Click picture to enlarge What you need: Sharp, clean pruning shears Bleach Clean vase First and foremost, you need to thoroughly clean the vase you will be using. Scrub the inside of the vase with soap and hot water. If the vase is really dirty, you can use a little bleach when cleaning. Click picture […]
Click picture to enlarge What you need: Glycerine Glass jar Pruning knife Hot water String Glycerinized foliage is perfect for dried arrangements. It usually turns the foliage a dark green or shade of brown and gives the leaves a leather-like texture. Foliage that you can try glycerinizing include mahonia, leucothoe, rhododendron, laurel, beech and baptisia. […]
Click picture to enlarge What you need: Ceramic container Duct tape Plumber’s epoxy Spray can of polyurethane The only criterion for a suitable water gardening container is its ability to hold water. You can seal ceramic containers so that they can be used for water gardening. Start by taping over the drainage hole with duct […]
Click picture to enlarge What you need: Apples, nectarines, pears, plums, and peaches all will reward you with high quality, excellent tasting crops if you thin the immature fruit in late spring or early summer when it is about the size of a dime. This is especially important on young trees, where too much fruit […]
Click picture to enlarge What you need: Sharp knife 8″ pot Seedling mix Sand or grit Root division is an easy way to propagate some fleshy-rooted perennials. First dig up the plant and wash the roots. Select large roots, about the thickness of a pencil, and cut them off near the crown of the plant. […]
Click picture to enlarge Your first cut should be about three feet up the trunk. Make a diagonal cut downwards about 1/3 of the way through the trunk. Click picture to enlarge Make another cut parallel to the ground just below the first cut that you made. Remove the wedge from the tree trunk. Click […]
Click picture to enlarge There are over 30,000 species of orchids and at least that many additional hybrids, but only certain ones will grow well in the home. Let’s look at few of the best prospects. Click picture to enlarge Cattleyas are the type most people identify as orchids. The colors of their flowers cover […]
Click picture to enlarge What you need: Hoe Landscape fabric Exacto knife Mulch Use a hoe to hill up the soil into rows. Click picture to enlarge Lay the landscape fabric on top of the raised rows. Click picture to enlarge Shovel soil over the fabric that is lying in the valleys on either side […]
Click picture to enlarge What you need: 2 10′ pressure treated 2x4s 1 8′ pressure treated 2×4 3 8′ cedar trellis channels 1 2’x8′ cedar lattice 20 1-1/4″ exterior wood screws 6 3″ exterior wood screws Electric drill Phillips head bit Handsaw This trellis is easy to build and relatively inexpensive. Its 8′ height makes […]
Click picture to enlarge What you need: Bulbs Bulb planter or trowel Bone meal Bulbs that naturalize multiply and spread each year. Not all bulbs will naturalize, and not all bulbs that will naturalize will do so in every climate. Your local garden center’s bulb expert can help you choose bulbs that will naturalize in […]
Click picture to enlarge What you need: Fruit trees can be trained to many forms. The most common are the open vase shape and central leader. This tutorial demonstrates how to train a young tree to an open vase shape, a form particularly suited to peaches, plums and apricots. Click picture to enlarge Young trees […]
Click picture to enlarge What you need: 3# hammer Masonry chisel Safety goggles Builder’s square 2×4 It can be useful to cut a paving slab for a specific space. Lay the slab on a firm, flat surface. Use a builder’s square as a guide to score a line where you wish to cut the slab. […]
Click picture to enlarge What you need: Butcher knife Spade Pruning shears Remove any vegetation still left on the plant, and dig up the root ball. Dicentra have thick fleshy roots that are easily damaged, so be sure to dig far enough away from the crown so that you get the whole root ball intact. […]
Click picture to enlarge What you need: Pruners 4 1×1″ stakes Coated wire Chicken wire Straw, hay, or leaves Burlap Twine Tree roses are beautiful ornamental features in any garden. If you live where temperatures drop below 25 F, they require winter protection. Click picture to enlarge Prepare your tree rose for winter after the […]
