All from a seed like this sprouting one

I PLANTED MY FIRST SEED

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Growing trees from seeds is a long-term project, which makes it all the more satisfying. Just getting them to sprout is exciting, and then you get a special affection for them as they grow. I write about tricks to getting tree seeds to sprout and other suggestions for this also fun and useful activity in my latest blog post:
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Cold damaged rhododendron

WHAT’S DOING IN YOUR ‘HOOD

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Wilting or browning leaves on your rhododendrons? Are they dead from some infection? Should those stems with browned leaves be lopped to the ground? Wait! Before you do anything, read the backstory to all this, with advice on where and when to yield your pruners, all in my latest blog post.
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Many seedlings in spring

WATERING SEEDLINGS MADE EASY

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With so many pots to water, I could be tethered to my home like a dairy farmer to his cows. But I’m not, thanks to capillary watering. In my latest blog post, I write what it is, how to buy it or make it, and how best to use it.
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nursery trees, bare root 2

TREE PLANTING MYTHS DEBUNKED

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I love to plant trees, and I’ve planted plenty. Some are now 60 feet tall. If you plant correctly, its really not very difficult to get a tree into the ground properly, especially if you ignore a few myths of traditional tree planting:
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Organic weedkiller between row of pear trees

SOAP UP

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Soaps have been around gardening for hundreds of years, can take care of insect, weed, or disease problems, and they’re pretty much nontoxic. But the kind of soap must suit its intended use. Read about all this in my latest blog post.
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Ladybugs on leaf

WHERE’S HOME?

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[Everybody loves ladybugs. Or do they/we? It depends. Find out what’s to love and what’s not to love about these cute little buggers — which actually aren’t bugs. Read all this in my latest blog post, here:
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Basket of various heirloom apples

OLDIES BUT GOODIES

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What’s so great about “heirloom” varieties? And what are they? Are they worth growing? Any downsides? All this, and more, answered in my latest blog post, here:
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Snow scene

A WINTER FAIRYLAND

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As in life, so it is in the garden, snowfall bringing its joys and pains. We can’t control it in the garden (unless you shovel your lawn and veggie beds!), but lets explore the good and the bad of snow in the garden, in my latest blog post, here, of course!
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Cut open chocolate pod

WAYS WITH CHOCOLATE

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The classic Valentine gift is chocolate. A variation on the classic is a chocolate (cacao) seed or a plant, which I relate how to cultivate; then how to harvest and create the real thing, conventional, old-fashioned, or Mayan. All in my most recent blog post:
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