Published July 4th, 2011 Growing Kiwi fruit has been a challenge for Ohio gardeners, because most Kiwi vines are not hardy here. We’ve found an answer for home orchardists in the Ohio valley; a self-fertile variety of hardy Kiwi called “Issai”. This particular kiwi has two major benefits; cold-hardiness to zone three (-25 degrees) and …
Published June 5th, 2011 By now just about everyone has heard of the phenomenal “Knock-Out” Rose. Actually there are seven rose varieties currently being marketed under the “Knock-Out” brand, and some are definitely better than others. But they’re all pretty good and some are very good. Overall, “Knock-Out” roses are easy to grow, bloom constantly, …
Published Aprill 16th, 2011 Regular readers of this column already know about our planned Philadelphia Garden Tour, and most people have heard of the tour centerpiece, Longwood Gardens. Fewer gardeners have heard of the nearby Winterthur Museum and Gardens in Wilmington, Delaware. Like Longwood, this fantastic estate was built by the DuPont family a century …
Published March 13th, 2011 The best way to fertilize is to mix the fertilizer with the soil when you plant. This has a “timed-release” effect because the roots find the food as the plant grows. It helps the roots spread quickly. For established plantings you should sprinkle powdered fertilizers generously around your plants before mulching. …
Published February 14th, 2011 One reason many people postpone landscape improvements is that they aren’t sure what they want. Some people are good at imagining finished landscapes, but most people aren’t. Walking around in nurseries can be mind-boggling. Many home landscapes are just a collection of plants that were bought on impulse because they attracted …
Published December 6th, 2010 As a kid I spent many, many weekends at my Oma’s house. My Oma and Opa were my father’s parents, immigrants from Germany, solid working people who loved gardening and their grandchildren about equally. They lived in a cozy little house in the middle of an acre in the New Jersey …
Published November 28th, 2010 Winter is the best time to prune trees. There are some simple and easy steps you can take to train young trees. The worst tree defects can be fixed, without climbing, when your trees are still young. In winter it’s easy to spot where the problems are, and winter pruning is …
Published October 18th, 2010 We talked last week about successful tree planting and how important it is to pick the right kind of tree for your location. The next step is to actually shop for a healthy tree. A good place to start is a quality local nursery. Things to look for are the overall …
Published October 11th, 2010 This week we start a four-week series of columns showing how to succeed with trees. First we’ll talk about selecting the right kind of tree for your location. Next week’s column will be about how to get your money’s worth when shopping for trees. Then we’ll share planting tips, and finally …
Published September 19th, 2010 Hot, dry weather has been with us for some time and there’s no drought relief in sight, so it’s time to pay attention to our established trees. In particular, trees you’ve planted within the past two or three years need emergency watering right now. We’re seeing some of the warning signs …