Seeds to Winter-Sow: Bachelor’s Button (Centaurea cyanus)
SURE, Centaurea cyanus (above, in my Kitchen Garden) provides charming, long-stemmed, azure-blue flowers all summer long. And yes, it is a magnet for honey bees and butterflies. But these are not the...
View ArticleMy Trial with Cosmos ‘Rose Bon Bon’
LAST YEAR, Renee Shephard of Renee's Garden Seeds sent me a trial packet of a new, fully double Cosmos called 'Rose Bon Bon.' Would you like to know my honest assessment of this plant that was bred in...
View ArticleThe Perpetual Life of Pelargonium peltatum (the Ivy-Leaved Geranium)
I'LL ADMIT I'M A SUCKER FOR THE IVY-LEAVED GERANIUM, Pelargonium peltatum. Planted in a hanging basket where its trailing stems with ivy-shaped foliage can freely cascade, it puts on a pink, rose,...
View ArticleMy Favorite Seed-Suppliers…& Yours (2012 Edition)
(Note: here is the 2013 edition of this article.) AS I’VE SAID BEFORE, I rarely buy annual, perennial or vegetable seeds from local vendors. Why? Because their selections are limited to what will fit...
View ArticleOverwintering Tender Herbs & Annuals
THERE is nothing like the threat of a killing frost to get a gardener hopping. Although my potted plants were brought indoors long ago, I had neglected -- at least until I heard tonight's forecast --...
View ArticleHow I Prepare Geraniums for Winter-Bloom
WHEN IT COMES TO OVERWINTERING GERANIUMS, I refuse to be saddled with tired, old, monster-size plants. I want fresh, young geraniums that are eager to grow, and which are small enough to serve...
View ArticlePerennials and Hardy Annuals I’ve Successfully Winter-Sowed
Happy day-after-Valentine's Day, everyone! The Hudson Valley looks and feels like Narnia right now, with snow, blowing snow, and wind-chill temperatures in the dangerous digits (-10°F to -20°F). Can...
View ArticleMy Trial with Cosmos ‘Rose Bon Bon’
LAST YEAR, Renee Shephard of Renee’s Garden Seeds sent me a trial packet of a new, fully double Cosmos called ‘Rose Bon Bon.’ Would you like to know my honest assessment of this plant that was bred in...
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