Pruning Brambles
How Brambles Grow. It's easier to remember how to prune brambles if you understand how they grow. The plants' underground parts the roots and crown are perennial, but the canes (upright stems) that arise from the ... [... more]
National Gardening Association |
Making A Raised-Bed Garden
Making permanent beds. Use rot-resistant wood such as cedar, or bricks, rocks, or cement blocks to create a bed that is at least 1 foot deep, no more than 3 to 4 feet wide, and as long as you like. If the beds are ... [... more]
National Gardening Association |
Planting A Child-Friendly Garden
Since many other plants -- even something as familiar as rhubarb leaves -- are toxic, teach your child to consult with you before anything into his or her mouth. Only a few are so toxic they should not be used around ... [... more]
National Gardening Association |
Preserving Cut Flowers
Add water. Freshly cut flowers have enough stored sugars to survive in a vase. But if you would like to add a preservative, try a homemade version. Tests have found commercial floral preservatives to be less ... [... more]
National Gardening Association |
Dividing Perennials
The best time to divide plants depends on your region. In cold regions, early spring is usually the best time. The new divisions will have a more time to become established before the challenges of the long, cold ... [... more]
National Gardening Association |
Preventing Apple Pests
Curculio is a 1/4-inch-long beetle that makes distinctive crescent-shaped scars on developing fruit. The grubs tunnel through the apples, causing the fruit to drop in early summer. To kill the adults, spray phosmet ... [... more]
National Gardening Association |
Establishing A Wildflower Meadow
Sow seeds. Sowing in mid- to late summer eliminates many of the sprouting weeds that often plague spring plantings, but is useful only for grasses and perennial flowers. If you choose a mix containing many annual ... [... more]
National Gardening Association |
Drawing A Landscape Map
Establish accurate locations. Using stakes and string, mark a straight line along a property boundary, starting at one corner. Keeping the tape measure at a 90? angle from the boundary, measure the distance from the ... [... more]
National Gardening Association |
Coping With Pest Deer
Repellents. There are quite a few products with flavors and odors offensive to deer that gardeners can spray on plants or spread on the soil. Some (fermented egg yolks) offend deer's sense of smell; others (predator ... [... more]
National Gardening Association |
Maintaining A Perennial Garden
Inspect for pests and problems. Look for leaves with holes or ragged edges; sticky, discolored or spotted leaves; chewed or abnormally growing flowers or buds; or damaged stems. If you discover a problem, take ... [... more]
National Gardening Association |
Planting Tomatoes
Transplant. Bury tomato stems up to the plant's second true set of leaves, digging a 10- to 18-inch-deep hole, if necessary. Fill the hole with the amended soil. Roots will form along the buried stem. Protect plants ... [... more]
National Gardening Association |
Planning A Low-Maintenance Landscape
Choose timesaving systems and surfaces. Consider lower-maintenance alternatives to solve landscape problems, such as an automatic irrigation system for watering the lawn and garden; a deck, paved patio, or ground ... [... more]
National Gardening Association |
