Home & Garden category, Page 13

Artist Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) once said, “If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere.” The Dutch post-impressionist painter’s own love of nature expressed in his vibrant landscapes and still-life paintings is interpreted in a series of botanical vignettes in the summer flower show, “Van Gogh in Bloom,”...

Spring is a busy time for gardeners, but if you’re a blueberry grower, I encourage you to take the time to head out to the garden to observe one of my favorite spring garden sights: blueberry pollination. While hives of imported European honeybees are often the pollinators of blueberries grown...

It’s finally that time of year again – when horticulture enthusiasts can swap their winter mittens for garden gloves. Before they head out to the garden, many will visit their favorite May Markets to check out the latest plant varieties, get the scoop on new garden tools and accessories and...

Question: We have Triple Crown Blackberry bushes at our residence. What is the proper care for these particular bushes? They get overrun with weeds and grass during the late spring to early summer. Should they be cut completely down periodically? Any help or suggestions will be appreciated. Answer: Triple Crown...

It was a conversation over lunch after a Botanic Walk and Talk at the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden that introduced me to Barbara and Chuck Batove’s beautiful story. Barbara knows Joe Hamm, whose Daffodil Hortus in Washington County is a legendary collection of nearly 2,000 different varieties. Barbara is planting specific...

Though it’s still about a month too early to plant tomato plants outdoors here in Pennsylvania, I thought I’d help you get a jump start on the season by offering some tips for planting this year’s tomato crop. Proper planting starts with the proper timing, of course. Tomato plants don’t...

Question: I am looking for some advice on growing gardenias in Pennsylvania. What are the tricks to success? Answer: Gardenias (Gardenia jasminoides) are a favorite flower of many people, but caring for the plants in cold climates like ours can be difficult. This beautiful, tropical plant produces pure white blooms...

On a warm spring afternoon, the sun highlighted a row of daffodils in such a way that the orange fringe of the cups exploded with color. I’ve seen them bloom every season for the past 20 but never really noticed the dark apricot center of the flower. I began to...

With a PhD in political science, Mary Beth McConahey never thought she’d end up as a commercial flower grower. And when she did become a flower grower, she thought the growing itself would be the hardest thing. It turns out that she was wrong on both counts, but that hasn’t...

I hear from many gardeners each season who face animal issues in their garden. While deer seem to be the most common leaf-munching culprit, two other mammals cause gardeners a great number of headaches: groundhogs and rabbits. Today, I’d like to take a closer look at some ways gardeners can...

Horticulturist Denise Schreiber says she “tells it like it is” when she talks about the science of growing things — especially when it comes to debunking old wives’ tales that are often accepted as gardening gospel. Expect to hear the facts and nothing but the facts when Schreiber presents “Urban...

Spring is the perfect time to work with your kids or grandkids to create a fairy garden. Betty and John Robison built a fairy garden trail in Scenery Hill, Washington County. In 2010, the couple started Robison Acres a small nursery and wild plant sanctuary. Each year new things get...

Gardening editor Doug Oster gets asked a lot of questions. A lot. And he doesn’t mind offering gardening advice. But rather than just limiting those answers to the person who asked, we thought it might be a good idea to share that wealth of knowledge with everybody. There are three...

In May, the deer finally have something to eat in the forest, hopefully keeping them busy and out of the garden. Any gardener that lives in deer country, though, knows that the allure of hostas and tulips draws the four-legged marauders to the garden. Here are some plants that I...

Question: I have several pink Knock Out roses that I’ ve had for several years, and they have always been healthy and lovely. I make sure I care for them properly. Recently I noticed that all of them have cankers and discoloration (black and dark brown) up and down the...

Landscape architect Laura Patterson walks through a parking lot in Brownsville occupied by some overgrown shrubs and an old white dump truck abandoned there years ago. She has lived in the greater Uniontown area her whole life and owns Exquisite Garden Design. Her grandmother lived in West Brownsville, working in...

Landscape architect and author Jennifer Bartley couldn’t make healthy eating look any easier. Want a delicious, fresh spring salad for lunch? Simply go outside to the kitchen garden and pick a bunch of kale, lettuce and other annual greens — and don’t forget some herbs and edible flowers. “Spring is...

Viral, bacterial or fungal plant diseases can affect plants in many different ways. Some are asymptomatic (meaning they show no symptoms), while others can kill an entire plant in short order. Some diseases limit photosynthesis or inhibit flower and fruit production, while others stifle nutrient absorption or cause significant aesthetic...

Andy Amrhein has literally spent a lifetime selling and maintaining gas-powered lawn equipment. The owner of Evey True Value Hardware in Bethel Park has now become a champion of electric and battery-powered mowers, blowers, trimmers and more. “The world is changing. More and more people every year are going to...

The increasing hours of spring sunlight and rising temperatures across the country bring thoughts of greenery and new life, and adding a houseplant or two to your home is a great way to brighten your space without spending a lot of money. The best way to buy houseplants is to...

Question: I heard you talking on your radio program about using corn gluten meal to keep the weeds from coming up in my beds. Can you give me a little more information on how and when to use this product? Answer: Though they will not rid your lawn or garden...

Following a successful pilot year, Project Bee Watch will expand its research area in partnership with Allegheny Land Trust, Latodami Nature Center and Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy. The volunteer effort tries to fill a data gap in southwestern Pennsylvania on the status of pollinators to guide habitat creation and improvement efforts....

While deer-browsing habits are always more aggressive in the winter, this winter and early spring seem to be especially bad. I’ve been hearing from gardeners across the region about how the deer have nibbled their foundation plantings to the nub. If deer are problematic in your neighborhood and you’ve had...