Winter is settling in. The last roses, which lingered almost until Thanksgiving, have been blasted by a couple of cold nights. Trees are gray and bare, their colorful leaves fallen. The busyness of gardening, such a powerful balm and refuge in this difficult year, has come to an end. All is bare and still. But […]

Getting your first greenhouse can be very exciting, but it can also make you a bit apprehensive when you realize there may be more to greenhouse gardening than you initially thought. Where will I get enough plants to fill my new greenhouse? And what kinds of plants are best suited to it? Should I worry […]

‘Laxton’s Orange Pippin’, ‘Worcester Pearmain’, ‘Arthur Turner’, ‘Oxheart’ just a few of the named antique apple varieties that grew in my English garden. A neighbor gave the young trees to me when we arrived in the village; he’d grafted them from his own orchard trees, ones planted by his father when he returned to farming […]

I’m always on the hunt for fresh greens for my salad bowl as the skies in the Pacific Northwest turn to autumn gray. But this year, I’ve discovered some new (to me) perennial greens that will carry on all winter in a greenhouse or in a bright south-facing window. I’m talking with Sam Hubert, the […]

My neighbor has set up a gigantic, animated witch balloon (Halloween decorating seems to have escalated this year). Meanwhile, I’ve set up a sprinkler. Deep in October, with the first hard freeze due any day, most people are done with gardening, apart from raking leaves. But I’m still busy with the hose. Why on earth? […]

Ellen Zachos knows how to look for what others might overlook. She’s author of several books, including Backyard Foraging: 65 Familiar Plants You Didn’t Know You Could Eat. Her newest book The Forager’s Pantry: Cooking with Wild Edibles will be out in April, 2021. What’s her definition of foraging? She laughs. “Some people think it’s […]

Cymbidiums are beautiful flowering plants in the orchid family, featuring many showy flowers arranged on unbranched stems. For the winter greenhouse these orchids are a favorite. They are also very popular as cut flowers during the winter months. Typically, they come into bloom in late January through March when little else is in bloom. When […]

Nights have gotten chilly. The news is scary. Winter is coming. But a garden is still a consolation, especially if it’s planned to keep blooming until the last possible moment. I dropped by the other day to say farewell to a friend who is moving far away from the home where she’s gardened for decades. […]

With the new interest in food growing that has arisen in these uncertain times, many gardeners want plants that look attractive in their garden or greenhouse but are also good to eat. While all well-grown vegetables have a lovely look—I’m thinking of a row of cabbage, or a square foot carpet of cut-and-come-again greens—some vegetables […]

A few years ago it was all about Millennials and how they travel to collect experiences, selecting destinations because of the stories they can later tell,  and prefer to acquire skills – like gardening — through hands-on learning. Like that’s something new? But if that’s the case, I’ve been a Millennial all my adult (Boomer) […]

Here in Rhode Island, this summer has been one of the hottest on record, with more 90˚F (32˚C) days than ever before. Such high temperatures can easily overheat a greenhouse. If you’ve ever left your greenhouse doors and windows closed on a hot, sunny day, you may have seen the temperature soar above 120oF (49oC), […]

Cacti and succulents are plants with thick, fleshy stems and leaves that have evolved to store water in dry climates. In recent years, they have become enormously popular for house plants. You see them for sale everywhere, including most big-box stores. Some of the most common varieties are aloe plants, jade plants, sempervivum, kalanchoes, agaves, […]