Latest Gardening News
Easy houseplants for neglectful gardeners
Confession time: I’ve murdered a Monstera, slaughtered a snake plant, assassinated an African violet and offed more orchids than I’d like to admit. It’s not that I don’t know how to care for these houseplants – I do! I just have a tendency to neglect them, and since...
The mutant tomatoes are here, and they come in peace
This is the time of year when, without fail, readers send me photos of their mutant tomatoes. Many look like Jimmy Durante (if you’re too young to know who that is, think Squidward). Others are horned, and some should carry a “for mature audiences only” warning. ...
It's time to celebrate annuals, the type of loyal friend every gardener can use
Summer annuals are the champions of the late-season garden. Perennials are the majority residents in my flower gardens, and each year, I welcome the reliable, repeat performers when they arrive to spend summer like a dear, old friend who comes to visit. Most bloom intermittently from...
Some plants are more flammable than others. How gardeners can reduce the risks
The deadly wildfires in Hawaii this month were fueled in part by plants, in particular invasive grasses that have taken over land once occupied by sugar and pineapple plantations. Some plants are more flammable than others, says Michele Steinberg, wildfire division director at the...
Rabbits and deer and voles, oh my! What's eating your garden?
Nature is a beautiful thing, but sometimes it can wreak havoc on a garden. Insects and wildlife have to eat, of course, and when we lay out a veritable buffet, who can blame them for gorging themselves? This is the natural order of things, and we should be happy to see monarch...
The right plants and some TLC can help your garden get through the heat
With record-breaking heat striking many places across the country and around the world, my social media feeds are filling up with gardeners’ laments – and photos of their fallen annuals and perennials. Although my tomatoes in suburban New York have been stalled at green for the...
Editorial Roundup: Minnesota
Minneapolis Star Tribune. July 29, 2023. Editorial: New cannabis law needs work Minnesota cities, counties now must regulate pot use in parks, public spaces. Recreational cannabis becomes legal in this state starting Tuesday, and while many have hailed...
Where flooding has become more frequent, here's how gardeners can respond
Water is essential to plant life, but what happens when there’s too much of a good thing, as has been the case in many parts of the country and the world this summer? Extreme rainfall is more frequent now, atmospheric scientists say, as storms form in an atmosphere made warmer by...
In Ashland, a new house, an old watch and a mystery solved
ASHLAND, Va. (AP) — As work was getting underway at a new home site in Ashland, Hanover and King William Habitat for Humanity construction manager Jeff Ell thought to himself he ought to go over the property with his metal detector. Ell, who has been with Habitat for two years,...
Are ants harmful to the garden? Usually not
I replanted some of my containers last week, swapping out dead pansies for petunias, which will better withstand the heat as summer progresses. As I removed the spent plants from their pots, a swarm of ants immediately covered my bare arms. That wasn’t the first time I’d...
