pruning

pruning

pruning willow, and the best salix varieties

5 simple garden tool-care tips

10 tips for growing blueberries in the backyard (win lee reich’s book and come meet him may 11)

fear not! how to prune clematis, with dan long

how to overwinter a potted fig

pruning willow, and the best salix varieties

5 simple garden tool-care tips

10 tips for growing blueberries in the backyard (win lee reich’s book and come meet him may 11)

fear not! how to prune clematis, with dan long

how to overwinter a potted fig

may can be mayhem!

make a raised bed naturally

direct-sow vegetables

keep picking asparagus

prep beds, feed and mulch

heat-loving vegetable tips

nothing like a clean edge!

garlic care

care of hardy flower bulbs

container-garden time

compost care

Root Around a Bit

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Quotes

May 1, 2013

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May 11, 2013

May 15, 2013

May 19, 2013

May 20, 2013

May 21, 2013

May 26, 2013

May 28, 2013

How to prune: fruit-tree pruning, when to prune trees and shrubs, how to prune viburnum, hydrangea, roses and more.

April 13, 2013 By margaret 23 Comments

‘IT’S ENDLESS,” plantsman Michael Dodge of Vermont Willow Nursery was saying over the phone the other day, alluding to the possibilities of the genus Salix—the willows to which he has been devoting the recent chapter of his impressive horticultural career. We narrowed it down to some best-of willow selections from more than 150 in his collection—best willows for outsmarting deer; winter interest; abundant flowers and even best for making honey if you’re a beekeeper—and I also got a brutal tutorial on willow pruning (also known as coppicing) to share with you. [read more…]

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April 6, 2013 By margaret 25 Comments

I OPENED THE DOOR to the barn yesterday and could almost hear them calling out to me: “Rusty; I’m getting rusty in here, Margaret.” And: “I’m not feeling too sharp right now.” Oh, dear. I called a tool-savvy friend for a refresher course on tool-care—just five easy tips I think I can commit to this year. [read more…]

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March 25, 2013 By margaret 339 Comments

WANT TO SUCCEED with blueberries? Ask the guy with a Ph.D. in the subject, author of all the best books on home-garden fruit growing: Lee Reich, the guest on my latest public-radio show—and the speaker at the May 11 Open Day here at my Hudson Valley, New York, garden. That’s Lee’s blueberry “gazebo” up top. All the delicious details…along with how to grow blueberries (in print or the podcast) and two chances to win Lee’s book “Grow Fruit Naturally.” [read more…]

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March 11, 2013 By margaret 33 Comments

ONE OF MY FAVORITE lines ever in a garden book: vintage Christopher Lloyd, the late daring plantsman of Great Dixter in England, in his Clematis manual. “An unpruned Clematis looks like a disemboweled mattress—a painful sight,” he wrote. Indeed. Yet so many of us go into denial and paralysis mode when approaching our beloved vines during spring cleanup. “Now what was I supposed to do with this one?” we say, scratching our heads while not-so-accidentally turning away to some other task, and leaving the botanical sprung mattress innards just hanging there. Boing! I asked Dan Long of Brushwood Nursery, a.k.a. gardenvines.com, to help me (us!) get past our “pruning fears and misconceptions,” as he calls them. The story, plus pruning diagrams and a podcast full of more vine-growing tips. [read more…]

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October 14, 2012 By margaret 31 Comments

THE FRUIT EXPERT LEE REICH came to my open garden day this June, which was a happy surprise—and also a moment of terror. “Nice fig tree,” he said, and for a moment there, I felt so proud. “But what will you do with it this winter?” Uh-oh, a leading fruit guru who gardens in the same zone as I do thinks the tree’s a goner. Gulp. Now nights are getting colder, and it’s time for me to start the process to (hopefully) prove Lee wrong. So how will I overwinter a potted fig tree in Zone 5B? [read more…]

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1 May 1, 2013 may can be mayhem! MAYDAY–OR SHOULD I SAY ‘MAYHEM,’ as in: Somebody rescue me by helping with the edging, weeding, mulching required to get ready for the first Open Days of the season (May 11 this year—you coming?). Most important, though, of course, is not to get too swept away by the to-do list, since May is also one of the garden’s most extraordinary months here in Zone 5B and elsewhere, with lots to sit back and savor. read all the may chores ⇒

2 May 2, 2013 make a raised bed naturally MAKING NEW BEDS? A nature-inspired method for raised-bed building, using fallen branches and logs, is called hugelkultur—and it’s fascinating, and effective, if you’re expanding your growing area. read all the may chores ⇒

5 May 5, 2013 direct-sow vegetables CONTINUE SOWING CARROTS, beets, radishes, salad greens, dill. With salad greens, select heat-resistant varieties now for best results. Direct-sow more kale and chard, too. IF YOU LIKE CILANTRO, plant a short row every couple of weeks for a constant supply because most varieties bolt pretty fast (eventually yielding coriander seeds). Or try one of the substitutes in this story. DIRECT-SOW BEANS at mid-month and beyond; sow a short row every two weeks, and also sow pole beans. read all the may chores ⇒

7 May 7, 2013 keep picking asparagus KEEP ASPARAGUS PICKED to keep it producing; don’t harvest from new plantings the first year or two in the ground. Need some asparagus recipes? (Current favorite here: Easy Asparagus-Parmesan Bake.) Another food-garden early-bird: Rhubarb is nicest when tender stems are used. read all the may chores ⇒

11 May 11, 2013 prep beds, feed and mulch PREPARE NEW BEDS by smothering grass or weeds with recycled corrugated cardboard or layers of newspaper, then put mulch on top. ONCE EXISTING BEDS ARE CLEANED UP, topdress with an all-natural organic fertilizer and a layer of finished compost. Wait to apply mulch until the soil warms thoroughly. ORDER MULCH in bulk this year from a local source that ages it properly first; forget the bagged stuff for use on beds. My mulch mantra. read all the may chores ⇒

15 May 15, 2013 heat-loving vegetable tips HOW ARE THE MELONS? Follow these tips. WHEN SHOPPING FOR SEEDLINGS of tomatoes (or really anything), pick stocky young plants about 4 inches high and wide. Having trouble with homegrown transplants? Why seedlings stretch out and get spindly. HEAT-LOVERS LIKE tomatoes and basil, eggplants and peppers go out after frost danger. Use my tomato tips and tricks, and follow these tomato-hygiene steps for best disease prevention. read all the may chores ⇒

19 May 19, 2013 nothing like a clean edge! EDGE BEDS to make a clean line and define them. A clean edge makes a real difference, along with an inch and a half or two of good, fine- to medium-textured organic mulch. No baked-potato-sized chips, please, and no orange-dyed mulch. My Mulch FAQs. read all the may chores ⇒

20 May 20, 2013 garlic care WATER GARLIC during dry spells for biggest bulbs (and did you feed it?). Though many people wonder all spring about when to harvest, typically that’s in high summer sometime, around July here. Not now! read all the may chores ⇒

21 May 21, 2013 care of hardy flower bulbs DEADHEAD SPRING BULBS as blooms fade, but leave foliage intact to wither and ripen the bulbs naturally. I mow my daffodil drifts around July 4th, for example. Deadhead spring-flowering perennials unless they have showy seedheads, or you want to collect seed later (non-hybrids only). DAFFODILS NOT BLOOMING? Here’s why bulbs fail to flower well. read all the may chores ⇒

26 May 26, 2013 container-garden time CONTAINER GARDENS can provide seasonal color, but don’t just use annuals. Hosta pot? Why not? All my container-garden ideas are here. WITH FLOWER SEEDLINGS in 6-packs, I like to “buy green,” as in not worrying if I’m buying annuals that aren’t flowering madly in their tiny cells. Younger, fresher plants are less stressed. WORRIED ABOUT IMPATIENS DISEASE? Here’s the lowdown on downy mildew risk this year. read all the may chores ⇒

28 May 28, 2013 compost care DON’T LET THE HEAP DRY out completely, or it will not “cook.” If it wasn’t turned to aerate earlier this season, do so now to hasten decomposition. Pre-shredding with your mower can also speed things along. Use finished, screened material to topdress beds. read all the may chores ⇒