Green Scene

Previous Columns

• Soil Science - 5/12/2013

  A freshly rototilled garden looks so good that it often tempts the gardener to use the tiller early and often. Who can resist that soft, fluffy soil, free of lumps and chunks?

• Don't forget to feed spring flower bulbs - 5/5/2013

  Spring-flowering bulbs have given us their show, but the curtain is dropping on them, so to speak.

• See you at the Spring Fair - 4/28/2013

  The Master Gardener Spring Fair at The Expo on Saturday and Sunday, May 4-5, will feature plants, of course, but so much more.

• Consider a trip into the Sisters Garden - 4/21/2013

  Among many Native American tribes, growing the "three sisters" — corn, beans, and squash — was a tradition, and it was felt that these three thrived if planted together.

• It's best to plant, and buy, locally - 4/14/2013

  It's tempting, and it happens far too often. No, I'm not talking about eating double-decker ice-cream cones but about buying plants that need to be shipped from a long distance.

• Simply Spuds - 4/7/2013

  My introduction to gardening came while growing up on a farm in southern Minnesota.

  
• Our plants require a spring clean, too - 3/31/2013

  Spring fever affects people in different ways. We gardeners get itchy fingers and feel the urge to get our hands in the dirt.

• Seeds or seedlings, which should I grow? - 3/24/2013

  Shall I buy seedlings or start my own plants from seeds? This is a question veteran and beginning gardeners mull over.

• Barriers & Beauty - 3/17/2013

  Vines are wonderful plants. They can hide unattractive features such as your neighbor's messy yard or the enclosure where your garbage cans stand.

  
• Assess lawn health before fertilizing - 3/10/2013

  Adequate soil nutrition is necessary for a healthy lawn and garden.

• Filler-spiller-thriller: A formula for beauty - 3/3/2013

  Trailing pansies may well become one of your new loves, if you like hanging baskets of flowers. In the last couple of years, several new series of these cascading pansies have been introduced.

• A trip to the rose garden - 2/24/2013

  Roses are among the oldest cultivated ornamental plants in the modern garden. Roses in some form grow wild all around the globe, and they have been extensively studied and bred.

• Grow Your Own - 2/17/2013

  Few backyard fruits are as popular — and evoke as many questions — as strawberries. It is hard to beat the wonderful aroma and delicious juiciness of homegrown ones.

• Pesticide Predicament - 2/10/2013

  If you read Rachel Carson's 1962 book "Silent Spring," you witnessed the beginning of interest in alternative pest-management strategies.

• As life hands you changes, make gardening easier - 2/3/2013

  "Nothing is certain but change," goes the old saying. So when circumstances change, it may be necessary to change our approach to gardening, as well.

• Hey, put down those pruners - 1/27/2013

  Archie Bunker, in an old TV sitcom, used to admonish his wife, Edith, saying "Stifle yourself!" That's what I should say to myself — even if my name isn't Edith — when I go out in the...

• Rotating backyard crops: Get to know the family - 1/20/2013

  Rotating your garden crops can help prevent the buildup of soil-borne pests.

• Old and the new in the garden - 1/13/2013

  Gardening used to be easier, or at least simpler, in "the old days." You grew your veggies or flowers, saved the seeds of the best ones, and planted them the next year.

• A whole new look for your garden - 1/6/2013

  Most landscape gardens need a face lift every five to eight years. If your yard is not making you smile when you see it, it may be time to rework it.

• The lighter side of gardening - 12/30/2012

  On my bookshelf, I have a copy of "Gardening: A Gardener's Dictionary" by Henry Beard and Roy McKie, originally printed in 1982, which has provided me with many laughs over the years.