What Do You Want from Your Plants? Last October I mentioned that I had been sent samples of Cool Wave™ pansies, a new introduction from the folks who brought us Wave™ Petunias. Well I'm happy to report that they did indeed survive the winter and have been blooming for several weeks in the bed near my back door. They made for a very cheerful sight, when spring decided to stall out in April. They'll probably slow down as it gets warmer, but I'm looking forward to having them pop back to life in the fall....Read Full Post Source: About.com Gardening

Free Fertilizer with Comfrey Comfrey is kind of an awkward looking plant, growing 5' tall with giant lower leaves and clusters of small dangling flowers at the very top. But it has a cottage garden charm and grows well in any sunny spot. Choose your site wisely, though. While comfrey is usually well behaved about spreading, it is very stubborn about being removed....Read Full Post Source: About.com Gardening

Pea Shoots & Tendrils An Early Spring Treat I'm having a bizarre spring, with the temperature jumping and dropping 30 degrees in a day. So I'm getting very impatient for my vegetable garden to start rewarding all my efforts. I may not have peas yet, but I do have pea plants and that means I can indulge in one of the freshest tastes of spring - pea shoots and tendrils....Read Full Post Source: About.com Gardening

Vinegar and Weeds Here's a question I've gotten from more than one reader: Can you use vinegar as a herbicide? The short answer is - yes. There are some ifs, ands and buts, but the bottom line is that household vinegar will kill many weeds. It may take more than one try and you'd have better luck with a stronger concentration of acetic acid, but it's an organic control worth trying. Here are some suggestions for using vinegar as to kill weeds.....Read Full Post Source: About.com Gardening

Word for Wednesday Inspiration Visit a Garden Some days it seems that inspiration has put out the do not disturb sign and other times I have more ideas than Post-it® Notes to write them on. That always seems to happen when I'm outdoors. If I can lose myself in weeding and find the answer to all kinds of problems that have been puzzling me. And if I take a walk through someone else's garden, I am certain to have a sudden attack of "Must get home and get to work."  It never fails. So my response to today's W4W was easy - visit a garden....Read Full Post Source: About.com ...

Rosy Shade - Roses for Sun Challenged Gardens Roses for shade? Well, almost. While all roses enjoy a full day in the sun, many will grow just fine in partial shade. Heavy bloomers and rugged rugosas that thrive in full sun, will bloom a little less in partial shade, but they will bloom. If you haven't been growing roses because you didn't think they'd be happy in your lightly shaded garden, take a second look at these varieties. ...Read Full Post Source: About.com Gardening

It's a Vegetable! A Fruit! An Ornamental Plant?It's Rhubarb! Rhubarb is a very ornamental vegetable that is usually prepared and eaten much like a fruit. All that and it's perennial in many areas. Rhubarb, in shades of green and red, can grown into a stunning 3' leafy plant. You don't need many plants in your garden, but this is one cool season crop worth making room for. Plant it once and it could continue to reward you for over a decade! And don't think you have to settle for dried out store bought stalks, just because you don't get freezing winters. Gardeners in milder ...

What's Eating My Edible Yard? <script language="javascript" src="http://guidepolls.about.com/gardening/4870554384/poll.js?linkback="> I don't have unlimited space for gardens, so I try to squeeze things in wherever I can. Although I love the idea of edible landscaping, I have a enough trouble keeping the animals out of my fenced in vegetable garden. Planting vegetables throughout my lawn just seems to encourage every rabbit, groundhog and whatnot to homestead there. The only plants that survived last year were the okra and artichokes. Have you had better success with edible landscaping and if so, what plants survived in your yard. (This kale was grown in protective custody. Flowers in the vegetable garden I can do. Vegetables in ...

That’s Just Dandy! What is it about dandelions that we find so offensive?  We'll intentionally plant bulbs in our lawns, but volunteer dandelions must be eradicated.  I suppose it's the way they shoot up and blow their seeds everywhere.  A couple of dandelions are acceptable, but you never see a couple of dandelions....Read Full Post Source: About.com Gardening

MEXICO CITY JOURNAL; Lush Walls Rise to Fight A Blanket Of Pollution Mexico City Journal; three vertical gardens installed by nonprofit VerdMX across Mexico City function as both public art and filters for city's notoriously bad air pollution, and are an example of how the city has become a leader in environmental efforts for the developing world. Photo Source: NYT > Organic Gardening