Squash bugs

As the name implies, squash bugs attack squash-family plants, especially winter squash and pumpkins. The adults are dark brown or black, almond shaped, and about 1/2 inch long. They suck plant juices, causing leaves

Caring for ground covers

Most ground covers require little attention beyond routine watering, mulching, fertilizing, and grooming. In many cases, maintenance takes very little time - especially when compared to the hours typically invested

Planting container-grown plants

Containerized plants are popular and convenient ― and in fact, many kinds of shrubs and trees are sold only in containers. Such plants offer certain advantages. They are sold throughout the growing season; they are

Violas brighten winter gardens

Found blanketing the front of beds and borders in cooler months, violas are a favorite annual to use en masse. Some are solid colored, while others have vibrant markings on petals that are known as faces and give vi

Lessons from a hothouse

Seattles Volunteer Park Conservatory can trace much of its lush beauty back to a garden on Beacon Hill and a woman who was born in 1876. Leata Gordon ― the great-grandmother of the conservatorys current senior garde

Winter storage for dahlias

Where winters are cold or wet, its best to remove dahlia tubers from the ground and store them in a frost-free place until spring.1. In late fall, when foliage has withered, cut back flower stalks to 4-inch stubs. D

Mealybugs

Common on houseplants, mealybugs can also be a problem outdoors in mild-winter areas. Theyre similar to scale insects and aphids. The name refers to the females powdery wax coating, a shield that prevents insecticid

Improving soil structure

Most gardens have soil that provides something less than the ideal environment for many garden plants. Perhaps its rocky or scraped bare from new construction; perhaps its too claylike or too sandy to suit the plant

May

PlantSow seeds of cucumber, eggplant, melon, and squash directly in the soil.Set out tropicals and subtropicals such as bougainvillea, hibiscus, and mandevilla to be established over the warm season. In areas with w

Northern California Checklist December

SHOPPINGHoliday greens. Nurseries are stocked with greenery - garlands, wreaths, and conifer swags - for adorning a door, gate, or wall over a fireplace. Spray untreated greens with an antitranspirant (also availabl

Iron chlorosis

Iron chlorosis refers to a loss of green color in leaves due to a lack of iron. Of course, a number of factors cause leaves to yellow--but if chlorosis is the problem, leaves will tend to turn yellow from the edges

Our kitchen garden

Sunsets test garden is designed around a zigzag split-rail fence that runs east to west. Tall plants like corn and sunflowers grow on the north side of the fence so they wont shade shorter plants, while tomatoes gro

Rockies

Planning and Planting New plants. Among this years introductions are Agastache x Ava, a hummingbird mint with raspberry red blooms; Anthemis tinctora Susanna Mitchell, a creamy white daisy with lacy gray-green fo

Desert gardening at a glance

GROWING SEASONS. Low desert (climate zone 13 from the Sunset Western Garden Book; Phoenix): September to May. In early fall, plant hardy ornamentals, bulbs, and cool-season annuals such as Iceland poppy and petunias

Kitchen garden in a pot

TIME: 1 hour or lessCOST: About $65Youll need a big pot; the one pictured at left is 14 inches in diameter (top) and 9 inches deep. Fill it slightly more than halfway with rich, fast-draining potting soil. Position

Southern California Checklist

PLANTING Bare-root roses. For the best selection, visit nurseries this month; favorites disappear quickly. Look for these newcomers, all with fragrant blooms. (If your nursery doesnt carry them, ask if it will orde

Using pesticides

If nontoxic controls wont do the job, you may have no choice but to use a pesticide. Pesticide is a general term for any product that destroys or repels pests, or that prevents or mitigates their attack. The group i

Southwest

PLANTING Bare-root plants. Sunset climate zones 10, 11: Set out bare-root roses and fruit trees, including apples, apricots, berries, nectarines, peaches, pears, persimmons, plums, and sweet cherries. Zones 11-13:

A better way to grow cilantro

Wouldnt it be nice to have fresh cilantro growing right outside your kitchen door? Whenever you wanted to fix Mexican salsa or guacamole, or a Middle Eastern yogurt sauce for your lamb kabobs, there the lacy, sweetl

Nonstop flowers ... winter through spring

Tina Dixon, of Plants à la Cart in Bothell, Washington, and Marsha Davis-Thomsen of Seattle are not easily discouraged by short days, rain, and persistently chilly weather. Each fall, just when everyone else in the