Raised Bed Gardening

Raised bed gardening refers to gardening in soil that has been mounded or contained higher than the surrounding soil. Raised bed gardening is an old gardening practice, but its currently growing in popularity again because it offers several advantages to simply growing your plants in level ground. Here are some tips on why raised bed gardening should be considered and how to get started with a raised bed.

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How to Make Gourd Bird Houses

How to Make Gourd Bird Houses

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Growing Tomatoes

Despite early worries about tomatoes being poisonous, tomatoes are now one of the most popular vegetables grown in home gardens. Widely adaptable and space efficient, a single tomato plants is able to produce 8 - 10 pounds of fruit. Tomatoes are heat lovers and will continue producing right through to the end of the growing season, if you provide them with these tomato growing basics.

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Dealing with Rose Diseases

Despite a gardeners best efforts, roses can often become infected with fungus diseases. Luckily, few fungus problems will kill your rose bush and most can be handled with low toxicity and minimal effort. Here are the top four rose diseases and how to handle them.

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Choosing a Pumpkin to Carve or for Pi(e).

Maybe its just my memories of Cinderellas coach, but pumpkins always look to me like theyre about to come to life. They have a real fairy tale quality about...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

Garden Insect Pests

Plants need insects for pollination, so no garden should be insect free, but there's no denying some insects are garden pests. Learning to identify which insects to worry about and which to welcome is part of the learning process of gardening. Here are a handful of common garden insects. Some are garden pests, some are beneficial and some are just passing through. Always assess the situation before spraying. But when you must treat the problem, the info offered here will be helpful.

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Small Space Gardening - Containers

Small Space Gardening - Containers

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Scale Insects

Scale are tiny parasitic insects that adhere to plants and live off the plants sap. They look like bumps on the plants stem and are often mistaken for a disease. There are some 7,000 species of scale insect, varying in color and size.

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Choosing Planters & Containers

With so many plant containers and pots available for use in gardens, on decks and porches and indoors, how do you choose the best one? Too often we are guided by our taste alone. However to keep your container gardens growing happy and healthy you should give some consideration to the plant's needs when choosing a planter. Here are some things to think about.

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Growing Asters in the Garden

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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Deer Resistant Bulbs

Deer resistant, spring blooming bulbs are welcome in any garden. It is possible to find spring blooming bulbs, other than daffodils, to plant in your garden that will survive the deer and even rodents.

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Gourd Bird Houses - Painting Gourds

Gourd Bird Houses - Painting Gourds

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Winterberry Holly

Ilex verticillata, Winterberry Holly, or Winterberry is our native, wetland holly that loses it leaves each autumn. This beautiful shrub is all the more showy because its lack of winter leaves makes its berry display all the more showy. After the leaves have turned yellow and have fallen off, you are left with a breathtaking view of thousands of brightly colored berries clinging to every stem. What a joy to have such color in the middle of winter.

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Centerpieces and Arrangements from the Fall Landscape

I've always thought that fall was the easiest season to decorate. There are such beautiful colors and textures and almost everything is dried and everlasting. Even a bouquet...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

Pruning Lilacs

If lilacs are left to grow and spread on their own, without maintenance pruning, you will get shrubs reaching 15 - 20' in height and all the blooms will be way above your head. Lilac plants that have a balance of new shoots and older stems, will bloom best. Older lilacs can have stems as thick as small trees and will flower only on the top most branches. Fortunately, it is pretty easy to rejuvenate an old lilac, in about 3 years time. How to Prune Lilacs...

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Small Space Gardens - Landscaping a Town House

Small Space Gardens - Landscaping a Town House

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Cutting Back Ornamental Grass

If you don't cut back your ornamental grasses in the fall, they can provide winter interest well into the spring. But eventually you will have to cut back those ornamental grasses and it can be a messy proposition. Here's a quick and easy way to cut back your ornamental grasses without having them spill all over the garden.

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Featured Plants: Ornamental Cabbage & Flowering Kale

I was pleased to see that the majority of people who responded to the poll Are Mums Disposable Plants? didnt think so. So far, 67% of respondents plant their...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

Featured Plant: Brussels Sprouts

There arent many good things to say about the first frost. There are usually several false alarms, where you run outside in the dark and cover all your tender...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

Gardening Question of the Week: What are Rose Hips?

Never comment on how beautiful the hips are on a rose bush, unless the person you are with knows what rose hips are. They can become very insulted. ...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

Fall Color and Late-Season Container Gardening

Ive been so busy cleaning up in the garden I almost forgot to plant any bulbs, including garlic. At least I have plenty of open spaces for them, now...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

Butternut Squash & Squirrels

So, I increased the amount of space devoted to edibles this year in order to save money. Involved in this was picking new spots that are NOT garden beds to plant things to see if they’ll grow.I planted some squash on the south side of my house near my raised beds (but not within them) [...]

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[Source: Backyard Gardening Blog]

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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Pressing Flowers

Pressing flowers and foliage from your garden is a wonderful way to preserve its beauty. You don't need a lot of expensive tools to get started with pressed flowers. You might also be surprised at the variety of flowers, leaves and even weeds, that press well. Here are some tips from an expert at pressing flowers, to press your own flowers and use the pressed flowers to their best advantage.

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Brussels Sprouts

Brussels Sprouts are a long season crop that actually tastes better when hit with a slight frost. So although they are a late harvest, they are a relatively long one. Because of their fondness for cool weather, Brussels Sprouts are a fall crop in warmer climates. Here are more tips for growing Brussels sprouts.

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Protecting Plants from Winter Deer Browsing

Im getting ready to fence in the plants that need protection for the winter. My blueberries get eaten to the ground, if I dont enclose them. The same...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

Are Houseplants Good Feng Shui?

It was my dislike of clutter that first got me reading about feng shui. More to the point, it was an excuse to push me to get rid of...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

Endless Summer Hydrangea Diary

I love my Endless Summer Hydrangeas, I’ve blogged about them before (See related posts below) and I’ve got… about 10 of them I guess. I’ve also given them as gifts.I love the big bright blue, pink, and purple flowers of big mophead hydrangeas, they really brighten up shady spots, they’re some of my favorites. But [...]

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[Source: Backyard Gardening Blog]

Top Plant Varieties

Need a clay buster? A rose for shade? What to try growing some of those heirloom vegetables you've heard about? Wish your annuals would self-seed? These lists will give you some top plant varieties, whatever your garden needs.

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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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Companion Planting

Herbs work especially well as companion plants. They multitask by attracting beneficial insects and repelling pest insects and their fragrance and foliage make them good companions in both the vegetable garden and the ornamental border. The following list offers some suggestions for using herb plants to repel specific garden pests.

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Edible Flowers

Edible flowers aren't a new phenomenon, 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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Fall Garden Tips

Its easy to become distracted in the fall, watching your plants go dormant and seeing summer slip away. But youve got to summon up a bit more enthusiasm before...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

Ornamental Cabbage

Ornamental cabbage and flowering kale are in the same species, Brassica oleracea, as edible cabbages and kale. Although they are still edible, they arent as tasty and tender as their cousins. But they're as easy to grow, as shown here.

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Purple Foliage Plants for Every Season

Why wait until fall to have great fall color in the garden. Foliage has taken center stage in garden design and plant breeders are making sure we have plenty...

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African Violet

African Violet

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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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Rose Bud Unfurling

Rose Bud Unfurling

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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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Fall Containers

You can have a colorful garden throughout the year, even if you do not have your own backyard. In September and October simply plant your summer containers full of cool-season plants. Here are some tips for creating a late-season container garden.

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Training Plants into Standards

I mentioned last week that I like the tidiness of yew clipped yew shrubs, even if theyre shaped like meatballs or cupcakes. I saw some lantana plants trained...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

Gardening Question of the Week: When Can You Use Wood Ash and Sawdust in the Garden?

dsl6625 was given some bags of pine sawdust and asked how long sawdust needs to compost before its garden ready? I cant really give a length of time. ...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

Myth vs. Fact: The Truth About Green

Being a green gardener is even harder to define than being an organic gardener. Most of us love being out in nature, or we wouldnt be gardening in the...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

Forcing Paperwhites

Paperwhites (Narcissus tazetta) are popular indoor plants for winter because they're easy to grow and bloom a long time. Unlike other narcissus, paperwhites dont require a chilling period, so forcing them is as easy as putting the bulbs in water and waiting. The fragrant flowers bloom within about 2-3 weeks of planting, for almost instant gratification. It's that easy. Here are some tips for forcing paperwhites.

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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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Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight'

Hydrangea 'Limelight'

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Paperwhites & Alcohol

A problem when growing paperwhites is that they grow quite tall and top heavy and can fall over. Researchers in the Flowerbulb Research Program at Cornell University have come up with an unusual solution to this problem: Alcohol. When paperwhite bulbs are grown in a dilute solution of alcohol, the plants don't grow as tall as they normally would - but the flowers remain normal size and last just as long. Why they thought of giving their paperwhites a nip, I dont know.

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Using Wood Ash in the Garden

Is wood ash good for garden soil? Will it do more harm than good? That depends on your soil and, of course, on the wood that was burned. Here are some thoughts to consider before you put wood ash on your garden plants.

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Showing Off Fall Containers

Fall can be such a sigh of relief. If youre thrilled when the heat lets up, just think how your plants feel. Theres no central air conditioning for...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

Turning Your Driveway into a Garden Path

Most gardeners cant resist the idea of a colorful or fragrant garden right near their entryway. So it seems odd that so many of us completely overlook the span...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

Plant Dormancy

Dormancy is often defined as a state of sleep and that's pretty much what your plant is doing when it goes dormant.

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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 aesthetics 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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Gardening Question of the Week: "How Can I Over-Winter My Geraniums"?

Diana emailed me with an interesting question: I save my geraniums from year to year in the basement. They tend to get misshapen and straggly. How often can I cut...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

Plant Cuttings

By taking cuttings of a plant, you can create dozens of identical plants for growing.

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Featured Plants: Planting Spring Blooming Bulbs

Its time to plant the bulbs. Spring flowering bulbs are such a welcome sight after a long winter. But for that to happen, you have to plant them in...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

Growing Great Pumpkins

Growing pumpkins may seem as American as apple pie, but they have been grown around the world for centuries. Although orange is the commonly know color, pumpkins come in white, red, pink and blue and can be smooth, bumpy, oval, flattened or round. All pumpkins grow easily from seed and transplants. Here are some great varieties to try and some tips to grow pumpkins in what ever space your home garden can provide.

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Harvesting a Black Walnut CropA Tough Nut to Crack

The first time I saw an unhusked black walnut I thought it was an old tennis ball. Now I notice them everywhere. Ive been getting a lot of...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

#10 - Peach-leaved Bellflower

Peach Leaved Bellflower

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Raking Leaves

Cleaning up fallen leaves is an inevitable garden chore for most of us. New leaf vacuums, blowers and improved lawn rakes can make the job easier. The following are top picks of leaf pick-up tools.

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Spring Flowering Bulbs FAQ

Spring flowering bulbs are easy to grow and a most welcome sight after a long winter. With a little care at planting time, spring blooming bulbs will reward you with years of blooms. Here are frequently asked questions about planting, choosing and caring for spring flowering bulbs.

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Overwintering Geraniums

Its easy to over winter geraniums, either as plants or dormant. Zonal geraniums are only hardy to USDA Zone 8. Gardeners in other areas basically have 4 choices of how to store their geraniums for winter: let them die off as annuals, bring them indoors as houseplants, take cuttings and make more plants or store the geraniums dormant until next spring.

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Cutting Back Ornamental Grass

If you don't cut back your ornamental grasses in the fall, they can provide winter interest well into the spring. But eventually you will have to cut back those ornamental grasses and it can be a messy proposition. Here's a quick and easy way to cut back your ornamental grasses without having them spill all over the garden.

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

Compost

Compost is often called black gold because of its value in improving garden soil. Compost, when used as a soil amendment, can transform almost any type of soil into good garden soil. Compost is inexpensive and easy to use too.

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Pansies. Cheer Up Your Garden with These Cool Season Favorites

Pansies are one of the joys of cool season gardening. We expect them to be one of the first flowers on the nursery shelves in the spring, but they're...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]

Organic gardening

What does it mean to have an organic garden? Does organic gardening mean you have to put up with insects eating your plants or unattractive flower beds? Actually, organic gardening just means trying to working with nature and to replenish as you deplete resources. Here are some basics...

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Growing Nasturtiums

Nasturtiums are cool season annual flowers in rich, jewel tone colors. Nasturtiums are extremely easy to grow, practically growing themselves. There are bushy, trailing and climbing nasturtiums to fill every gardening need. They are even edible. You wont usually find seedlings of nasturtiums, but the large seeds germinate quickly and the plants bloom all season. Here are some more nasturtium growing tips.

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Gourd Bird Houses - Painting Gourds

Gourd Bird Houses - Painting Gourds

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Cleaning Houseplants

Is it really necessary to clean houseplants? A layer of dust on the leaves of your houseplants will block sunlight and reduce the plants ability to photosynthesize. A clean plant thats photosynthesizing at optimal levels will be healthier and healthy plants can resist diseases and pest infestations. So cleaning the leaves of your houseplants actually makes less work for you in the long run. Here are some quick tips for keeping your houseplants clean.

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Winterberry Holly

Ilex verticillata, Winterberry Holly, or Winterberry is our native, wetland holly that loses it leaves each autumn. This beautiful shrub is all the more showy because its lack of winter leaves makes its berry display all the more showy. After the leaves have turned yellow and have fallen off, you are left with a breathtaking view of thousands of brightly colored berries clinging to every stem. What a joy to have such color in the middle of winter.

Read More...

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

No Fruit on Your Fruit Tree?

There are many reasons fruit trees can take years to begin bearing fruit. Home fruit growers need to make sure their fruit trees are given the right care and growing conditions.gardening fruit apple trees home backyard orchard not setting fruiting gardens

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Mint

Plants in the mint family are very hardy perennials with vigorous growth habits. Mint, left to its own devices, will spread quickly and become a nuisance. However, it is very popular as a flavorful herb and the plants can be grown easily. Just try to chose a spot where you wont mind the rampant growth or grow it in a confined space.

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Gourd Bird Houses - Making Birdhouses Out of Birdhouse Gourds

Gourd Bird Houses - Making Birdhouses Out of Birdhouse Gourds

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Repotting Houseplants.

The down side of having a healthy growing houseplant plant is that sooner or later it's going to out grow its pot. I prefer to repot in the spring,...

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Plants for Bees

Every garden needs pollinators and bees are among the best. Without them there would be limited flowers and even fewer fruits and vegetables. To attract bees and other pollinators to your gardens you need to select flowers and plants that are high in nectar and pollen and plant so that they are obvious and available to the insects. Here are some tips for luring bees to your garden and lists of good plant choices for bees.

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Rose Gardening 101

Rose gardening basics are all you need to get started as a rose gardener. Growing roses doesnt have to be a challenge. You can grow a prize winning hybrid tea rose, old fashioned cabbage roses, sprawling ramblers and climbers or the perfect fragrant rose if you know how to care for roses simply. Here are easy to follow planting, pruning and enjoying rose gardening tips.

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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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Fungus Gnats

Fungus gnats are more than annoying pests flying around your new plant seedlings and cuttings. Fungus gnats can do serious damage to young plants and should be controlled before their population becomes too large. There are effective biological control measures you can take to detect, deter and control fungus gnats around your growing plants.

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October in the Garden

Gardening in October is entirely dependant on the weather. If there's an Indian Summer, there is no better time of year to be out in the garden. While gardeners in warm areas will have more to do than their northern counterparts, there are plenty of garden tasks to keep everyone busy in October.

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October in the GardenA Regional Gardening Almanac

No matter where you live, October can be one of the busiest months in the garden. Whether you're gearing up for a second season or putting your garden to...

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[Source: About.com Gardening]