Decorating with fresh-cut evergreens is part of the holiday fun, but if you’re trimming branches in your own garden, prune with care. Cuts you make this winter will affect the shape of your tree or shrub in years to come: a cut just in front of an upward- or downward-growing branch will trigger growth in the same direction next spring. Tip for pruning … [Read more...] about Quick tip: Make kinder evergreen cuts
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How to care for garden tools
Hard-working — and often abused — garden tools such as pruners (also known as secateurs) need some pampering to be rejuvenated and at the ready for next time around, especially before being put away for the winter. A thorough cleaning and sharpening now will ensure the pruning you do next spring is performed smoothly and easily, without damage to your plants. Think of it as a … [Read more...] about How to care for garden tools
Brugmansia mania
It started innocently enough with just one plant, but that led to another and then another. When all were packed into the basement one winter, I counted 50-plus brugmansias stowed behind the furnace, in the cold cupboard — even in the washroom. My wife, Shelley, concerned by my new obsession, suggested I stop taking cuttings and making more plants every time one came out of … [Read more...] about Brugmansia mania
Allergy-free gardening
If you wheeze and sneeze when you set foot in the garden, just think about sex — plant sex, that is. “What people don’t realize is that many plants are either male or female,” says Tom Ogren, pollen expert and author of Allergy-Free Gardening: The Revolutionary Guide to Healthy Landscaping (Ten Speed Press, 2000). “Male plants produce huge amounts of pollen, the biggest … [Read more...] about Allergy-free gardening
How to dry hydrangeas
Hydrangeas are one of the easiest flowers to dry, and given their size, you need only a few to fill a table arrangement or decorate a wreath. Drying hydrangeas Cut when the blooms are partially dry and slightly papery — usually between August and October. If cut too soon, the blooms will wilt and not dry; cut too late and they will be brown and less attractive. There are … [Read more...] about How to dry hydrangeas
