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.”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
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”
Van Berkum Nursery – Growing Perennials the Right Way
Two weeks ago I ventured up to Deerfield, NH to meet with John Gedraitis, the General Manager of Van Berkum Nursery. Many of us in the field of horticulture in New England consider them the best growers of perennials, and a great supplier of some not so easy to find native and non-native plants. The nursery wasContinue reading “Van Berkum Nursery – Growing Perennials the Right Way”
Mad Mics Mulch, Some Of The Best Mulch You Can Put In Your Garden
Anyone who has known me long enough or has read anything I have written over the years, knows that it doesn’t take much to send me on a rampage about bad mulch or the improper application of mulch. Rest easy, because today I am going to talk about some beautiful mulch products, from a local company, that areContinue reading “Mad Mics Mulch, Some Of The Best Mulch You Can Put In Your Garden”
Thoughts On Growing And Some Favorite Trees From Grelen Nursery In Orange County, VA
Maybe you have wondered where the tree you planted in your garden last year was grown, or how long it took to become the 8′ adolescent sitting in that newly created bed. You may have purchased it from a local nursery or had a contractor install it, but it probably wasn’t grown around here. While there certainly areContinue reading “Thoughts On Growing And Some Favorite Trees From Grelen Nursery In Orange County, VA”
Unusual And Special Gifts For The Gardener In Your Life
We are deep into the holiday season, and it has been a bizarre season largely in lock-down. For years I have gotten questions about great gift ideas for gardeners and the garden, so here is a list of some not so typical ideas. There will be no fur-lined waterproof clogs, monogrammed leather gardening aprons or self-sharpeningContinue reading “Unusual And Special Gifts For The Gardener In Your Life”
Barking Dog Gardens - Gardening in New England 