Harvesting Vegetables

There are no precise guidelines as to when to harvest your vegetables, but there are some rules of thumb to guide you. Most vegetables are harvested just before full maturity, for maximum flavor and the most pleasant texture. The following are vegetable harvesting criteria for judging whether your vegetables are ready for picking.

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Gardening Websites

Gardening online is one of the best tools a gardener has. Here is a list of 10 information packed garden diagnostic web sites to answer all your gardening questions.

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Gardening Question of the Week Are Hybrid Vegetables Genetically Modified and are Heirloom Vegetables Better for You?

Hybrid vegetables are the result of two plants cross pollinating. Plant breeders and seed companies do this intentionally, to produce a new plant, but hybridization can happen in nature...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

Garden Design - Color

Color is arguably the most prominent factor in a garden design and often the first one considered. Good garden design involves knowing how to combine colors so that the final product has a cohesive and pleasing effect. Here are some tips to train your eye to see color and for combining color in the garden.

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Long Producing VeggieGarden

You can have a long producing vegetable garden with minimal effort. Keep harvesting in your vegetable garden into the fall and maybe even winter months. A long producing vegetable garden is possible, if you heed some simple, but key gardening rules.

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Dividing Bearded Iris

Bearded Iris are tall, elegant additions to the flower border, but they are also relatively high maintenance. You can help cut down on the incidence of soft rot and borer damage through regular division of the iris rhizomes, every 2-3 years. This will also keep bearded iris performing and blooming at its best. Dividing iris isn't hard. Start by carefully digging and lifting the rhizomes, as shown here.

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Forcing Spring Flowering Trees and Shrubs A Breath of Spring Air

Could you use of little breath of spring about now? By February, most spring blooming trees and shrubs have had enough of a cold dormancy period. You...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

Bypass Pruners

Bypass garden pruners make an easy, clean cut. A professional quality pruner will make pruning easier and cuts cleaner.

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Edible Flowers

Edible flowers aren't a new phenomonon, but garnishes of fresh flowers tend to intimidate diners. No one is really sure if the flowers are there for decoration or to be eaten. It's hard to find edible flowers to purchase, but quite easy to grow most of them in your garden. Since flowers are best when eaten soon after harvest, growing your own edible flowers makes even more sense. Here are some tips.

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Geranium sanguineum

Geranium sanguineum Photo

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February in the Garden

February may well be the toughest gardening month. Gardeners in warm climates don't know what kind of weather to expect from day to day or from day to night. Gardeners in cold climates just want to see the sun again. February in the garden is for planning and pruning and for seeing the first signs that spring is around the corner. Here are some regional tips for gardening in February.

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Gardening Quiz: Latin Plant Names are Greek to Me.

Gardening quiz. Have some fun understanding the meaning of Latin plant names.

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Growing Lamb's Ears

Lamb's Ears are popular in gardens because of their soft, inviting texture. They are very easy to grow almost anywhere. This profile of Lamb's Ears, Stachys byzantina, gives you their preferences and recommends varieties for your garden.

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Begonia Nonstop Mocca Pink

Begonia F1 'Nonstop Mocca Pink Shades'

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Carex 'Hedgehog Grass'

Carex 'Hedgehog Grass' (Carex juncus sp.)

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Osteospermum F1 'Asti White'

Osteospermum F1 'Asti White' - 2008 AAS Bedding Plant Award Winner

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Wine & Roses Weigela

Wine & Roses Weigela (Weigela florida 'Alexandra')

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Rudbeckia 'Indian Summer'

Black-eyed Susans: Rudbeckia 'Indian Summer'

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Squash, Winter 'Orange Magic'

Winter Squash F1 'Orange Magic' (Cucurbita maxima)

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Red Foliage Hibiscus

Hibiscus 'Garden Leader Gro Big Red' (Hibiscus acetosella)

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Digitalis 'Candy Mountain'

Digitalis 'Candy Mountain' (Digitalis purpurea)

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Rudbeckia Triloba

Brown-eyed Susans: Rudbeckia Triloba

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Rudbeckia 'Cherokee Sunset'

Black-eyed Susans: Rudbeckia 'Cherokee Sunset'

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Rudbeckia 'Goldsturm'

Black-eyed Susans: Rudbeckia 'Goldsturm'

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Rose Dream Come True"

Grandiflora Rose Dream Come True" - 2008 All America Rose Selection Winner

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Rudbeckia 'Sonora'

Black-eyed Susans: Rudbeckia 'Sonora'

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Gardening Question of the Week How Do You Grow Herbs on a Windowsill?

On the About Gardening Forum, Mary wrote: Hi everyone. A neighbor keeps talking about his indoor herb garden and that make me want to start one. I would like...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

Eggplant F1 'Hansel'

Eggplant F1 'Hansel'

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Petunia Varieties

Petunias have done a 180 in recent years. They are much more tolerant of rain and many don't need any deadheading at all. They mound, they trail and they bloom their hearts out. How do you know what type of petunia to buy? Here's a petunia 101 on which types of petunias are best for your garden, hanging baskets and groundcovers.

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Butterfly Gardening

A true butterfly garden is not just designed to attract adult butterflies, but also to afford a place for them to hibernate and lay eggs and for the larva, or caterpillars, to feed. Different species of butterflies have different preferences in plants.

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Calibrachoa MiniFamous Blue

Calibrachoa 'MiniFamous" Double Blue' (Calibrachoa cultivars)

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Rudbeckia 'Maya'

Black-eyed Susans: Rudbeckia 'Maya'

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AARS Winner Mardi Gras

Floribunda Rose Mardi Gras - 2008 All America Rose Selection

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Squash, Winter F1 'Blue Magic'

Squash, Winter F1 'Blue Magic' (Cucurbita maxima)

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Lantana (Shrub Verbena)

Lantana (Shrub Verbena)

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Floribunda Rose Mardi Gras

All America Rose Selection Winner Mardi Gras

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New Vegetables to Grow in 2008

I tend to be more cautious experimenting with new vegetable plant varieties than I am with flowers. With so many mature perennial plants, I dont fret (too much) if...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

Russian Sage 'Taiga'

Russian Sage 'Taiga' (Perovskia atriplicifolia)

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Pea 'Snow Sweet'

Pea 'Snow Sweet' (Pisum sativum)

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Cucumber 'Green Fingers'

Cucumber 'Green Fingers' (Cucumis sativus)

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Monarda 'Bergamo'

Monarda 'Bergamo' (Monarda hybrida)

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Acidic Soil

You've had your garden soil tested and you've been told it's acidic. Now what?

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Maze 'Garden Leader Rainbow'

Maze 'Garden Leader Rainbow' (Zea mays)

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Growing Petunias

Petunias are one of the most popular bedding flowers and new types of petunias are constantly being introduced. Here are some petunia basics to guide you through grandifloras, waves, supertunias and more, as well as how to grow and care for your petunias and keep them blooming all summer.

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Broccoli F1 'Blue Wind'

Broccoli F1 'Blue Wind' (Brassica oleracea)

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Tropical Relief, Just When You Need It. Gardening with Palms.

If you need a quick dose of the tropics? According to our Landscaping Guide, David Beaulieu, Nothing else gives a landscape that tropical feel quite like palm trees. ...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

Tomato F1 'Country Taste'

Tomato F1 'Country Taste' (Lycopersicon lycopersicum)

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Lilium orientalis - Lily

Lily 'Casa Blanca'

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Lavender 'French Perfume'

Lavender 'French Perfume' (Lavandula angustafolia)

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Viola F1 'Skippy XL Plum-Gold'

Viola F1 'Skippy XL Plum-Gold' (Viola cornuta)

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Prolonging the Display of Fresh Cut Flowers

If youve been satisfying your need for flowers during the winter by buying fresh bouquets to display, youll enjoy this video on how to care for and prolong fresh...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

Muhlenbergia 'Muhly Blue'

Muhlenbergia 'Garden Leader Muhly Blue' (Muhlenbergia lindheimeri)

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Gerber Daisy 'Crush Mix'

Gerbera F1 'Crush Mix' (Gerbera jamesonii)

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Snapdragon'Florini Amalia Red'

Snapdragon 'Florini Amalia Bright Red' (Antirrhinum sp.)

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Rudbeckia 'Irish Eyes'

Black-eyed Susans: Rudbeckia 'Irish Eyes'

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Annual Garden Plants

Annual flowers and plants only live for one growing season. But not all plants that are killed by frost at the end of the season are annuals. An annual plant must complete its life cycle in one growing season.

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Sweet Corn F1 'Honey Treat'

Sweet Corn F1 'Honey Treat'

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Narcissis (Daffodils)

Narcissis (Daffodils)

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More New Flowers & Ornamental Plants for 2008

Hundreds of new plants are introduced every year and their descriptions make them sound so tempting I always wind up starting more seeds than my garden could possibly hold. ...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

Garden Hoes

Weeds are a fact of gardening life. Hoes can make quick work of weeds. They can also be used to break up soil that isnt to compacted. For strength, look for a rolled steel blade that is riveted to the handle. Smaller blades allow you to get in between plants.

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Garden Design FAQ

Gardening is often called the only living art form. Like any form of art, designing a garden is subjective. Although gardening successfully requires learning certain skills, in the end, a gardens beauty is in the eye of the beholder. There are no fixed rules to garden design. But there are a few elements of composition that will serve the garden designer well, when combining plants. And the only way to get good at garden design is to do it.

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Easter Lilies

Easter Lilies are a beautiful, fragrant symbol of the Easter season. A few simple tips will keep your lily plant blooming through the season and maybe even keep it going a few season longer. It is possible to plant your Easter Lily outdoors in the garden and have it rebloom. Success isnt guaranteed, but what do you have to loose by trying. Here are some Easter Lily tips for caring for your lily plant and keeping it going.

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Lettuce

Lettuce is one of the few vegetables we eat fresh and uncooked. Shouldn't it be as fresh as can be. Salad greens are easy to grow and there are literally hundreds of varieties. That pale green head you see at the grocery store is just the tip of the iceberg. Here's a look at growing and choosing the best lettuce.

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Rudbeckia hirta 'Prairie Sun'

Black-eyed Susans: Rudbeckia 'Prairie Sun'

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New Roses for 2008

Roses evoke many feelings, but to too many gardeners, roses evoke fear. Thats a shame really, because modern roses are getting easier and easier to grow - without losing...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

Sneak Peek at New Plants for the 2008 Season.

Seeds for the 2008 All America Selection (AAS) Winners should be available in stores and catalogs this spring, so its time to take a look. AAS was created as...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

Backyard Pond in Virginia

Backyard Pond in Virginia

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Roses from Cuttings

Ever wonder if you could root and grow branches from your favorite rose bush? With a little care, roses root very easily. You won't always get exactly what you started with, but it's fun trying. And here's how.

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Growing Phormium

Phormium is a spiky, sword-leafed evergreen perennial that is used as a garden focal point or specimen plant. Some are small enough to use in containers, others can reach several feet in diameter and 7+ feet tall. Phormium arent hardy in many areas, but can be brought indoors for the winter. Growing Phormium is easy, if you give the plants what they want.

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#10 - Peach-leaved Bellflower

Peach Leaved Bellflower

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Rudbeckia 'Toto Rustic'

Black-eyed Susans: Rudbeckia 'Toto Rustic'

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#12 - Oriental Lily 'Maywood'

Pink Oriental Lily 'Maywood'

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How to Grow Rudbeckia

Rudbeckia are easy to establish, naturalize well and require little maintenance other than deadheading. Black-eyed Susan's come in a rich array of yellows, golds, oranges and russets. For a dependable, long season bloomer that brings a smile to faces, you cant go wrong with Rudbeckia. Here are some tips for choosing and growing Black-eyed Susans, Brown-eyed Susans and all the Gloriosa Daisies in between.

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Asparagus Feature

Asparagus is a sure sign that spring is here and the gardening season has begun. Asparagus,one of the few perennial vegetable crops, is a favorite garden vegetable around the world, in shades of green, white and purple. Here are some things to know for growing great asparagus in your backyard vegetable garden.

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Greenhouse Kits

It's so tempting. The idea of a greenhouse means gardening year round, a warm sunny spot to garden in February. Tropical plants that survive the winter... Greenhouses are the ultimate fantasy for gardeners, but they're also a big responsibility. One night without heat and all of your plants and seedlings could be goners. Your greenhouse will need heat, water, benches, venting, electricity. And that's just for starters. Here are some greenhouse kits and their pros and cons.

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Echinacea

Echinacea profile. Echinacea or coneflower is an old fashioned prairie plant. Echinacea are hardy, adaptable and reliable repeat bloomers and are expecially popular with gardeners for good reason.

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Front Yard Gardens

If there is one place that small space gardening should be more widely practiced, it is in front yards. We have surrendered the front of our homes to foundation plantings of overly pruned evergreens and uninspiring dots of geraniums. It is intimidating to experiment in full view of every passer-by, but the pay off is great and I think youll find most people, neighbors included, will be delighted.

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Container Ornamental Grasses

Growing ornamental grasses in containers is a great way to feature grasses without the worry of them spreading or taking over the garden. The downside is that when growing grasses in containers, their hardiness is raised by about 2 zones. An ornamental grass hardy to Zone 5, when planted in the ground, will only survive to Zone 7 in a pot. However, you can always grow container grasses as annuals. Here are my top ten picks for ornamental grasses grown in containers.

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Gardening to Block a View

Garden design books talk a lot about the borrowed view. But what do you do when the view is less than idyllic? If youre a gardener, you put...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

Wildflower Gardening

Gardeners have been led to believe that you can simply scatter some seeds and wind up with a self-sowing meadow of bluebells and lacecaps. In truth, even a wild and natural garden look requires some planning and effort. The good news is that most of the effort in wildflower gardening is in getting the garden started.

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Shade Gardening

Shade gardening offers the opportunity to work with a diverse variety of plants and to garden in a cool spot both the gardener and the plants will appreciate. There are shade plants suitable to the different degrees of shade. It is possible to create a shade garden with color and interest, if you choose appropriate shade garden plants. Here are some tips and suggestions for making the most of your shade garden.

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Seed & Plant Exchanges

Some people have a wealth of plant seeds left over at the end of the gardening season. Some folks can never find the seeds for the garden plants they want at the beginning of the season. It's a match made in heaven. Whether you have seeds to trade or a seed wish list that's gone unfulfilled, these Seed Exchanges are worth a look.

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Phenology

How do you know when to plant? Well, there are no guarantees, but if you let nature tell you when its safe to plant seeds or put your plants out, youre probably on the right track. Nature sends certain signals that will let gardeners know how the weather and climate are progressing. Theres a science devoted to this, called phenology. It is useful to gardeners, as a guide for when to plant. For instance, plant your peas when the forsythia blooms. Here are a few more phenology tips.

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Garden Budget

You dont have to spend a lot of money to have a great garden, but it sure is easy to get carried away. If youre not a budgeter in any other aspect of your life, you are not going to change your habit in the garden. But to prevent sticker shock from arriving halfway through creating your garden, lets look at an overview for you to price out and determine what you can reasonably expect to spend.

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A Second Look at Black-eyed Susans' (Rudbeckia)Place in the Garden

Some plants get taken for granted. Black-eyed Susans have been around for longer than anyone currently gardening can remember. Ho hum, right? Well dont be so quick...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

Isotoma 'Blue Star Creeper'

Isotoma fluviatilis 'Blue Star Creeper' (Laurentia)

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Growing Asparagus

Asparagus offers two major perks to the vegetable gardener. First, its a sure sign that spring is here and the gardening season has begun. Secondly, asparagus is one of the...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

Growing Violas

Violas and pansies are such stalwarts that gardeners take them for granted . These cool season bloomers are great for spring and fall gardens and for bridging the seasons in warmer areas, where theyll bloom right through the winter. Newer violas have bolder colors and larger flowers that bloom longer. Even better, the new violas and pansies exhibit better heat and cold tolerance than the remarkably hardy varieties where familiar with. Read how to grow the best violas for your garden.

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Tomato Blossom Drop

Blossom drop is a common tomato growing problem that can be extremely frustrating to the home gardener. Otherwise healthy looking tomato plants set flower blossoms, only to have them dry up and fall off the plant before a fruit is formed. Blossom drop can be attributed to several causes, most often related to either temperature and / or stress.

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Gardening Question of the Week What Do You Do with Dormant Cyclamen?

Tanya wrote: I really enjoyed your article on cyclamen on About.com. I have been searching for info on the internet about how to take care of mine, as it...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

Light Levels for Houseplants

Low light? Diffused light? How do you know how much light you have and what houseplants will be happy in it? The best indicator is the plant itself. If the houseplant looks good, the light is fine. But here are a few suggestions so that the houseplants you decide to buy will be happy in your house.

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Loppers - Pruning Tools

Loppers are a step up from hand pruners. Loppers are basically hand pruners with long handles. While the longer handles will give you added reach to prune higher branches, that's not their true advantage. The handles on loppers give you leverage, so you can pruner can handle larger branches; up to 2" in diameter, depending on the lopper. Here's what to look for when shopping for a lopper and some notable products.

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Watering Houseplants

The #1 killer of houseplants is over watering. Theres not much a gardener can really do for houseplants, so they provide TLC by watering every chance they get.

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Growing Primroses

Primroses are unusually vivid spring blooming perennial flowers. Unlike the subtle pastels associated with spring, primroses shout out in bold yellows, reds, pinks and blues, making them ideal for brightening the spring garden. Primroses look their best in mass. These easy care perennials are profiled here.

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[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Pot Bound Houseplants

Sooner or later a healthy, growing houseplant is going to out grow its pot, causing multiple growing problems from the plants inability to hold water to the roots circling and restricting themselves.

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Marigolds

Marigolds are a formal bedding plant of garden designers. Marigolds are cheerful, compact yellow, orange and burgundy annuals with flower shapes that can resemble daisies, coreopsis and carnations.

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Creeping Thyme (Elfin)

Thymus praecox 'Elfin' (Creeping Thyme)

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Easter Lilies

Easter Lilies are a beautiful, fragrant symbol of the Easter season. A few simple tips will keep your lily plant blooming through the season and maybe even keep it going a few season longer. It is possible to plant your Easter Lily outdoors in the garden and have it rebloom. Success isnt guaranteed, but what do you have to loose by trying. Here are some Easter Lily tips for caring for your lily plant and keeping it going.

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[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Aquilegia (Columbine)

How to grow and care for Columbine (Aquilegia) in your garden.

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Bean Planting

Succession planting beans in the vegetable garden.

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Clivia or Kaffir Lily

Clivia or Kaffir Lily

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Top Cut Flowers

Repeat blooming annuals are favored for cutting gardens, but many perennial flowers do wonderfully well as cut flowers. What makes for a good cut flower is a stem that is long enough and sturdy enough to hold the flower in an arrangement and a flower that lasts and looks good for several days. That gives the gardener a wide choice for choosing flowers to grow in a cutting garden. The following lists offer suggestions for great cut flowers.

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Seed StartingStarting Seeds Indoors

Its getting to be that time of year again - time to start the seeds. The hard part is over; deciding which seeds to grow. Now you get...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

Bromeliad

Bromeliad

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Sagina subulata (Irish Moss)

Sagina subulata (Irish Moss)

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Something to Grow: Black Currants

I was just reading an article about black currants and my interest was piqued. I am really into nutrition and apparently black currants have twice the antioxidants of blueberries, double the vitamin C of oranges, and double the potassium of bananas, among other health virtues. But you cannot buy them in the store, even if [...]

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[Source: Backyard Gardening Blog]

Annual Garden Plants

Annual flowers and plants only live for one growing season. But not all plants that are killed by frost at the end of the season are annuals. An annual plant must complete its life cycle in one growing season.

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[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Want a Bigger Garden in a Small Space?

Big gardens make big impacts. Unfortunately we dont all have the acreage to garden on, that so many gardening books use to demonstrate design. There are several tricks...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

Clematis

How to Grow and Prune Clematis

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How to Harden Off Plants

Young, pampered seedlings will need a period to adjust and acclimate to outdoor conditions, prior to planting in the garden. This transition period is called "hardening off". Hardening off plants gradually exposes the tender plants to wind, sun and rain and toughens them up. There are 3 approaches to hardening off plants.

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Geranium 'Rozanne'

The 2008 Perennial Plant of the Year is Geranium 'Rozanne', a vivid violet-blue hardy geranium. As with all perennial geraniums, 'Rozanne' is virtually problem free. This clump forming cransbill makes a nice edging plant and is wonderful for use under leggy plants, like roses. Rozannes heat tolerance also makes her a good choice for rock gardens and containers or window boxes. Here's how to grow and show off Geranium 'Rozanne'

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Tulips as Cut Flowers

Tulips just don't seem to behave as cut flowers. They bend and bow and contort. How do you deal with tulips in a vase?

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Using Cornmeal as a Fungicide

Researchers at Texs A&M have discovered that cornmeal has powerful fungicidal properties and is effective on all kinds of landscape fungus problems, from turf grass to black spot on roses. Heres how to apply cornmeal to treat fungus problems in your garden.

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[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Christmas Cactus

Christmas Cactus

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Flowering Houseplants

Many people shy away from houseplants because even the most hardy houseplant will eventually require some care. But you would be surprised at how a handful of plants can survive on the most minimal attention. If you’d like to try your hand at growing a flowering houseplant or you’re looking to brighten someone else’s abode, here are 8 flowering houseplants that will thrive with minimal care and in varying degrees of sunshine.

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[Source: About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles]

Geranium sanguineum

Geranium sanguineum Photo

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Nepeta Used as Edging

Garden design is really all about combining plants in different ways. Here, one plant in the garden is used in 3 different ways.

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Carrot F1 'Rainbow'

Carrot F1 'Rainbow'

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African Violet

African Violet

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Coreopsis, Tickseed

Coreopsis Grandiflora Photo

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Begonias

Begonia Flowering Houseplant

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Self-Seeding Annual Flowers

Many annual flowers offer the bonus of being self-seeders. Self-sowing annuals will weave their way though your garden, year after year, giving it a natural, cottage garden feel. There's a wide choice of annual flowers that will self-seed and it takes very little effort to get them going.

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Keep an Eye Out for Fungus Gnats

It's always puzzling how fast insects can find their way to houseplants, once the windows close. Fungus gnats just seem to appear out of nowhere and begin destroying our...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

Dicentra, Bleeding Heart

Bleeding Heart, Dicentra spectabilis

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Tulips, A Twisted Little Flower

Tulips start popping up in stores before they get a chance in the garden, so even if the critters or the weather won't let you have tulips in your garden,...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

Growing Catmint (Nepeta)

Catmint (Nepeta) is extremely hardy, drought tolerant and virtually maintenance free. All this and nepeta repeat blooms sporadically throughout the summer. Such a wonderful garden plant should be more widely appreciated and used by gardeners. Take another look here, at the pleasure of growing nepeta and its usefulness in any garden design.

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Gardening Question of the Week - Why the Buck Stops Here?

You've probably wondered this yourself: you plant things you're told are deer resistant and yet - the deer eat them. The frustrating truth is - Deer Cant Read....

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

February in the Garden

February may well be the toughest gardening month. Gardeners in warm climates don't know what kind of weather to expect from day to day or from day to night. Gardeners in cold climates just want to see the sun again. February in the garden is for planning and pruning and for seeing the first signs that spring is around the corner. Here are some regional tips for gardening in February.

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Alkaline Soil

If your garden soil tested low in pH or alkaline, what does that mean?

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Small Garden Containers

Gardening in containers offers unlimited opportunites to experiment. Container gardens are a perfect match for small space gardenings. You can use the container gardens as the entire garden or make clever focal points. Gardening in containers allows you to control the growing conditions and experiment with different plants at the same time.

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Hydrangea 'Limelight'

Hydrangea 'Limelight'

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Eggplant

Eggplants are sun and heat loving vegetables, in the same family as tomatoes, peppers and potatoes. Eggplant actually does come in a small, white egg-shaped variety. Most Americans have never seen one, so the name seems inappropriate. There is actually a great variety of eggplants, many much easier to grow in the home vegetable garden than the large, oblong, purple varieties we are used to.

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Growing Petunias

Petunias are one of the most popular bedding flowers and new types of petunias are constantly being introduced. Here are some petunia basics to guide you through grandifloras, waves, supertunias and more, as well as how to grow and care for your petunias and keep them blooming all summer.

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Outdoor Houseplants

It is possible to pot up some of your favorite garden plants and bring them indoors as houseplants. Many tropical and tender perennials are capable of growing well in the house, if given the right growing conditions. Growing these plants as houseplants requires good light and humidity. If you’re home has what it takes, here’s a list of potential houseplants that may be growing in your garden.

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Geranium Rozanne Named 2008 Perennial Plant of the Year

Both Elizabeth Licata, at Garden Rants, and Graham Rice, at the Transatlantic Plantsman, express some scepticism about the choices for Perennial Plant of the Year being predictable and boring. ...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

Flowering Houseplants Worth a Look.

Many people shy away from houseplants because it can be hard to provide ideal growing conditions in some homes. But houseplants bring life into a room. As ornamental as houseplants...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

Fall Bloomers

Perennial gardens change with the seasons and the fall garden is one of the most colorful seasons in the garden. Many fall blooming perennial flowers display jewel tone blossoms that complement the fall foliage display of trees and shrubs. The choice of fall blooming perennial plants keeps growing.

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Wine & Roses Weigela

Wine & Roses Weigela (Weigela florida 'Alexandra')

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Saving Tomato Seeds

Many plant seeds can be saved simply by collecting them as they dry. Tomatoes take a bit more work. The tomato seeds are enclosed in a gel like sack that contains growth inhibitors, preventing the seeds from sprouting inside the tomato. The best way to remove this gel covering is to allow the fruits to rot and ferment. In nature this happens when the fruit falls off the plant. For seed savers, we're going to speed up the process.

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Buddleia, Butterfly Bush

Growing and caring for butterfly bush (Buddleia), a sub-shrub that quickly shoots up 5-6 feet early in the season and then blooms and attracts butterflies to your garden all summer.

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Award Winning Plants? What Do You Think?

I 'm curious to know what your experience has been with planting award winning or much touted plants in your own gardens - good or bad. Use the comments...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

Deer Resistant Plants

No plant is deer proof, but many are deer resistant. Deter deer from your garden by choosing plants from these Deer Resistant Plant lists.

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WinterBouquet

There's not much gardening to do in winter, but gardeners can still enjoy a breath of spring with cut flowers. Have some fun here finding out your floral signature and creating flower recipes.

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Growing Alliums

Allium bulbs may resemple onions, but it's the flowers you are after with these ornamental varieties. Alliums are easy to grow and undemanding as this profile shows.

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Beet: Chioggia

Beet: Chioggia

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Asters, New York

How to grow New York Asters in the Garden. Sometimes called Michaelmas daisies, these late bloomers add color and texture to the fall garden.

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What are Plant Tubers?

What do they mean by plant tubers? Are these like flowering bulbs?

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Humidity for Indoor Plants

Lack of humidity is a culprit in may indoor plant deaths, especially during the winter. You may first notice a low humidity problem as browning leaf tips on your houseplants. As a plant dehydrates, it can start to look withered, puckered or simply drop its leaves.

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Gardening Catalogue Deluge; What to Plant?

Apparently all the nurseries have a conspiracy to bury us gardeners in catalogues starting the week after Christmas. I don’t get why, but apparently we all must start thinking about what we want to plant as soon as we’re done taking down our Christmas tree. In the past week and a half I have gotten [...]

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[Source: Backyard Gardening Blog]

Water When and Where You Need It

Every year, usually sometime in August, I realize that drip irrigation is the way to go. It saves water, money, time and the heartache of watching your plants die...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

Kitchen Sink Garden Fountain

Kitchen Sink Garden Fountain

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Gazing Globe Soap Bubbles

Garden Decorations - Gazing Globe Soap Bubbles

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Garden Catalog Jargon

Gardening, like any hobby, has its own jargon. Sometimes the jargon can seem more foreign than the Latin names of plants, but the more types of plants you grow, the better you will become at deciphering the language of garden catalogs. If you are new to the genre, here is a primer in garden catalog lingo, to help you choose plants wisely for your garden. With that in mind, dont be afraid to push the limits and experiment a little.

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Organic Rose Gardening

Can roses be grown organically. Of couse. Growing roses organically is really no different than growing any type of plant with organic techniques. Organic rose gardening means more than just not using chemicals. It means giving the plant what it wants and needs to grow well. Do that and youll have a healthy plant, better able to withstand pest attacks. Here are some tips.

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Garden Design - Color

Color is arguably the most prominent factor in a garden design and often the first one considered. Good garden design involves knowing how to combine colors so that the final product has a cohesive and pleasing effect. Here are some tips to train your eye to see color and for combining color in the garden.

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Garden Design Principles

Garden design is often broken down into design principles: Order/Balance/Proportion, Harmony or Unity and Flow, Transition or Rhythm. These categories contain the basic elements that, when combined together, constitute the generally accepted version of good garden design.

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Country Style Garden Art

Country Style Garden Decorations

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The Gardener's Palette

Combining color in the garden is half the fun of gardening. Designing with color is a gardening art form. In Sydney Eddison's The Gardener's Palette seeks to make the skill of combining flower colors within the grasp of every avid gardener.

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Ways to Kill a Houseplant

More Houseplants are killed with kindness than neglect. The best thing you can do for your indoor plants is to learn something about the growing conditions your particular plants like and provide as close to those conditions as possible. If you see a problem developing, take action quickly.

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Tools for Weeding

What's the best way to remove weeds from your lawn and garden? That depends on the type of weed and how many of them there are. You can always hand pull weeds, but sometimes you need the help of weeding tools.

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Tea Time

Tea Set Garden Decorations

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Hostas for Sunny Spots

Hostas are called 'shade-tolerant' plants, meaning they will grow in shade or partial shade. But some hostas need a period of full sun to look and perform their best. Although it is not recommended that any hosta be in full sun all the time, many Hostas are more vigorous and display their most vibrant colors if given at least some sun exposure. Here are some tips to help you pick the right hosta for your site.

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Garden Pests & Problems - Spider Mite Damage

This picture shows the damage unchecked spider mites have done on a potted boxwood.

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Decorating the Garden Path

Decorating the Garden Path

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Garden Books

Next to actualy working in their gardens, gardeners love to read and learn more about gardening. There are dozens of new gardening books each year. The following garden book reviews can help you find some of interest to you and your gardening needs.

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Summer Flowering Bulbs

Bulbs are not just for spring flowers. There are many summer flowering bulbs, corms and tubers that add color and a touch of the tropics to the peak season garden. In warmer climates, many of these summer flowering bulbs can be left in the ground all year and some will even naturalize.

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Wash Tub Planter

Garden Art - Old Wash Tub as Flower Planter

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Is Lucky Bamboo Really Lucky?

I cant answer that for you, but I do know that its not really a bamboo. So called Lucky Bamboo is actually a Dracaena (Dracaena sanderiana) and anyone whos grown...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

Seed Starting FAQ

Starting plants from seed is a great, inexpensive way to get exactly the plant varieties you want to grow. Seed starting indoors requires the same basic elements as growing plants outdoors. Maintaining seedling indoors will take a bit more diligence though, since you cant rely on rain and sun to do the work for you, and your seedlings will need the right nutrients to get off to a good start. This FAQ covers everything youll need to know to start plants indoors, from seed.

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Consider A Cutting Garden

Cutting gardens or cut flower gardens are a great way to bring your garden indoors. Well planned cutting gardens can grow enough flowers to create bouqets for the entire growing season. Cutting gardens can include long flowering annuals, seasonal perennials and colorful foliage. Here are some plant ideas for your cutting garden.

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Interplanting Veggies & Flower

There is no rule that says vegetables and flowers cant mix. In fact, the vegetable garden will benefit greatly from the addition of some flowers and herbs. Its not just esthetics that make flowers and herbs welcome in the vegetable garden. Interplanting flowers and herbs offers several beneficial features that can protect your vegetables from insect pests and even make them more productive.

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What are Rose Hips?

Rose hips are the seed pods of roses. We dont often see them anymore, because we tend to prune the faded rose blossoms to encourage more flowers. However if you leave the spent flowers on the rose bush at the end of the season, you should see these small, berry-sized, reddish seed balls, left on tips of the stems. Rose hips are actually very ornamental and birds enjoy them too. They are also edible and a good source of vitamin C. Heres how to harvest and use your rose hips.

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Planning a Small Garden

A good site assessment is vital to any garden design. When creating a small garden, every space is important. Where to put the garden, how large to make it and the choice of plants all must be edited, unlike with a small garden. Heres how to take an honest look at your garden site and what you can hope to plant there.

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January in the Garden Regional Gardening Tips

Happy New Year! Another year, another chance to garden. Here are some gardening tips for the month of January, to get you back outdoors, where we belong.And heres...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

Small Garden Focal Points

Focal points are used in garden design to draw and direct the eye. This can be difficult to accomplish in a small garden when every space is immediately visible and no space can be sacrificed. But its not impossible and creating a focal point (or 2) in a small space garden can actually make it appear larger.

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January in the Garden

January in the garden often means gardening vicariously through garden catalogs. For many gardeners, the only winter garden chore is dormant pruning. Whether you're staying warm indoors and dreaming about gardening or you're outside getting things in order, here are a few more regional gardening tips to help you get through winter.

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Gardening Question of the Week What's a Good Hosta Substitute for Full Sun?

Krutika posted this question on the About Gardening Forum: "I live in, and have a south west facing sunny backyard. I love hostas, but is there any similar...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

Garden Design FAQ

Gardening is often called the only living art form. Like any form of art, designing a garden is subjective. Although gardening successfully requires learning certain skills, in the end, a gardens beauty is in the eye of the beholder. There are no fixed rules to garden design. But there are a few elements of composition that will serve the garden designer well, when combining plants. And the only way to get good at garden design is to do it.

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Edible Flowers

Edible flowers aren't a new phenomonon, but garnishes of fresh flowers tend to intimidate diners. No one is really sure if the flowers are there for decoration or to be eaten. It's hard to find edible flowers to purchase, but quite easy to grow most of them in your garden. Since flowers are best when eaten soon after harvest, growing your own edible flowers makes even more sense. Here are some tips.

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Plant Pruning FAQ

Most plants benefit from some sort of regular pruning and maintenance. The trick is in know when to prune what. Its confusing, but rarely fatal. Pruning at the wrong time of year may result in less flowers and fruits, but it usually wont harm the plant in the long run To help you take the guess work out of pruning, here is a series of articles to help you learn when to prune the plants in your garden.

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Over Winter Mums

Mums are everywhere in the fall and they make a tempting impulse buy when in full bloom. Many gardeners do not realize mums are hardy perennials. Maybe youve purchased mums labeled hardy only to be disappointed the following spring when they didnt survive. The key to a truly hardy mum is selecting the right variety and giving it time to establish itself in your garden, before winter comes. Heres a quick tip to helping your garden mums survive the winter.

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Prechilling Bulbs

Many spring flowering bulbs can be forced into bloom during the winter, but most will need a period of cold temperatures to stimulate growth and flower production. This period of precooling varies with the type of bulb, as shown on the Prechilling Chart.

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It's National Mail Order Catalog Month As If We Need a Reason to Look at Garden Catalogs!

Planning season has started and to do it properly, we need lots and lots of plant and seed catalogs. Make sure you're on the mailing list for these top...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

Long Producing VeggieGarden

You can have a long producing vegetable garden with minimal effort. Keep harvesting in your vegetable garden into the fall and maybe even winter months. A long producing vegetable garden is possible, if you heed some simple, but key gardening rules.

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Asparagus Feature

Asparagus is a sure sign that spring is here and the gardening season has begun. Asparagus,one of the few perennial vegetable crops, is a favorite garden vegetable around the world, in shades of green, white and purple. Here are some things to know for growing great asparagus in your backyard vegetable garden.

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Winterberry Holly

Ilex verticillata, or Winterberry, is a native, wetland holly that loses it leaves each autumn. Winterberry is all the more showy because its lack of leaves makes its berry display all the more showy. After the leaves turn yellow and fall, you are left with a breathtaking view of thousands of brightly colored berries clinging to every stem. There are a good number of named Ilex verticillata cultivars to choose from in the market and a rich abundance of native winterberry hollies too.

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