05/09/2008

Scotts recalls 4 gardening products
Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. has recalled four lawn and garden products at the behest of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Two of the products have not been registered with the EPA and two products were registered but not properly labeled.

05/08/2008

Heirloom rose garden sprouting on historic Collin farm

NATALIE CAUDILL/Staff

The garden, north of McKinney, is displaying heirloom roses, which get special gardening care from North Texas rose societies.

Chambersville Heritage Rose Garden provides a spot for visitors to see collections of heritage roses in a pastoral setting. The garden, on a historic Collin County Farm, is open on spring and fall weekends to the public.
Photos: See the roses

Container gardening: One-pot vegetable plots
Growing vegetables in containers is a great way for people without yards to have fresh produce. Putting containers on the patio also is a way to extend a garden. Here's a plan for doing it right.

05/07/2008

Greenville church's garden reflects biblical flora
In 2000, when the Kavanaugh United Methodist Church asked member and master gardener Pud Kearns to design a new garden, she used only one reference book: the Bible.

Find the perfect fern for your garden

Care and feeding of ferns
Ferns are low-maintenance plants, as long as you site them in a spot they will like. Here's how to take care of them.

05/01/2008

Grow better tomatoes with this gardening gear
Anyone who's started spring with a tomato plant and high hopes knows how hard it is to finish with a bountiful harvest. Hungry insects and birds, cages that topple and difficult growing conditions often stand in the way of the perfect tomato.

05/02/2008

Tackle tree problems before storms hit

File/Staff

It's too late when a storm hits to protect your tree. But there are clues to look for beforehand that could tell you whether your tree has an Achilles limb. Here's what to look for.
Planting: List of trees, shrubs and other plants that thrive in Texas

Pick-your-own fruit season is peaking in Texas for strawberries and more
Pick-your-own season is about to hit its peak in Texas with blackberries, blueberries, peaches and more, ripe and ready. Leading the season are strawberries, rows upon rows of them, at Gnismer Farms in Arlington. In fact, this is probably the final week before the picking there (and elsewhere in Texas) transitions to blackberries and other late-spring produce.
Video: Visit Gnismer strawberry farm

04/25/2008

Some edible plants have a dark side
Perennial vegetables are an enduring lot. Many are capable of surviving drought, recurring cold, deep shade and short periods of flooding.

04/15/2008

Organic gardening starts with seeds

It's a wonder you can't detect a pulse from a seed, considering all the life within. Even before they germinate, you can predict how their life cycle will evolve. Each seed carries a genetic mix that determines hardiness and disease tolerance, plant size, texture and color and distinctive blooms or fruit. Then there are the differences visible only to the practiced eye between conventional seeds and their organic equivalents. The variations can make all the difference in your garden.

04/10/2008

Tips for kick-starting your compost pile
A friend of mine had a bad case of indigestion last summer, but not in his tummy. It was in his compost pile. "Nothing's breaking down," he said, eager to have plenty of black gold to spread on his garden in the fall. "It just sits there. What am I going to do?"

04/11/2008

The perfect yard for attracting birds
In The Wildlife Gardener's Guide, Janet Marinelli strives for a book that will stand out from the many already available on the subject of attracting butterflies, birds, bats and bees to our back yards. She emphasizes specifics over generalities in 10 chapters, most providing step-by-step instructions adaptable to either new or established gardens.

04/10/2008

How to build a sturdier tomato cage
Tomato plants tend to sprawl as they grow. That's why gardeners often surround them with metal cages that force them to get vertical instead of horizontal.

How to make vines go vertical
Vines grow quickly. Some will grow quickly on almost anything. But others need help growing in the direction you want them to grow.

02/11/2008

Planning to buy a tree? Here's what to look for

Live Oak trees are long-lived and thrive in Dallas.

Most people shopping for a tree probably look closer at the top 90 percent of a candidate than the bottom 10 percent, the roots. That's a mistake. Here's how to pick a good tree based on its roots.
Trees and plants suited to Texas' climate

01/24/2008

Shade-loving variegated plants brighten Dallas gardens
Variegation may be unlucky for plants, but it is good news for gardeners. The bright white or yellow patterns of variegated foliage provide welcome contrast and color for shaded garden beds or dark backgrounds generally unsuited to most flowering plants. Whether splashed, striped or speckled, variegated leaves seem magically illuminated from within.

Improve the soil now, reap benefits later
Gardeners know the value of adding organic material such as compost to their beds: It loosens our clay soils while adding nutrients.

01/18/2008

These strange succulents are fun houseplants
Succulents make some of the most enchanting windowsill plants in the world. They sit quietly without much change for months, serving much like living sculptures. When you combine a mimicry plant with perfectly matched gravel, you can recreate this rare desert scenario at home.

01/23/2008

Know what you're saying with flowers
Ralph Waldo Emerson must have been looking at flowers when he said, "If eyes were made for seeing, then beauty is its own excuse for being." On Valentine's Day, however, flowers have a deeper reason for being - they are the language of love. In fact, love and flowers have at least two things in common. Both can be beautiful, and both need a little tenderness and understanding if they are to survive and flourish. Why not give flowers that will last awhile?

12/21/2007

How to help tender plants survive a freeze
When a freeze is forecast, tender plants are at risk. Even hardy plants can die in unusually hard freezes. But simple steps beforehand can help protect your garden from harm.

12/06/2007

How much mulch will you need? Here's how to figure it
Now is a good time to mulch your garden to protect plants from a freeze. But how thick should the layer of mulch be? And how do you figure out how much mulch to buy?

09/15/2007

Get to know geckos:Why they're here, how they work
Mediterranean geckos are an import to Texas, and fascinate onlookers with their abilities to climb the walls. Find out how they got here, how those tiny toes work, and what they can teach us.

05/31/2007

Keep grass watered, not waterlogged
Do you know how much water your lawn needs? Most people don't. If you turn on your sprinklers two or more times a week, you might be overwatering.

05/04/2007

Chores: Prune your shrubs, don't butcher them
If your evergreen shrubs need pruning, now is a good time for it. But don't bring out the hedge clippers. We're talking about strategic pruning that enhances the health of a shrub.

05/03/2007

Reblooming irises can beat the heat

VINCENT CHRISTOPHERSON / Special to DMN

Bearded irises are not created equal. Although as a rule they are easy to grow in a wide range of conditions, many perform best in regions with cold winters while others thrive in southern summer heat. So it pays to get the skinny on any bearded iris before buying it. The good news is that local hybridizers are producing irises that can cope with Texas weather.

10/19/2006

Bulb planting guide: The secret's in the mix
North Texas in spring is one of the prettiest places in the world because so many municipalities and households plant Dutch bulbs. But the beauty doesn't happen without planning, forethought, timely action and muddy knees, and everything but the muddy knees needs to happen now.