Many people like to keep their poinsettias “going” long after the holidays. I especially like the ones with white or pink bracts (not really flowers), more so than the red ones. But whatever color you have, the following are some tips from the University of Minnesota Extension Service Calendar, a holiday gift from my dear … Continue reading Poinsettia Care After the Holidays
Snippets
A Gardener’s Thanksgiving
By Reverend Max Coots Let us give thanks for a bounty of people: For children who are our second planting, and though they grow like weeds and the wind too soon blows them away, may they forgive us our cultivation and fondly remember where their roots are…. For generous friends with hearts and smiles as … Continue reading A Gardener’s Thanksgiving
About Cranberries
Cranberries are the official Massachusetts State berry. We originally quoted the following cranberry information from the Jim Zoppo Web site in November of 2005: “…44 calories per cup and full of antioxidants. These tart berries are grown from April to November. What’s one way to tell when they’re ripe? They bounce! Cranberries have antibacterial properties … Continue reading About Cranberries
Lobsters as Fertilizer!
Until this century, the main use for lobsters was as fertilizer. New Englanders considered them to be garbage. They were thought of as scavengers and, therefore, unclean. In fact, a lobster’s favorite meal is crabs; but they are also fond of clams, mussels, and other lobsters. Members of the Phylum Arthropoda, they are thought of … Continue reading Lobsters as Fertilizer!
Hybridizing vs. Genetic Altering
According to the “Ask Dr. Knowledge” column in the Boston Globe (10/31/00): Hybridization is a word used to describe any time when genetic material from one organism is mixed with genetic material that has different heritable characteristics. There are many ways to do this. For example, you can just “cross” two species – if they … Continue reading Hybridizing vs. Genetic Altering
Landscaping Helps Homes Sell Faster
If you’re putting your home on the market, be sure to pay attention to the outside, too. At the least, you should cut the grass, weed the beds and fill the flower boxes. According to Holly Cuny, editor of Garden Center Magazine, “Freshening up a landscape makes a home sell faster – 15 days faster … Continue reading Landscaping Helps Homes Sell Faster
Flowers Not Cause of Pollen Allergies?
There was an interesting letter to the editor in the June 10, 2008 edition of The Boston Globe, signed by Doug Brugge, an associate professor at Tufts University School of Medicine. We quote some of it: …I have long complained about the use of flowers in ads for allergy medications. In fact, flowers, because they … Continue reading Flowers Not Cause of Pollen Allergies?
Soil Improvement Never ‘Done’
“There’s no such thing for me as just racing around sticking things in [planting]. I feel compelled to go with my bucket of leaf mold and my bags of finished compost and garden fertilizer, digging and improving each spot where a plant or group of plants is to go. And I DO know, beyond a … Continue reading Soil Improvement Never ‘Done’
Green Decor
Recently, we have seen the installation of new “bamboo” wooden floors. They are not only beautiful, but they are derived from a sustainable resource. According to reports from the recent Furniture Market in High Point, N.C., several manufacturers were marketing trendy “green” decor — “furniture made from materials that are organic, sustainable or recycled. Vaughan-Bassett … Continue reading Green Decor