Rain gardens are a relatively new type of garden that combines the beauty of a well designed landscape with environmental and social wellbeing. Rain gardens are an increasingly popular choice for public green spaces, but are also great for gardeners who want attractive, low-maintenance gardens that benefit the wider community.
What do you give plants to drink besides water and plant food? This question was asked on Facebook and I was surprised at the number of household kitchen products that are given to plants. What did not surprise me was that not a single person provided any evidence that any of them actually worked.
A very common expression people use to justify their actions is, “my plants love it”.
I hate that phrase. Plants do not show love – they don’t even say thank you. If you give something to a healthy plant you have no way of knowing if it is harming the plant or doing some good, unless you see huge changes in the plant, and even then the changes could be due to any number of other causes.
In this post I discuss 13 items people feed to plants.
I have written about companion planting several times and have concluded that most recommended companions, either don’t work, or there is no scientific support for them. When the book, “Plant Partners: Science-Based Companion Planting Strategies for the Vegetable Garden” was released I was definitely intrigued because all prior books on the subject are mostly myths and definitely not based on science.
Jessica Walliser, the author, was kind enough to provide a copy for review. Does this book finally provide a sound set of recommendations for companion planting?
Knowledge of plant names is the foundation of gardening and they help gardeners select plants and determine how to grow them. Many gardeners obtain or share knowledge by communicating with other plant enthusiasts from around the world. A good grasp of plant names and how to use them, will save you significant time, effort, and money.
The proper use of plant names becomes more complicated when we consider varieties, cultivars, hybrids, and regional differences between common names.
A rose by any other name might not smell as sweet…because it’s an entirely different plant!
People struggle with clay soil and try all kinds of quick fixes, including gypsum, which is regularly touted as a clay buster, but does it really work? Will gypsum make clay soil easier to dig? Will it improve drainage? Should you add it to your soil?
Maybe!
There are good reasons for using gypsum, but you have to know when and when not to use it. Most gardeners should not use it. Don’t listen to marketing hype about this product – much of it is wrong.
Gentiana angustifolia produces huge flowers relative to the size of the plant. This is one of the best plants in my rock garden and it should be added to every garden that specializes in small plants.
Zen gardens are some of the most famous examples of Japanese gardens. Originally invented by Japanese monks as early as the 700s, they are now iconic and popular around the world. Other names for Zen gardens include mediation gardens and Japanese rock gardens. Stones, sand and gravel are the most important features of these gardens, though they can also include bridges, water features and plants. At a glance, these gardens look simple and subdued but they are packed with meaning. The essence is a calming space for meditation that evokes natural landscapes on a small scale, which makes them a great choice for gardeners looking for a peaceful retreat in the comfort of their own home. Compared to other types of Japanese gardens, Zen gardens can be successfully created in small spaces and have low maintenance.
Who wouldn’t want a green dragon in the garden? The problem is that some green dragons are native to North America (Arisaema dracontium) and others are not (Pinellia Pedatisecta). Pinellia is commonly sold as Arisaema dracontium, and since Pinellia is much more aggressive, it can take over native areas after well-intentioned gardeners plant it.
If you grow either of these plants, make sure you know which one you have.
There is nothing wrong with growing Pinellia in North America; just make sure you label it correctly and don’t plant it in wild areas.
The use of wood chips for mulch is very popular but there are also many myths about it. Will it rob nitrogen from the soil? Is the dye on black mulch toxic? Do wood chips attract termites and can it ignite spontaneously?
These are just some of the myths I’ll investigate in this post.
Cornus mas is a shrub or small tree that blooms very early in year, even before forsythia. It has attractive yellow flowers followed by red fruit that develops in fall. It does not make a big splash in the garden, but adds a nice touch to a shrub border.
It’s planting time and most fertilizer manufacturers and nurseries are pushing their high phosphorus products, usually under names like Plant Starter, Root Booster and the one I really like “MegaMass”. These fertilizers claim to “supply the high phosphorus needed for rapid root development”.
Who doesn’t want good roots on their newly planted babies? Are roots not the key to great plants?
Let’s have a look at this extremely common myth.
Flueggea suffruiticosa is a rare shrub in gardens that is interesting, but not spectacular, until fall when it turns a beautiful golden color. It is quite architectural, presenting a weeping habit.