A wasp saying hello on the door. Did he just make a meal out of the wood on your trees? Image credit: Emily of Emily Site
Most of us have a greenhouse to some extent or another whether we realise it or not. The humble little terrarium is a greenhouse, as is the seed starter packs with the tops.  You know the ones, the ones that we routinely make out of cloches or the ones we […]

Hacking the Greenhouse

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The last thing you expect when working or relaxing outside is to catch a deadly disease. Yet, many people around the world have to confront this insidious part of our outside worlds when the weather warms up and the ticks come out. Ticks are well known for the infamous Lyme […]

A Scourge in the Garden

chintotoe
Spring is here, and many of us are beating cabin fever by getting out and in the garden. Our often over zealous nature leads to early mornings rushing out and pulling weeds, removing debris, and tilling the ground. Then, before we know it, we’re doing the “stiff duck walk” from […]

Beating the Stiffness and Pain with Kung Fu

Winter frost
If there is one thing new gardeners fear most, it’s freezing temperatures killing off their plants. If you plant to early, disaster strikes, and you’ll have to try again. Plant too late, and the cooler weather lovers wilt, while the warm weather lovers are stunted by not enough lead time. No […]

Working with The Freeze

cloche-garden
As I look outside and see 8 inches of snow that need to be cleared off my car, the last thing I’m thinking of is planting seedlings. But, since it often takes seedlings a month or two to really be at a place that makes it easy for planting in […]

Ready, Set, PLANT: 4 ideas to get your seeds planted ...

Noah in the Urban Farmer garden.
OK, so you’re ready to start your seeds, but where do you get them from? Mail order? Etsy? How do you know that these seeds are what they claim to be — especially if you are worried about their organic and heirloom provenance? Perhaps you grow some yourself — when […]

Organic and Heirloom Seeds Grown and Gathered with Love

Prairie Heaven
While weren’t on the topic of grasses, let’s take a look at the prairie ecosystem — and talk about how you might be able to make one on your patio or in your backyard. What is a prairie? A prairie is a grassland ecosystem, and they can be found all […]

Creating Your Own Prairie

Create a "wall" to a room with tall wheat instead of ornamental grass.
With last week’s post on wheat, you may be wondering what you can do with ornamental grasses and wheat to enhance your landscape. Grasses attracts a wide variety of birds and other wildlife, create a great canvas you can enjoy yard art on, and can be used as a very pretty […]

8 Uses for Ornamental Grasses (and Wheat) in Your Landscaping

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Wheat is a gorgeous crop plant that can be just as decorative as it is edible. Green wheat can take the place of the taller grasses in landscaping that turns to a beautiful golden hue before harvest (timing. of which, depends on the species). There are many varieties of wheats, […]

Grow Your Own Wheat

Pests in the White House
We dream of salsa, relaxing shade, and beautifully scented flowers, not a plot full of pest control. However, come summer time when the mosquitoes are gnats are flying around your head and mosquitoes have found that you are a suitable snack, you’ll wish you did plant at least something you can […]

Plan for your own DIY pest control.

La Haye-de-Routot, France --- Saint Anne Chapel lies within the hollow trunk of one of two 1,000-1,300 year old Yew trees in the cemetery at La Haye-de-Routot village in the Brotonne Regional Park in Normandy, France. --- Image by © Chris Hellier/CORBIS
Yews are interesting evergreens for they come in all shapes and sizes, depending on the subspecies, and can tolerate a wide range of sunlight and soil conditions. The shrubs can be sculpted and formalised, while the tree forms can grow for millennium creating twisted, ancient and mysterious shapes. With this […]

All about Yews