Ever wonder how flower farmers and florists make their bouquets so pretty and full? If you have a flower garden in your yard — or an abundacnce of the “right: weeds — follow these ideas for flower arrangements that save money and create beautiful homegrown bouquets. Ideas for Flower Arrangements Choose flowers that have a […]
plants
There are no easy answers when “invasive” plants move into our forests, meadows, and backyards. Learn more about New England invasive plant species.
Gardens
Foraging for Beach Plums
For chef Jason Bond, foraging for beach plums is just another day at the beach…
Magazine
Anatomy of a Mouthful
Peter Martin built 3-foot-high raised wooden beds for vegetables, to minimize bending. The bonus is that they warm up early in spring, jump-starting early crops. Bush beans flop over the sides of the raised beds for easy picking and are free of ground slugs. Raised beds are for vegetables only; flowers go into the ground […]
Gardens
The Incredible, Edible Garden
The fact that Thomas Gardner is a foodie is written all over his landscape. Likewise, his fondness for flowers. Merge the two, and you have an Eden where dahlias jostle tomatoes and marigolds weave into peppers, with pawpaws loitering not far away. Because Tom sees no reason to segregate his summer squash or to banish […]
Bear biologist Ben Kilham lives in two worlds: human and ursine. Learn more about “the man who watches bears” in New England.
Magazine
Phantom Dahlias | Mary’s Farm
A man down the road grows dahlias, the magnificent and ancient starbursts of color that in northern climes only really dedicated gardeners will grow. Ted and his wife, Wendy, are schoolteachers in another state. Several years ago, they bought this small dormered Cape as a summer place. It faces the mountain and was at that […]
When used as companion plants, edible and ornamental plants grow beautifully alongside each other and make interesting container gardens, arrangements and traditional garden beds. Pairing your favorite fruits and veggies with your favorite blossoms and blooms is a great way to grow and enjoy all of the plants you love together, while enjoying the benefits […]
Gardens
DIY: Build a Backyard Greenhouse
Small, backyard greenhouses like the kind shown in mail-order catalogs are a gardener’s dream. They prolong the growing season and offer protection to young plants. Unfortunately, they can also be quite pricey. Don’t waste your money — you can save hundreds of dollars and achieve the same results when you build a greenhouse yourself. Use […]
Many gardeners, even ones that have been growing successful gardens for years, often shy away from growing lettuce in the scorching summer months, because they’re worried that their crop will be bitter or bolt before it’s ready to harvest. But growing lettuce during the hot months of summer is a breeze if you know these […]
Gardens
How to Plant a Strawberry Pot
Most of us have a list of garden projects we’d like to tackle one of these days. Mine include putting in a small berry patch, some raised vegetable beds, a rose arch, a grape arbor, and wisteria vines. We live near the city, so some of these ambitions are clearly outsized. But I did cross […]
Container gardening can be fun when you think about using theme that are creative, beautiful or functional. Plants can be grouped together in any size container and are as suited to a tabletop as to a porch, deck or yard. Container gardening is not only easy to set up and maintain, these little gardens also […]