THAT CHRISTMAS TREE ISN’T DONE WORKING FOR YOU YET Now that the Christmas Holiday has passed, many of you, like me, are taking decorations down including removing the Christmas tree from inside the house. Here is where this cut Christmas tree still has value. Before you toss it onto the curb, here are a few…
POTTED EVERGREENS IS A POPULAR TREND RIGHT NOW Winter is officially here. For the past month, I have been fielding questions about potted evergreens in outdoor containers. People are asking about the care of their plants through the cold, winter months. Also, some people, more recently, are asking about using a potted evergreen for use…
YULE This Friday, December 21st, is the Winter Solstice—the shortest day of the year; the first official day of Winter; Yule. The days, which have been getting shorter and shorter each day since the Summer Solstice, now will begin getting longer by a minute or two each day. How the World Celebrates Winter Solstice Many…
LET’S KEEP IT REAL!! We are in the second week of December with Christmas 10 days away. People are buying Christmas trees fast and furious right now. It is fun to learn some background facts when it comes to the fresh trees and greenery that we use for holiday decorating. The traditional use of an…
Now that your houseplants have been inside for a couple of months, how are they doing? Here are a few things you might want to watch out for: Yellow leaves Yellow leaves can be a sign of three very different problems. When you first bring your plants inside, it’s a huge shock—losing leaves is a…
PINE TAGS OR IS IT PINE STRAW? BOTH ARE GOOD TERMS IN DESCRIBING WHAT IS FALLING OUT OF OUR PINE TREES RIGHT NOW. We are now into the second week of December and the pine tags are really falling fast out of our pine trees. FREE MULCH, BABY!!! The other day as I was driving…
If you have a window that gets a lot of sun during the winter, then why not grow your favorite herbs? All you need is a sunny window (no blinds/no sheer curtains). The first thing to do is take a look at that sunny window. Be sure to check around the window for heating vents….
LAST MONTH FOR 2021 – CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!! “Time flies by quickly when you get old.” I am there and this “old” saying is so true. But, life is good. And, gardening in December is good. We had some rain in November, although we could have used more as we go into the colder…
WHAT A CRAZY YEAR 2020 TURNED OUT TO BE FOR GARDENING I have been in the retail garden center business for over 40 years and I can sum up 2020 with one word – UNPRECEDENTED. The time right before New Year’s is often a time for reflection on the past year and the year ahead….
Every year I make New Year’s resolutions for my garden. Last year, I made only three—to be better at keeping weeds and debris out of my garden, to be better about repotting plants when they need it, and to take time to appreciate the efforts of my hard work. So how did I do? My…