Southeast Gardeners December Checklist

December can be a quiet time in the garden. Most of us are busy with other things, so the timing is good. But there is much to enjoy, and some tending to take care of. Here is some of what we are doing in our So

Pacific Northwest Gardeners December Checklist

When my children were young, we used to enjoy leisurely walks down the quiet lanes in the English countryside. Im sure my mind often wandered off on its own private ramble: What shall we have for dinner? Do I ne

Southwest Gardeners December Checklist

The diversity within the desert Southwest region shows in December. While elevation or time of day may determine ones clothing or specific tasks, garden possibilities are great anywhere here. Desert dwellers can

Texas Gardeners December Checklist

We are fortunate to live in an area of the country where we can garden nearly year-round. Our winters are typically mild, even though we can have a sporadic snowfall or ice storm. While our friends to the north

Great Lakes Gardeners December Checklist

Hello, winter and the holiday season. Many Great Lakes gardeners are almost too busy this month with holiday activities to spend time gardening. But the winter garden provides inspiration for holiday decorating,

Rocky Mountain Gardeners December Checklist

Although the garden is dormant now, heed the call of the outdoors and spend time in your favorite garden space. Activities with family and friends, or a solo project to center yourself during the hectic holiday

Great Design Plant: Coast Live Oak

This is the most familiar and beloved California oak — the tree that cities and high schools are named for. A big live oak is a tree to treasure, protect and build a landscape around; it will dictate the microcl

Great Design Plant: Golden Breath of Heaven

I prefer subtle yet unique elegance when it comes to design. If theres a choice, implied beauty over a loud, statement-making piece usually wins out. What I especially admire about the Sunset Gold breath of heav

Great Design Plant: Purple Prairie Clover

Purple prairie clover (also known as violet prairie clover) is a showy, adaptable perennial native to a wide variety of prairie ecosystems across most of central North America, from Saskatchewan down through Tex

Great Design Plant: California Poppy

Although California wildflowers are alarmingly threatened in their natural habitats, a number of them perform beautifully — if quirkily — in home gardens. In fact, the wildflower thats easiest to grow is also

Great Design Plant: Harry Lauders Walking Stick

Not many plants boast a better guise without their leaves, and Harry Lauders Walking Stick (Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’) is probably the most distinct of them. Named for a connoisseur of unusual walking sticks,

How to Help Your Trees Weather a Storm

It seems theres no end to big, bad and ugly weather events. When big storms hit with wet snow, heavy rains or gale-force winds, trees suffer. Mature trees are susceptible for any number of reasons, and when an o

Great Design Plant: Coast Silktassel

Among the coastal shrubs and wild chaparral that call the mountainous coast of California and Oregon home, the pendulous catkins of coast silktassel (Garrya elliptica) are a prize. While most plants sleep throug

9 Holly and Ivy Plants for Good Tidings in the Garden

Of all the traditional Christmas carols, The Holly and the Ivy is perhaps one of the most obscure. While the song dates back to 17th-century England, holly and ivy have been significant since pagan times, when t

Scope Out a Family Greenhouse Grown From Scraps

“Ive never been an idle person, says Amy Moore. Aside from caring for a family of eight, harvesting and selling homemade honey, and raising chickens and horses on her family’s 8-acre property, she has recently b

Northeast Gardeners January Checklist

Maybe you got some pruners or a fabulous gardening book as a holiday gift and are anxious to start reading, making notes and planning to try new plants. Take some time this month to make a fresh start outdoors.

Central Plains Gardeners January Checklist

Here we go! Its the dawn of a new year, and the sun is already getting higher. If dreams of sugarplums danced in your head recently, now the visions are of Blazingstar and Indian grass, right? You can order seed

California Gardeners January Checklist

With cheer-bringing blossoms on bare stems in the dead of winter, the flowering quince is an ancient Chinese symbol of an auspicious New Year. At least as cheering to me would be seeing a Big 10 football team lo

Great Lakes Gardeners January Checklist

Most Great Lakes gardeners are holed up inside dreaming of spring right now. Aside from curling up with a hot toddy and a garden catalog or website, gardeners can find some enjoyment in the winter garden and get

Texas and Desert Southwest Gardeners January Checklist

This month were trying something a little different: Were including our neighbors over in the desert Southwest in our garden chores here. While we could simply talk in terms of USDA hardiness zones, that would g