By Claire Jones
Few plants spark as much debate as the butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii). Garden centers sell it for its showy blooms and its promise to draw in butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees. On the surface, it feels like the ultimate win-win: beauty for us, deer proof, and nectar for pollinators. But dig a little deeper, and the …
Continue reading "Should You Plant a Butterfly Bush? The Benefits and the Drawbacks"
It happens every summer - honey extraction. After babying the bees, feeding, monitoring, re-queening, splitting, and just plain worrying about them, now is the moment of truth. How much honey did they deposit in the combs for me to rob from them? I won't leave you in suspense - I extracted 120-130 pounds from two …
Continue reading "Spinning Honey – Honey Extraction Start to Finish"
Introduced in 1919 in packing material from China and starting in Tennessee, Japanese Stiltgrass, Microstegium vimineum, has rapidly spread across the eastern United States and as far west as Texas, and become a menace to native plants. Spreading from seeds that can remain viable for 5- 7 years, stiltgrass can appear in lawns, ground covers, …
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Once in a while, a new plant comes along that I fall in love with—for its ease of growing, beauty, and all-around usefulness. This time, it's the annual Monarch Magic Ageratum, introduced by BallFloraPlant, a one-of-kind plant . Commonly known as Floss Flower, it gets its name from the fine, thread-like texture of its tiny, …
Continue reading "Ageratum Monarch Magic – Butterfly Magnet"
Gardening here in the mid-Atlantic the past couple of summers has been more challenging than previous years because of our increased and prolonged heat 'domes' where we have hit the triple digits for multiple days in a row. Excessive heat can affect all the plants in your garden adversely and can negatively impact growth, development, …
Continue reading "Strategies for Gardening in Extreme Heat"
Gardeners with perennial flower gardens might already have a go-to method for readying their beds for fall and winter, but there are new ecological friendly ways to clean up your plot that are more in tune with nature. Chop and Drop is exactly what it sounds like. You chop (or cut) dead plant material, then …
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Bird House Gourds, Lagenaria siceraria, a type of tropical squash native to northern Africa, have been on my radar for a few years and finally I decided to bite the bullet and grow them last season. Using my large cattle fence arbor, which usually supports cucs, cherry tomatoes, and beans, I knew I would have …
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In the Mid-Atlantic region where I live, we have had quite a bit of rain and the resulting emergence of weeds overnight has been overwhelming. I see the weeds pop up in open mulched areas as well as close to the base of established plants (hard to get to) and between pavers. Weeding can be …
Continue reading "Tackling Weeds and Saving Your Back"
For a hearty vegetable casserole that makes awesome leftovers, try this Primavera Casserole. I am getting lots of fresh spinach, asparagus, and herbs from the garden this spring and was looking for a way to combine them. Primavera simply means spring time and I use a lot of spring ready vegetables. The vegetables are interchangeable …
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The Chelsea Chop is not a knife technique, ax throw, or dance move. A gardener term, the Chelsea Chop is a  pruning technique used on herbaceous perennials where you trim back the actively growing plant growth by 1/3 to 1/2 of its height, typically done in late spring, when the Chelsea Flower show is held. …
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Using several types of raised beds over my gardening career- all wood- I was excited to discover and start using the new modular metal ones available at Vego Garden. Wooden raised beds work fine for a while, but will ultimately deteriorate over time. So, I was interested in trying something more lasting with these food-safe …
Continue reading "Gardening with Vego Garden Raised Beds – Transforming Your Backyard Oasis"
Honeywort has been on my radar for years as a bee flower power-house. I have grown it for about 10 years and people who see it in my garden are intrigued as they have never seen it before. I have only ever seen it grown in the UK, but it is quite easy to …
Continue reading "Honeywort is the Star of the Pollinator Garden"
