Figs hold a special place among the many kinds of fruits we eat. They have a unique quality that goes well with savory foods, especially ham and soft cheeses, or added to salads. Until recently, outside fig-growing areas, only dried figs were available, and these have absolutely no resemblance to the fresh version of this wonderful fruit. But fresh figs are always expensive, because their...
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Fresh fruit is one of the great pleasures of life, and home-grown is always superior in just about every way. But growing fruits like peaches, pears, and even apples is not easy, and those trees take up a lot of space, while gardens get smaller and smaller. But there are other types of fruit that not only take up very little room, but that are...
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Now that fall is beginning, this is prime planting season for trees and shrubs. Planted now, rather than in spring, they will establish roots over winter – even in the coldest areas – so when the first warm days arrive they will be ready to go. This maximizes the growing season, and gives you mature plants that much sooner – the garden you are dreaming...
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With fall advancing, we are into peak tree-planting season, and all across the country gardeners and home owners are choosing shade trees, ornamental trees, or planning to plant trees to screen their property or define a boundary. A lot of time will be spent choosing a location for that tree, considering where it will look best, or cast shade onto the ideal spot for lounge...
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It doesn’t matter how much or how little you garden, or how complex or simple your garden is, evergreens are going to be an essential part of it. They provide structure as screens or hedges, and they fill out empty corners with the perfect background. Around the house they give permanence to your foundation planting, and in the garden they keep things calm on the...
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Somehow, over recent years, the gardening year got turned around. Today everyone rushes into their garden at the first sign of spring, and immediately starts planning and planting for the best garden ever. This is quite a change from years ago, when spring was a secondary season, ideal for planting some plants, but not the time for most of the work. It used to be...
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We tend to think of garden flowers as something that happens in spring and summer and having blooms at those times is relatively easy. Too many gardens though, are finished by Labor Day, and yes, there is fall color still to come, but the end of summer shouldn’t mean the end of colorful flowers. There is something almost magical about flowers appearing in fall, so...
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While we enjoy the last balmy days of summer, it is hard to think of the winter to come, but it will come, and our once-green gardens will be a lot barer when it does. You might live in the cold north-east, where the winter garden is mostly seen through windows from the warmth inside, or in a milder area where walking around or even...
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There is a cycle to the growth of a garden through the seasons. After the silent wait of winter, spring arrives full of promise. The fresh, new growth of trees and shrubs is beautiful to see, and the perfect blossoms lift our hearts. Gardeners are filled with enthusiasm, planting new plants, and making plans. Summer arrives, and then things can start to go wrong. Newly-planted...
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Summer is at its height, but the smart gardener is always thinking ahead. Fall will be with us all too soon, and if you want to continue the garden fun and beauty into that special season, it’s time to take inventory and add some plants that will make it an even better season for you. We always think of fall leaves when thinking about the...
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Boxwood shrubs – as hedges of different sizes, clipped shapes or growing naturally – are the backbone of the structure of many gardens. Boundaries and edgings are the easiest way to bring order to a garden, and make your other plants stand out. Whether its edging a path or driveway, adding accents around your home, or simply putting evergreen permanence into a bed of deciduous...
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As we enter the hot days of August, our gardens can begin to look a bit tired. The heat and drier conditions mean that the flowers of spring and early summer have faded, and often there is little color to be seen. Smart gardeners plan for this, and make sure they grow some plants that will carry on through the heat and drought, brightening the...
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Crape Myrtles (Lagerstroemia) are very popular shrubs for warmer areas, and no wonder. They have spectacular blooms for an extended period, grow well in poor soil, and are heat and drought resistant. They also come in many sizes, so there is a plant for every purpose around the garden, from specimen tree to low shrub or container plant. If you grow Crape Myrtles in your...
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Planting a tree is always a great moment – most trees have longer lives than we do, and although a newly-planted tree will be a beautiful addition to our gardens after just a few years of growth, we can expect most trees we plant to live longer than we do, reaching their full glory when we are gone, so tree planting is always a special...
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Across most of the country, you will see, and probably have in your garden, cedar trees. The name ‘cedar’ was given by the early settlers to several tall evergreen trees they found in the new land. In the east we have ‘white cedar’, and out west there are two trees called ‘red cedar’, ‘Alaskan cedar’, and ‘incense cedar’. As well there is ‘eastern red cedar’,...
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It has not been all that many years since grass had only one place in the garden – green and mowed weekly on the lawn. It took some adventurous growers and garden designers to open our eyes to the beauty of grass – not short and green, but tall and golden, ornamented with striking plumes flowers and seeds. The increased interested in grasses coincided with...
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There is a big push these days to use less water on our gardens. Periods of drought, limitations on city water supplies, concerns about long-term freshwater availability, and increased costs to home-owners – all these things point in the direction of ‘water-wise’ gardening. There is also much more emphasis on growing trees suited for your local region, rather than struggling to grow plants from moister...
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New gardeners quickly hear about this thing called ‘mulch’, but often all that hear is, ‘mulch regularly’, or ‘use mulch for weed control’ – without getting any real idea of what it is, what is so good about it, or the best ways to use it. Mulch, properly chosen and applied, is a substantial benefit to your garden, and can really deliver top results. So...
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Planting a tree is an action full of hope. We hope that our tree will grow and flourish, living out its life – which will certainly be decades, and perhaps even a hundred years or more – free of problems that threaten it. This is usually true, trees are remarkably tough, and most grow and survive without problems. But some don’t. Sometimes it is a...
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Holly is one of the most popular broad-leaf evergreens. It’s deep-green glossy leaves look great in the garden all year round, and the winter bonus of bright red berries really brings color and interest at a low time in the garden. Plus, it’s traditional for the holiday season, so you can make your own wreathes and garlands to brighten your home. For hedges or specimens,...
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A drive around any older neighborhood will quickly show you giant trees right up against houses, blocking windows, damaging foundations and drains, and making rooms dark and gloomy. Bad decisions about planting distances are easy to find, so why are they made? The biggest single reason for poor tree placement is the way we see plants as cute and small, and our wish to surround...
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If you have gardened in colder parts of the country for a long time, you will remember the ubiquitous PG Hydrangea, still seen in many gardens. It’s a standard shrub for later flowering – reliable, hardy, but with several faults that make it a long way short of perfect. To begin with, it grows quite large – older plants that have not been regularly pruned...
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Wherever you garden, even in cooler climate zones, you can have hot, dry areas in your garden. Those places that bask in the sun all day, perhaps with sandy or rocky soil that dries out quickly and leaves your plants looking sad and droopy. Sometimes too, if you have wide eaves, there are dry areas at the foot of a south or west-facing wall, that...
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Spring is the big season in the garden, and this is when we all go out and look at our gardens, to see what we can grow that will make them more beautiful. Evergreens are popular choices for easy-care gardening, and pines trees stand out for their very different appearance, and suitability for many different areas. Pines have a special kind of beauty, and their...
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