Peonies have captivated the world. The “old red Piney,” that charming, old-fashioned flower, is hardly as popular as it was in days now past, because the new, lovely and more delicately tinted varieties, which have been recently introduced, are crowding their old relative into the background. Peonies in great masses are now found growing around the small cottage out in […]

The post Peony, Perennials Guide to Planting Flowers appeared first on Backyard Gardener.

Mother Nature may be taking a snooze this time of year, but that doesn’t mean you can. February brings its share of challenging chores for gardeners, many relating to the weather. If snow cover is light in your area, you may need to add extra mulch, such as a thick layer of straw or evergreen branches, to protect landscape plants. […]

The post Protecing Plants and other February Gardening Tips appeared first on Backyard Gardener.

The North Clumps of dahlia tubers may be planted in boxes of soil or sand. If the new shoots are broken from the tuber when they are 2 or 3 inches high and potted in light, sandy loam, they will soon root. From 25 to 50 cuttings may be obtained from the average clump. Keep them indoors until the danger […]

The post What to Do in February Gardening appeared first on Backyard Gardener.

Gardening in February in the Southern United States By J. Lester ROSES planted this month will give steady and uninterrupted bloom from April to December. Get the best plants you can find. Cheap stock is worthless and not to be considered at all. Two-year plants in number one grade from a reliable Rose grower in varieties of Hybrid Teas, Teas, […]

The post February Gardening in the South appeared first on Backyard Gardener.

Provided is a list of tasks you need to perform in your garden during February. Please understand your gardening zone which is identified in the menu above. Look for Hardiness Zones. Zone 1 Order fruit and vegetable seeds, roses, bare-root trees and shrubs Check potted or container-planted bulbs for signs of growth Bring in pots of crocus and bulbous iris […]

The post February Gardening To do list appeared first on Backyard Gardener.

As soon as I’ve taken down the Christmas decorations and dragged out the tree, I dig out my seed trays and start checking my supplies. I know it’s too early to get any basil or tomatoes going; I know Zinnias and Impatiens won’t be able to go into the ground until the end of May (if then!); I know that […]

The post Seeds to Start in February appeared first on Backyard Gardener.

If a vibrant, sizzling garden color is what you’re looking for, this design is made to order. Fiery shades of golden-yellow, orange, and scarlet are the attention-getters here, but it is the addition of complementary rich purple and cooling lavender that makes the combination distinctive. Silvery Artemisia and Buddleia foliage, along with feathery ornamental Grasses, serve not only as mediators […]

The post Bright Colorful Garden Designs for the home garden, Landscaping designs appeared first on Backyard Gardener.

I love to read, and I do it as often as the necessary business of life allows. Sometimes when real life is too overwhelming, and I can’t face a literary novel or a meaty biography, I turn to mysteries. As a mystery lover and a gardener, I find particular solace in the Brother Cadfael series, by the late English author […]

The post BROTHER CADFAEL – Gardening appeared first on Backyard Gardener.

As pleasing to our eyes as it is to its winged visitors, this garden shimmers in scarlet, purple, orange, and yellow, the vibrant colors most attractive to hummingbirds and butterflies. The selected perennials also feature fragrance and special characteristics—clusters of small flowers and tubular forms—essential to drawing your small guests. The Butterfly Bush (Buddleia) and Caryopteris …. shrubs provide shelter […]

The post Butterfly & Hummingbird Garden Design for the home garden, Landscaping designs appeared first on Backyard Gardener.

It’s hard to find true blue perennials for a garden, but you can make it work by using shades of blue. Most of the plants labeled ‘blue’ are really not blue but in fact either violet or violet-blue. Hybridizers are trying to create perennials in blue shades but are having difficulties, and with the growing demand of gardeners wanting the […]

The post Blue flowers of a Garden appeared first on Backyard Gardener.

For any gardener who still hasn’t been convinced about the need to garden organically, here are some statistics that may help change your mind. In March of 2001, the American Cancer Society published a report linking the use of the herbicide glyphosate (commonly sold as Round-up) with a 27% increased likelihood of contracting Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. John Hopkins University also revealed […]

The post Five Must-Have Ingredients for the Organic Gardener’s Toolkit appeared first on Backyard Gardener.

If your passion is vegetable gardening, you may have had this experience: All your children are grown, but your vegetable garden hasn’t gotten any smaller. Your neighbors and closest friends don’t seem to be at home when you, loaded down with garden produce, knock on their doors. You begin to get a distinct impression that they are trying to avoid […]

The post Hobby Gardeners Can Be Successful Farmers’ Market Vendors appeared first on Backyard Gardener.

Edible flowers are a wonderful way to spruce up your meals and add character to your table. Many flowers that we consider common weeds or only ornamentals for our garden can make a grand entrance to our kitchens. Basic knowledge is needed for the proper identification of edible flowers. Use several books with clear photos to cross reference information on […]

The post Edible Flowers appeared first on Backyard Gardener.

For years, well-meaning gardeners routinely maimed, swatted, sprayed, and squished every bug they could get their hands on. However, careful observation of nature and the move to organic practices have shown that encouraging beneficial insects is one way to give Mother Nature a hand. Lets look at three common beneficials, and how to attract them to your garden: Beetles You […]

The post Attract Beneficial Insects to Your Garden appeared first on Backyard Gardener.

Many native solitary bees are found throughout North America, and together with other bee species such as honeybees and bumblebees, they are important pollinators of fruit and vegetables. When the daytime high temperature reaches 14 C (57°F), the Blue Orchard bee starts to emerge. The males emerge a few days before the females. They mate and then the female looks […]

The post Build a simple Bee Condo appeared first on Backyard Gardener.

If there’s one thing we gardeners in the Pacific Northwest know about, it’s how to grow tomatoes in the most difficult conditions. It’s bad enough that our summers are normally very cool but now the coming weeks are filled with hot days and warm nights, the perfect breeding ground for late blight disease. Phytophthora infestans, the fungus that causes this […]

The post Late Blight Disease on Home Garden Tomatoes, Potatoes appeared first on Backyard Gardener.

Hello fellow Earthlings, and welcome back to the garden. In this discussion, children are the primary topic. We will be talking about ways to make the garden a happy family project as well as an incredible instrument for teaching your kids the amazing ways that nature works. So let’s take a walk in the garden and bring the kids along. […]

The post Children and Vegetable Gardening appeared first on Backyard Gardener.

Fresh herbs are in season all across the country, so Grandma’s kitchen is now festooned with great bunches drying for winter cooking and Grandma’s famous Herb Wreaths. Basil, thyme, summer savory, rosemary, sage, parsley, oregano, dill and mint are all prime candidates for home drying – and you can save a bundle by drying your own. If you are lucky […]

The post Drying Herbs appeared first on Backyard Gardener.

Hay fever, which is also called allergic rhinitis, is a common allergy illness that causes sneezing, a runny nose, and itchy eyes. It happens when the immune system of the body reacts to allergens such as dust mites, pollen, or animal dander. One of the most typical allergens that cause hay fever is pollen. To fertilize other plants of the […]

The post Top 10 Plants causing Allergies and Hay Fever appeared first on Backyard Gardener.

Bellis – English Daisy, Herb Margaret The Daisy of Europe is the one of which we speak here. Who has not read the words of Burns and Wordsworth, and having read, who has not admired these charming button-like flowers tile more? Let us read again several stanzas of Burns: TO A MOUNTAIN DAISY On turning one down with the plow […]

The post Bellis – English Daisy, Herb Margaret, Perennials Guide to Planting Flowers appeared first on Backyard Gardener.