Bukiniczia cabulica is one of the cutest rock garden plants you can grow. Its flowers are reported to be pink, but all I see is a tan color. This does not really matter because you don’t grow it for the flowers. This plant is all about leaves which are a beautiful mottled blue green.
The legume is commonly recommended as a companion plant. It is believed that the excess nitrogen produced by the legume will help feed the companion growing next to it. In the Three Sisters agriculture system the bean provides nitrogen for the corn to grow and since corn needs a lot of nitrogen, it grows better.
Legumes are also an important ingredient in crop rotation. Grow corn one year and follow that up with beans or peas the following year to restore the level of nitrogen in the soil.
There is no doubt that legumes are able to capture atmospheric nitrogen (using bacteria) and convert it to plant usable nitrogen, but how much of this actually benefits other plants? Are legumes a good source of nitrogen for the garden?
Cotinus ‘Grace’ is a lovely smoke bush that stands out in any garden. It has vibrant red spring foliage that keeps it color all summer long, turning an even better red-orange in fall. Leaf color depends very much on the angle of the sun but when it is shining just right the whole plant glows. Leaves that are in shade will take on a dark green color. In summer it produces large dark pink clouds of blooms.
Hoe, hoe, hoe ….. it’s Christmas time and a good time to expose myths about Christmas trees. How do you keep Christmas trees hydrated? Should you add diapers to the tree stand? Are artificial trees more eco-friendly? Do they still contain lead? Can you reuse trees grown in pots? How do you cut the bottom of the tree? These and many more questions will be answered in this holiday gift to you.
Powdery mildew and black spot are common garden diseases, and one of the most common home remedies is a mixture known as the ‘Cornell Formula’, a mixture whose main ingredient is baking soda.
This is an example of how and why myths get started.
In this post, I will discuss the Cornell Formula, explain how it got started, and have a look at the efficacy of using baking soda as a DIY fungicide. Does it work? Will it harm your plants? Are there better options?
What is the best way to harvest tomato seeds? There are quite a few methods described on the internet and everyone has an opinion as to what works best. Unfortunately most of these ‘opinions’ are not based on any reliable testing. To really answer the question we need to find out what science says.
In this post I will review the science behind tomato seed harvesting with a special emphasis on cleaning the seed.
Do you want to start an online fight? Ask about using using gray water in the garden (also spelled graywater, grey water and greywater). Opinions vary widely, and both users and non-users feel very strongly about their position. You will see lots of opinions, and many statements that are false.
In highly developed countries there is a definite distrust of gray water, but as regions experience more drought people are starting to consider it as a viable option. Clean water, also called potable water, is wasted on landscapes and as the cost of it goes up, more and more gray water will be used. In this post I will discuss its use in the garden.
Gibberellic acid is a natural plant hormone that can be used to speed up the germination of seeds. It is mostly used on seed that is difficult to germinate or ones that takes a long time to germinate. This post will examine how it works, and your options for using it.
It is fall and you have just collected some seed from your garden. Should they be stored in the fridge or freezer? Both suggestions are quite common for storing seed, but the true answer will surprise you.
In this post I will have a closer look at storing seeds from your garden.
I was reading one of the Facebook groups and found a picture of the Hickory Tussock Moth Caterpillar; also known as the black and white tussock moth caterpillar. Someone posted that it is very poisonous and it should not be touched? I started to wonder – how poisonous is it?
It is common for such warnings to be aggregated. I think back to the Hogweed and pictures of people in hazmat suites trying to clear it. I grew one, touched it, and no reaction at all. How dangerous is the Hickory Tussock? Will you die if you touch it? Will you get a serious rash and blistering? If there is a reaction, how common is it?
In my search for an answer, I found a lot of confusing information and realized that many people, including myself, don’t really understand the difference between a poison, a venom and an allergy. Lets have a closer look and understand how dangerous this cutie really is.
Garlic is one of the most popular companion plants. It can be grown next to most plants as a natural pest and fungus deterrent. It takes up little space, is not fussy about soil and can grow in most conditions.
I am sure that its pungent flavor is what convinces people that it keeps pests and diseases away. If it keeps vampires away, surely a few bugs are not a problem for it.
Chrysogonum virginianum ‘Norman Singer’ adds great color to an early summer garden and is easy to grow. It forms a mat that is thick enough to keep out most weeds, it does not need deadheading and it’s semi-evergreen, making it almost no-maintenance. The only thing you need to do is reduce the size of the clump every 2-3 years.