Gardenia Growing
Q: I have a gardenia topiary in a North facing window in my house. Some of the leaves are turning brown and some of the branches are wilting. Why? Please help!
A: Ah, gardenias. The famous white bloom Billie Holiday wore in her hair. Popular in the Southern US, these plants are native to Asia and [...]
Wanted: Garden Enemies
Have you seen this critter?
This is a common grasshopper. These guys are native to the US. Just a few of them is no big deal, but a swarm of them can wipe out a whole Summer’s worth of work. Grasshoppers have many natural enemies. Help harbor the predators, keep the pests to a minimum.
Don’t throw [...]
Eureka!!!
I’ve been stuffing spent coffee grounds into my houseplants and they love it! No fruit flies, no risk of bringing in hitch hikers from my outdoor compost!
Reader Mail: Venus Fly Trap
Q: Can I use a five-gallon fish tank to grow my Venus Fly trap?
A: Absolutely! Actually, that would be ideal! Venus Fly traps (Latin name Dionaea muscipula) are an interesting little plant native to the Carolinas in the Eastern US. They grow in swampy bog areas where the soil is very acidic. They cannot obtain [...]
More Reader Mail!
Q: What is the watering schedule for succulents?
A: This is a good question, reader, but one that is hard to quantify. Succulents are plants, often from the desert, that store water in specially evolved organs. These organs can be in the roots, stems, leaves, or in special potato-like growths that expand and contract.
These plants like [...]
Reader Question
Q: Can banana peels be used as fertilizer for indoor houseplants?
A: Yes, but they must be composted. You can’t just lay a banana peel on the dirt of a houseplant. Though it eventually would work its way into the soil, it would take weeks. Also, you would probably get fruit flies and mold before it [...]
Reader Mail!-
For Ivy,
I am getting ready to buy large plants for an outdoor patio. The patio gets
sun from around 9:00 to 3:00. I then want to be able to bring them indoors
for the winter. Any recommendations for types?
-Musing in Massachusetts
Dear Musing,
Congratulations, it sounds like you have a full sun patio! Lots of gardeners struggle with lack [...]
Composting 101
You may be spending dough on store bought fertilizer for your plants while throwing away valuable bits of it every day. I have seen the beauty of decomposing organic material, readers! It’s so easy and beneficial to compost, I don’t know why I never did it before. The steps are simple and you can go [...]
More Reader Mail!
I just get so excited when I get reader mail! I can hardly wait to respond. Here is a letter I got today from a reader who is having a problem with an uninvited opportunistic organism.
Hello Ivy
I re-potted plants 2 weeks ago for Spring. Bought a new bag of high
quality potting soil , did the [...]
Invasive Species?
I’ve struck a deal with the Morning Glories. I won’t bother them if they don’t bother me.
Every year, the purple-ish blue flowers shroud my fence and snake along the ground. They climb across herbs and vegetables, choking them down to the ground, and blocking out the sun. They suck up all the moisture in the [...]