Time To Start Planting Asparagus
Stephanie's father in law, Marshall Fleming has his asparagus and onions planted in his garden. Next up will be his Spring peas.
Garden Tools, The Perfect Gift
Garden Tools make some of the best gifts. Stephanie shares some simple gardening gift ideas when shopping at your local independent garden center; you will be able to find so many terrific gardening ideas for Mother's Day, Weddings, and even House Warming Gifts for the new homeowner you know.
Enjoy the Little Things
Stephanie's back from a week-long buying trip to Atlanta. Get a sneak peek of one of her favorite lines for 2016: fairy gardens!
You Can’t Always Get What You Want…
Our wandering horticulturist, Larry Hurley, is finding out that gardening in paradise isn't always easy. On the small Caribbean island of Montserrat, where his family owns a house, beautiful sunsets may be easy to come by, but potting soil? Not so much.
Wait Wait…Don’t Toss That
Our favorite nurseries and garden shops are brimming with products that promise to deliver the lushest of foliage, the healthiest of roots, and little to no lingering pests. There’s no doubt that there are some fantastic options out there, but…
Hummingbird Season Begins!
Today isn't just Tax Day; it's the official beginning of Hummingbird Season! Sightings have been reported in NC and parts of VA and you can monitor their journey here: 2014 Hummingbird Migration Map. So it's time to get your feeders…
How to Clean and Sharpen Pruning Tools
Behnkes is providing tool sharpening on weekends through February 21, 2016! (Limit 2 per customer, please. This is popular and we want to avoid lines.) It's first come, first served and doesn't include lawn-mower blades or saws. COST: Suggested donation of…
In Praise of Cold Frames
A cold frame is a place to grow plants that’s enclosed with a transparent roof. It's great because it protects plants from cold weather while admitting sunlight and preventing heat escape. Think of it as a miniature greenhouse or season-extender. …
How to Reduce Weeding
The gardening season is ON, which means we're all busy weeding. Here are some of my favorite ways to reduce the job.. Remove the weeds as soon as you see them. If you don't, they'll accumulate and possibly become an…
The Low-Maintenance, Organic Way to Deal with Pests
Carol Allen may be a plant geek, horticulturist and organic gardener, but she’s also a self-professed LAZY gardener. So when she teaches her favorite ways of dealing with garden pests, you know it’ll be the most effective, easiest to do,…
Composting Basics
Organic gardening experts are constantly telling us to improve our soils with organic matter, but what kind? Fully decayed organic matter — compost — is, in the words of one* of my favorite gardening books, “the creme de la creme,…
Introduction to “Pests” and their Prevention and Treatment
One of the hottest, most emotionally charged topics in the gardening world is the use of pesticides, the umbrella term for herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and the like (“cide” meaning “killing”). Washington Post writer Joel Lerner recently noted that there are…