Seed Starting in 10 Steps Seed starting isn't rocket science, yet we've all have our triumphs and disappointments. Here are some tips and basics to give you the advantage when starting your garden seeds this spring....Read Full Post Source: About.com Gardening

Best Garden Photo of 2011 The votes are all in and "Dew Kissed Rose" was the run away winner of Best Gardening Photo of 2011. Congratulations, Jerry! Congratulations to all our 2011 Photo Challenge Winners and thank you for sharing your photos and your gardens with us....Read Full Post Source: About.com Gardening

Phil Says 6 More Weeks of Winter, But... Phil has spoken and in true groundhog fashion, it's not good news for gardeners. Phil saw his shadow and retreated into his burrow for another 6 weeks of winter. Many of us are still waiting for winter to start, so it will be hard to tell the difference. I'd be happy to know he won't be roaming around my yard for the next month, but to confuse things further, Shubenacadie Sam, of Nova Scotia, Wiarton Willie, of Ontario and Staten Island Chuck all predicted an early spring.  Personal experience makes it hard for me to trust groundhogs....Read Full Post Source: About.com ...

February in the Garden Regional Gardening Tips February is the toughest month in the garden. Usually it's just the gardeners in warm climates don't know what to expect from the weather. This year nature is teasing northern gardeners, making us think spring is just around the corner. Whatever it brings, February means that winter is half over and subtle signs of spring are there if you really look....Read Full Post Source: About.com Gardening

Forget-Me-Not Thinking about Valentine's Day yet? How about giving a Garden of Love? The D. Landreth Seed Company, the oldest seed company in America (est. 1784), has a Valentine Seed Collection that includes Victorian flowers expressing different levels of love. The Forget-me-nots shown here symbolize memorizes. Zinnias, which D. Landreth introduced to the U.S. market, stand for lasting affection. You'll get the whole history of floriography with the collection....Read Full Post Source: About.com Gardening

Getting Rid of Fungus Gnats You would think that seedlings grown indoors with lots of TLC would be leading a pretty cushy life, but not so. If they can survive damping off disease, they become prey for fungus gnats. Fungus gnats just seem to appear out of nowhere and begin destroying our otherwise happy, healthy plants and seedlings. They're those tiny black flying insects that disperse in a cloud when you touch your plant....Read Full Post Source: About.com Gardening

Heaving and Mulching We've been flitting from warm to cold with no snow covering and that can only mean one thing - heaving. This is the ind of weather that kills my beautiful heuchera plants. The ground freezes and thaws and freezes again, squeezing and lifting the plant crowns out of the ground. I finally chopped up my Christmas tree and covered most of the heuchera plants with branches, while the ground was frozen. Winter mulching sounds like a crazy idea, but it really works. Now I can use the warmer days to start my pruning....Read Full Post Source: About.com Gardening

Vote for Your Favorite Gardening Photo There are only a couple of days left  to vote for your favorite winning photo from last year's Gardening Photo Challenges.We had 6 themed challenges and picked our favorites, based on both the quality of the photo and how well they conveyed a love of gardening. Now it's time to pick the Best Photo of the Year....Read Full Post Source: About.com Gardening

New Plant Hardiness Zones The USDA just came out with all new maps for US Plant Hardiness Zones. The best change is how easy the maps are to read. They're designed for the web and they look great. They're also the culmination of 30 years of data and should be more accurate. Thankfully there's still a zip code look up, for those of us who want to cut to the chase. Don't worry, your existing plants won't now they've moved a zone or 2. They'll still be fine. Here's a look at the changes made to the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Maps. Then go to the USDA site and find ...

Seeds that Need Light to Germinate I was writing about snapdragons the other day and realized I hadn't grown any from seed in quite a few years, so I stopped by the garden center to see what they had. I was reading the packet and remembered that snapdragon seed, like poppies, petunias and several others, germinate best if they are left exposed to the light. That made me curious about what other seeds prefer not being covered in soil. I've compiled a list of many that need light, some seeds that will grow no matter what you do to them and some tips for keeping uncovered seed moist, until they germinate. Here ...