Evergreen Baby Branches Have to Go Have you ever noticed how mature evergreen trees have lots of dead branches on them? They tend to be the lowest ones on the tree. Eventually they rot and fall off, making a mess and leaving unsightly stubs. Not a single branch on a young spruce or pine tree …
Multiplying the Blooms on Flowering Shrubs It’s easy for home gardeners to double or triple the number of blooms on flowering shrubs like Lilac, Hydrangea, Spirea, and Weigela. All it takes is regular shearing once a year, particularly when the plant is young, along with regular feeding. There’s a technique to doing this, and a …
Winter Color – Plan For It At this time of year we’re already starting to get weary of winter’s drab color palette, and longing for spring color. Once Christmas decorations are put away for another year, seed catalogs will start arriving, with their photoshopped, color-enhanced temptations. Sunshiny days will be a rare treat. What to …
Understanding Fire Pits Gathering around a warm fire has brought people together since the beginning of mankind. Whether it’s a campfire in the woods or a fireplace in your living room, fire adds warmth and comfort while attracting people to gather. It’s only natural to want some sort of real fire as the centerpiece of …
Enjoying a Traditional Christmas Tree In today’s fast-paced, high-tech world, the ritual of a real Christmas tree captures the genuine spirit of the holidays. Decorating with live greens is an important way to connect with tradition, and pass the special feeling of Christmas along to another generation. The fragrance of a fresh-cut Christmas tree really …
Landscape Edging Saves Maintenance You may have noticed that the easiest landscape beds to maintain are those surrounded by concrete. For instance, most homes have a concrete walk between the driveway and the front door. This arrangement creates a space for landscaping, surrounded by pavement and the front porch or exterior wall. Most often this …
Is Your Hedgerow a Savings Account? As I drive around southwest Ohio, I pass by miles of hedgerows along fences and property lines. These are places where, because it’s difficult to cut them regularly, volunteer trees and brush are allowed to grow unchecked. Most of the trees in hedgerows are “stump suckers” with multiple, competing …
Ornamental Pears Are Illegal in Ohio Those of us with long driveways often fantasize about having a stately planting of matching driveway trees on both sides, forming a shady “tunnel”. This type of planting is called a colonnade. We’ve all seen them; perfect matching ranks of mature trees marching along the lane leading to the …
Is Something Wrong with Your Pine Tree? Is your white pine tree dying? Perhaps, but probably not. Let’s take a close look at your tree and see if there’s anything to worry about, or anything you need to do. Many White Pine trees turn yellow this time of year because of normal “needle drop” on …
Building With Brick in Colonial Williamsburg On our recent visit to Colonial Williamsburg, we saw lots of brick. Bricks were the paver of choice throughout the historic area, not to mention the surrounding neighborhoods and the Visitor’s Center. At least half of the buildings in the historic area are brick, including the multi-story Governor’s Palace …