Q: I sprayed for weeds in my yard and aphids on my roses, and neither treatment seemed to work. Do you think my two biggest pest problems have developed resistance to pesticides? A: Pesticide resistance is a serious worldwide problem, but there are other possible reasons your sprays did not work. It would take genetic…
Fall Care for Water Gardens
Q: This is the first year we have had a water garden. What do we do with the plants over the winter? We expect the pond to freeze for several weeks over the winter. We live in an area that gets a few inches of snow each winter, but the winters are not too bad….
Grass, Garlic, and Amaryllis
Q: We are discussing when to cut down our ornamental grasses. I want to see them last through the winter and let the birds eat any seeds. My husband wants to cut them down in the fall because he says it is easier then. The plants are still upright and not beaten down. We can…
It’s Maple Syrup Season! How to Tap and Boil Your Own
A sure sign of spring is the sight of maple syrup buckets on the sides of sugar maple trees. Early settlers found that Native Americans slashed trees to collect the sap. The sap was gathered into hollowed-out logs. Freezing temperatures caused ice to form, which was removed as pure water, thus concentrating the sap. Hot…
The Best Vegetable Seed Catalog Companies for Gardeners
Q: I saw an article that you wrote that said there were garden vegetable seed catalogs available at the Direct Gardening Association website. I can’t find that site. Can you help? A: Well, that group ended last year during the pandemic. So, to help you out, here are my favorite vegetable seed catalog companies. Jere…
Planting Annuals: Tips for a Beautiful Flower Bed
Question: We have several bare areas where we want to plant something. We might be moving this summer, but maybe not until next year, so we don’t want to spend a lot. We have not had good luck with the packs of annual flowers in the past. How do we make annuals work? Answer: Annual…
Received Potted Flowers as a Gift? Here’s How to Keep Them Alive
By now, you surely know that Valentine’s Day was last week. If you didn’t give flowers and you need to make up for it, you may want to give an entire plant. Or maybe you did get a plant and want to know how to keep it alive. Several potted flowering plants are commonly given…
Growing Vegetables From Table Scraps
Science fair season is coming up. Many kids want to work with plants. One set of experiments that’s common is trying to grow seeds in a variety of media, such as water, milk, and cola. The seeds will sprout in all of those conditions, but they won’t grow well as a plant in all of…
Award-Winning Vegetables You Should Plant in Your Garden in 2022
Last week, we looked at the flowers that won the 2022 All-America Selections awards, and this week, we look at the eight new vegetable winners. The AAS is an independent, nonprofit organization that tests new plants. They have about 80 test gardens from Alaska and Canada to California and Florida. They also have almost 200…
Planning Your Garden? Consider These Stunning, Award-Winning Flowers
This week, I received five gardening catalogs in the mail. I expect a few more will be coming soon. I also look online for new varieties of plants. One way that I know a plant could work well in my garden is that I look for the red, white, and blue logo of All-America Selections…
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