a well-ventilated […]
As you plant out your vegetable transplants and seeds in the garden, have you ever wondered what happens if you grow a zucchini squash next to a giant pumpkin? Do you end up with squashkins? Will planting cucumbers next to watermelons yield cucumelons? These two examples are not likely to cross-pollinate one another, so the answer is probably “no.” Plants of different species usually do not cross-pollinate in nature. Cross-pollination does frequently take place […]
A common complaint among vegetable gardeners is that their squash plants have a lot of flowers, but many of them just fall off without producing any fruit. This same observation can be made of cucumbers, melons, pumpkins and gourds, all of which are collectively known as “vine” crops to home gardeners. These plants are all members of the Cucurbitaceae family and are also commonly referred to as “cucurbits.” All of these vine crops produce separate […]
Plants often develop bumps or other odd growths that might remind one of a science fiction movie, but there’s no need be alarmed. These unusual appearing growths are called galls and are usually more of a cosmetic problem rather than a health crisis. The galls themselves are mostly made up of plant tissue, usually as an attempt to recover from insect or disease injury. Galls can be quite small, just a fraction of an inch, […]
Most of us don’t think about our garden mums until they brighten our gardens late in the growing season. But to get the best display of flowers this fall, you should pinch the plants back to create more branching and more flowers. Mum plants flower in response to both day length and temperature. Most cultivars begin to develop flower buds when days are less than 12 hours long and generally continue to flower for […]
Fall is such an appropriate name for the season — leaves are falling with or without changing color! And it seems to be getting an early start this year, as many landscape plants have started their annual ritual of changing colors and dropping leaves. Certainly, some of the reason why plants display fall colors has to do with the genetic makeup of the plant. That doesn’t change from year to year. But the timing and […]
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