New Additions
I like to frequent the “distressed plant shelf” at my local home and garden center. This is where all the wilted, neglected plants are put when they no longer appear well enough to sell at full price. House plants can be expensive. I usually try to clone mine in order to propagate them, but sometimes [...]
Fail :(
I swear I was going to bring it in… soon.
I just needed some time!
Oh, the carnage…
This is what happens when you leave your tropical house plants outside, and the weather turns. I had started bringing other plants in, in preparation for Winter. I supposed the Pothos would be sturdy enough to deal with the initial [...]
Hitchhikers’s Guide to My Front Porch
So I’ve been gradually moving my houseplants back in from their long Summer vacation outside. I’m determined to keep any would-be freeloaders OUT of my house. This includes anything that could cause problems with the rest of my plants. The main one I’m concerned about is spider mites. Ugh, those tiny red moving dots are [...]
New Addition
Dear Ivy,
I just got a 6″ Celosia plant as a gift. How do I care for it? Where do I place it? How frequently do I need to water and fertilize it?
-Curious
Dear Curious,
I would say that whomever gave you this plant surely thinks you have good taste, and a green thumb! Celosia are beautiful [...]
Reader Mail
Dear Ivy,
When you dead-head a petunia, can you just pluck the dead flower or should you snip it a little lower? What about those little mini petunias, do you have to deadhead those too?
Thanks very much,
Evary
Dear Evary,
This is a great question! A good opportunity to explain to my readers the practice of “Dead [...]
Beans, beans, the magical fruit…
Oh, Summer camp. The valuable songs you taught me…
In spite of the recent high temperatures, my garden has finally started pulling its weight around here! In addition to the salad greens, radishes, sunflowers and raspberries, I now have delicious and nutritious green beans! I used plain old fashioned elbow grease. Also, compost and manure! I [...]
Bugs of Summer
I’d like to introduce you to some of your best friends
This is a Flat-Backed Millipede, from the order Polydesmida. This little guy is an integral part of the food chain and the Chairmen-of-the Board of the Decomposition Committee. These arthropods do not bite or sting, and are a big help to have in [...]
The Fruits of My Labor :D
I’ve been harvesting quarts and quarts of raspberries over the last few weeks! A couple times a week, I go out in the back garden and pluck a few quarts of the delicious fruits. The plants I have are called “Everbearing”, and they should produce all Summer. I pruned them back really heavily at first. [...]
Spring blooms!!
My birthday gardenia is blooming!
I was worried about it for a while, because several leaves turned yellow and fell off. Then, about a week ago, I noticed these:
The buds are pretty large in comparison to how big the plant is. They are about two inches long, and as big around as a sharpie [...]
More Sprouts!
My dwarf sunflower sprouts are anything but! They are about 4 inches tall, and they are towering over all the other sprouts in the growing trays. I did some research and found out that the projected date for the last frost here is May 9th. It seems so far away!
…But in reality, I don’t have [...]