From the category archives:

Winter Gardening

How Long Should I Wait Before Complaining About My Neighbor’s Christmas Lights?!

by Fern on December 23, 2009

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Photo by Jenny Peterson

The condo association in charge of our new place has all sorts of rules, most of which I see my neighbors breaking left and right. For example, you’re not supposed to hang any planters on the railings of the balcony, but I have seen at least two people doing just that. And one of the balconies violating the rules has dead plants in the planter, so it doesn’t even look very nice. All of this talk of rules got me thinking about the ettiquette of Christmas lights. I’m Jewish and I’ve never put up Christmas lights, but I was wondering, when should I start complaining to the condo association about my neighbors?

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Three DIY Garden-Inspired Gift Ideas

by Fern on December 15, 2009

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I hope there are some hard core gift buying procrastinators like me out there, because this post was originally scheduled for last week. I just couldn’t get all the little odds and ends I needed in time to create these gifts in time. Luckily Chanukah is 8 days long and Christmas is 10 days away. So, if you’re like me and have waited until the last minute and need some thoughtful handmade gift ideas that won’t bust your budget, here are not one, but three suggestions.

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Thumbnail image for Beautiful Winter Container Combinations Inspired by Horticulture Magazine

Beautiful Winter Container Combinations Inspired by Horticulture Magazine

December 8, 2009

Horticulture Magazine recently put out a short list of plants they recommend for winter pots, so I thought I would play around with how they look together.
The photo above features Iris ‘George,’ Primula Cowichan series, and Iris danfordiae. OK, I lied. That’s a double primula in the middle, not one of the Cowichan series recommended [...]

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Thumbnail image for Fullerton Arboretum Succulent Sale

Fullerton Arboretum Succulent Sale

December 6, 2009

I went to check out the Fullerton Arboretum’s Cactus and Succulent Sale this weekend. Arboretums and botanical gardens are great alternative places to find interesting plants at reasonable prices. At this particular sale, there was an assortment of people selling pups and cuttings from their plants. They were all really friendly and knowledgeable. It was [...]

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Grow Aloe Indoors This Winter

October 27, 2009

Maybe you have an aloe plant that was happy growing on your balcony this summer and now you need to bring it inside, or perhaps you’re looking for a useful and beautiful plant to spend your gardening energy on during the winter months. Either way, aloes can be grown inside, so long as you provide [...]

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How to Protect Your Container Garden From Frost

October 21, 2009

Temperatures usually don’t get cold enough to really harm my plants until January or February here at the beach in So Cal (and then we’re only talking about the low 40s), but I hear that those of you in the rest of the country start getting pretty cold weather about this time of year. [...]

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When Do You Stop Gardening Outdoors

October 18, 2009

All of my herbs are still going strong, as are all of my perennial flowers (which I think is pretty much everything, I didn’t plant any annuals). I have cut down most of my hot season edibles, like the pepperoncinis, Grand Mariconi, and bell peppers. While we still have occasional days of 80/90 degree weather, [...]

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Asian Vegetables for your Cool Season Container Garden

October 9, 2009

As I’ve become more adventurous as a cook, I’ve discovered a whole new world of vegetables, leafy greens and herbs common in the various Asian cuisines. Finding those veggies in my local supermarket, however, is usually a challenge. And when I am able to find them, they cost an arm and a leg. Of course, [...]

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Direct Sowing vs. Starting Seeds Indoors

January 20, 2009

If you’re a container gardener, is it better to sow seeds directly in your pots or planters, or is it better to start the seeds in starter pots indoors? To be honest, there isn’t one right answer. Different strokes for different folks and all that good stuff. Even the same gardener may decide that different [...]

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Resolve to Keep Better Gardening Records This Year

January 2, 2009

There is a very simple, very free way to keep track of what you planted, when you planted it, how good the harvest was, how pretty the flowers were, etc. And it boggles my mind that more gardeners don’t use this tool.
I am talking about a website called My Folia. If you’ve ever thought “I [...]

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Do You Plan on Starting Seeds Indoors?

December 16, 2008

It seems hard to believe, but in about a month or so (depending on where you live), it will be time to start seeds indoors.

Photo by joaobambu
Seed starting, for the uninitiated, is pretty simple. By sowing seeds inside, in the warmth of your home, you can get a month or two head start on the [...]

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Cold Protection Advice From People Who Know About These Things

December 3, 2008

I was perusing the New York Botanical Gardens’ blog (yes, a botanical garden has a blog, a pretty good one actually) and came across some advice for container gardeners who live in areas with real winters:
If it is containers that you are concerned about, the simplest answer is Bubble Wrap. Garden centers sometimes sell a [...]

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