Keeping organic material in your soil (lawn and garden) is one of the most important aspects of good gardening. I liken it to a zero-sum game. Every time you or your contractor removes, leaves, grass clippings, pruned branches, cut back perennials, dead annuals, you are removing organic material that, at one point, resided in your soil.Continue reading “Organic Material is Critical to Garden Health”
Author Archives: Barking Dog Gardens
Early Work in the Spring Garden
“Work in the Spring Garden” is the title of a class I just taught last week at New England Botanic Garden @ Tower Hill. We discussed several important topics that need to be considered as we get out into the garden in the Spring. Also, check out the Home Gardener Series that we have created at NEBG. It isContinue reading “Early Work in the Spring Garden”
Plant Health Trilogy Part 3: Light
For plants to thrive, their needs need to be met with regard to three critical elements: Water, Soil and Light. In the last two newsletters we talked about the importance of proper watering and appropriate soil as they impact the health of your plants. The final part of the trilogy is LIGHT, and this is a deceptively challenging elementContinue reading “Plant Health Trilogy Part 3: Light”
Plant Health Trilogy Part Two – Soil
We continue with the second part of the horticultural trilogy: Soil. Last newsletter we talked about the importance of providing the right amount of water to your plants and working to group plants with similar moisture needs together. Soil is the foundation from which your plants grow and the properties of the soil can dictate aContinue reading “Plant Health Trilogy Part Two – Soil”
The Horticultural Trilogy: Light, Soil and Water.
For plants to thrive I look to the horticultural trilogy: Light, Soil and Water. I have found over the years that if you can take care of these three issues in an appropriate way for your plants, they will thrive. Now, they can do pretty well if two are right, but for a plant to be trulyContinue reading “The Horticultural Trilogy: Light, Soil and Water.”
Throw Out The Color Wheel!
A few years ago I was at a lecture by David Culp, a horticulturist, plantsman, designer and lover of all things garden-related, on his book, The Layered Garden, and he put forth many theories and beliefs regarding garden design. I was relieved to hear someone, who was obviously passionate about plants and gardens, not lay out oneContinue reading “Throw Out The Color Wheel!”
Reed vs The Volcano…Tree Volcano That Is!
Welcome to the annual process of building up soil levels around the base of plants with excessive amounts of mulch. The result of this reckless heaving of mulch around trees is the ubiquitous “Tree Volcano”. All of these images are from local sites showing egregious use of mulch, and some bad quality mulch too. For thoseContinue reading “Reed vs The Volcano…Tree Volcano That Is!”
Growing Degree Days- How We Know When Plants Will Flower
Phenology, as simply defined by Merriam-Webster, is a branch of science dealing with the relations between climate and periodic biological phenomena (such as bird migration or plant flowering.) Growing Degree Days (GDD) is a tool used in this study that calculates the accumulation of warmer temperature days over a season. In the field of horticulture and your gardens, thisContinue reading “Growing Degree Days- How We Know When Plants Will Flower”
A New Season And A Visit With Sylvan Nursery
Well after last week we were all convinced Spring was here and we were madly scrambling to catch up and get out there. Then it snowed! The extended forecast looks pretty good, but sometimes I just need to tell myself to slow down and get a grip. We are not behind and the garden is not passing us byContinue reading “A New Season And A Visit With Sylvan Nursery”
Healthy and Sustainable Turf Care
You have seen Alden Johnson of Barrett Tree East quoted in this newsletter before as he is a Certified Arborist and works for one of the best tree companies in the Boston area, with whom I almost exclusively work. I sat down with Alden and their new turf expert, Kyle Peigh, at distance and with masks, a few weeks ago toContinue reading “Healthy and Sustainable Turf Care”
Barking Dog Gardens - Gardening in New England 