… garden beds each season to improve plant health and drainage can also be an expensive endeavor for the home gardener. The first step in prepping the beds is removing the top layer of soil. … fact, with the exception of times of extreme drought, no supplemental watering was necessary for the gravel garden beds I managed at Epic Systems. Another benefit of growing plants in 4 to 5 … maturity in 2019. It is my hope that this patience will give way to something beautiful for years to come. …
Type: Blog
… and she oversees the Malott Japanese Garden, including the Island of Everlasting Happiness. For Lightscape, Pogue worked with the designers to ensure the lights on the island honored … of Keiunto (Island of the Auspicious Cloud) and Seifuto (Island of Clear, Pure Breezes). For the full effect, she recommends catching it on a foggy day—especially in the fall. But this unreachable island has a deeper story and meaning—namely, a quest for immortality. Through the ages, people have tried to discover the secret to everlasting …
Type: Blog
… Sure, they are fun pets and a good educational tool for your kids, as well as a great source of fresh eggs. But what do chickens have to do with the … amount of organic waste. A mother hen teaches her chicks to forage. By fir0002 | flagstaffotos.com.au [ GFDL 1.2 ], via Wikimedia Commons An adult chicken eats around 9 pounds of food per month. For the sake of argument, let’s say that 75 percent of that is layer ration (which I recommend …
Type: Blog
… garden. If the soil can form a sticky ball when you squeeze a handful, it is still too wet for planting. Soil will take longer to dry after periods of cool weather. Sandy soils can be … walking in garden beds and on lawns. It can compact and damage your soil. Soil is ready for planting when it crumbles in your hand. Working the soil when it is too wet can increase …
Type: Blog
… do not. Add rose petals to salads, ice creams, homemade vinegars; candied, they’ll store for months. Lavender buds are delicious sprinkled on a fruit salad (terrific with berries, … onion flavor goes a long way. Float a few florets on a chilled potato-leek or spring pea soup for all the extra zip you’ll need. …
Type: Blog
… and they can take flight, seeking a nice, cozy place to spend the winter. Can you blame them for wanting to come into our comfortable homes? OK, don’t answer that. They belong to a group of … holding in this photo must have been regretting this fact. Wikipedia lists some other names for boxelder bugs, including “zug.” So when you see these creatures congregating on a sunny spot …
Type: Blog
… with the Huntsville Botanical Garden in Alabama on a Trillium conservation program for the beloved woodland flower . The Huntsville Botanical Garden has one of the most complete … the more alkaline soils across the Midwest. Our goal is to expand the range of growing areas for some species and increase the overall diversity. Urban growth and development over the years …
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… ‘Miss Muffet’ and Begonia × tuberhybrida ‘Illumination White’ make a great pairing for shady areas. On the perennial side of things, we’re moving into lily season. The very first … hybrids (such as Lilium martagon ‘Mrs. R.O. Backhouse’). Martagon lilies are terrific plants for the shade garden because they provide both structure and color at a time when little else is …
Type: Blog
… we midwesterners appreciate giving blooms in February, when our hearts and senses most long for the color and smell of the garden in bloom. From the hearts of everyone at the Garden, we … to put your flowers in a vase, give each stem a fresh cut. Cutting at an angle opens more area for the flower to take up water. If you can, cut the stem ends in water to prevent the cut from …
Type: Blog
… morning, when I had discovered the male-female lacewing, butterfly visitors had been waiting for me to release butterflies from the pupae chamber. So I packed up the lacewing, with all of … each of the two dozen butterflies that had hatched that morning, saving our special discovery for last. I got everyone’s attention and announced, “This is extremely rare! As a butterfly … do with mishaps that occur during early cell division. Butterflies have a W and a Z chromosome for female and male, respectively. Sometimes, the W and Z chromosomes get stuck together during …
Type: Blog
