Connecticut Garden Journal

One of the recent trends to help pollinators thrive is called “No Mow May.” The idea is to not mow your lawn in May and let the weeds, which may be wildflowers, too, sprout up and bloom. This will provide pollinators with the pollen and nectar they need. Since lawns make up 40 million acres of our landscape, this could really make a difference. Although I want to help pollinators, too, I'm not a b...

With all the bulbs and spring ephemerals blooming right now, it's hard to think of flowers for late summer. But now is the time to plan for that quieter period when fewer flowers are blooming. One of the most versatile flowers to grow for summer and fall color is the dahlia. Dahlias hail from the mountains of Mexico and Guatemala. Europeans brought them to that continent and eventually they found...

On April 22nd we'll be celebrating the 54th annual Earth Day. While it's great to participate in Earth Day activities, why not make some changes to how we garden to support life on this planet better. I have some suggestions.  Gardeners use a lot of plastic pots. Most of these plastic pots cannot be recycled and end up in the landfill. Instead of throwing out the pots, reuse them. As long as the p...

Many gardeners grow Brassica family veggies such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and kale. I also like to experiment with two other Brassicas: kohlrabi and rapini. Kohlrabi looks a bit like a space satellite. It's low growing and forms an edible, handball sized, swollen stem near the soil surface. That's the part you eat. It was discovered in the 16th century and is popular in...

I've just about finished my winter pruning. Blueberries, crabapples, apples and other fruit trees are done. Now it's time to start on my hydrangeas. Pruning hydrangeas can be confusing to home gardeners because when you prune varies depending on the type of hydrangea you're growing. That's the first step. Try to remember, or look into your garden notes, the name of your hydrangea. Don't worry if y...

One of the benefits of speaking at the Connecticut Flower and Garden Show last month was having time to listen to other speakers. One, in particular, caught my attention. Adam Wheeler from Broken Arrow Nursery in Hamden spoke about deer proofing your garden. Adam has been trying to thwart deer for years both at the nursery and home. He mentioned the usual deterrents, such as a 7 foot tall fence, e...

One of the joys of growing your own vegetables is fresh garden peas. Fresh peas are rarely found in grocery stores, so it's best to grow your own. Luckily, growing peas is easy, if you follow a few guidelines. It's best to sow peas in the ground while it's still cool. They like to mature early to avoid the summer heat. Once the ground has dried out and temperatures are above freezing, sow pea seed...

One of the best perennial flowers for blooming from mid-summer to fall is the tall garden phlox. Phlox paniculata and other tall species have colorful blooms, and depending on the selections, are great pollinator plants. However, they can be plagued with powdery mildew disease during our humid summers. The solution is variety selection. Mt. Cuba Center is a Delaware public garden that has been tri...

We love to grow zinnias. This Mexican, annual flower creates loads of color from mid summer to fall and is a magnet for pollinating bees and butterflies. There are many types of zinnias. Most fall in the Zinnia elegans species. They range from a few feet tall to 5 feet tall. We like the old fashioned 'State Fair Mix' and 'Benary Giants' for big, gaudy, colorful flowers. If powdery mildew is an iss...

Growing a pollinator garden has become very popular. But many gardeners don't have room for yet another garden. Another way to approach supporting pollinators is to find places in existing gardens to grow plants they love. One neglected group of plants for pollinators is ground covers. Growing ground covers between trees, shrubs and perennials not only creates a more natural look and adds color, b...

Have you noticed? The days are getting longer and the sun is getting stronger. Spring is coming! I'm getting ready to start a whole variety of vegetables and flowers for transplanting into the garden this spring. But we don't have to wait to enjoy all those tasty veggies. With the longer days and stronger sun, we can start growing vegetables indoors in a sunny window. The keys are full sun, warmth...

We know about GMO foods. Commodity crops, such as corn, rice and wheat, and some vegetables and fruits, such as squashes and pineapples, are genetically modified. But these varieties are available only to commercial growers. Now we have a GMO tomato that's available for home gardeners to grow. Recent news reports discuss a new, 'Purple' cherry tomato developed by the Norfolk Plant Science Group in...

Houseplants can be fun and fulfilling to grow. You always should grow the right houseplant for your room, but another fun way to choose houseplants is to select them based on Zodiac signs. Zodiac signs can correspond to your personality traits. For example, if your Zodiac sign is Aries you may have a lot of fire and like to stay active and busy. Then perhaps a snake plant or ZZ plant, that require...

Succulents can make great houseplants depending on your space and light levels. Many gardeners love picking up some of these small plants in winter to add some greenery to their indoors. But it does matter which succulents you grow, and where you grow them, in your home. For high light windows that get at least 3 to 4 hours of direct sun a day in winter or if you have a grow light, light-loving su...

As I finish touring India, I'm reminded of the power of urban gardens. India is the most populated country in the world and it's impressive how they garden in such a crowded place. We also can garden in small spaces in our towns and cities, but there can be challenges. Here's a few tips for urban gardening. Urban settings can have poor or even contaminated soils. It's best to do a soil test to mak...

One way to get a gardening fix in the middle of winter is to grow mushrooms. Gourmet mushrooms are hard to find in the wild and often very expensive in grocery stores. An easy way to have gourmet mushrooms is to grow them indoors with mushroom kits purchased online. Growers have expanded the varieties available. There are now oyster mushrooms, lion's mane, wine cap and shiitake mushrooms you can g...

One of my favorite winter activities is perusing print catalogs and websites for new varieties to try this coming year. I have my favorites, but I'm always on the lookout for something new. So, after looking at a few of my favorite companies I have my 2024 list of new vegetables to grow. Here we go! From Johnny's Seeds in Maine comes two new tomato varieties. 'Harvest Moon' is a hybrid, beefsteak-...

Happy New Year. January is time to go through all my old seeds, see what I need to replace and try some new varieties. This year let's keep our seed purchases local. There are vegetable and flower seed houses based in Connecticut offering a nice variety of seed to purchase. NE Seed in East Hartford has been around since 1987, but the family goes back many generations. They offer a wide variety of...

After the holidays, many gardeners wonder what to do with the holiday plants they purchased or received. Many of those plants can have a second life indoors and outdoors. Let's go through the list. Poinsettias aren't hardy outdoors during our winters, but they do hold their bract colors throughout spring. The best use for poinsettias is as a houseplant this winter to add a little color indoors and...

With the holidays upon us, many gardeners have free time from their jobs and gardening outdoors. It's a good time of year to see how ecologically oriented your yard is. Ecological or regenerative gardening focuses on the whole yard, including the soil, to create a habitat that's good for birds, wildlife and humans. The first step is to realize there's life happening in your garden even in the dead...

Many gardeners have already selected and decorated their holiday tree for the season. But if you're still planning on getting a tree, consider this alternative; a living holiday tree. Living holiday trees are ones you'll plant in your yard once the holidays are over. It's a great tradition where you can grow a forest of holiday trees over time. Garden centers offer lots of options for a containeri...

The USDA plant hardiness zone map splits the country into 11 zones, with a and b half zones, based on average winter minimum temperatures over the past 30 years. Although not the last word on plant hardiness and survival, the map has been a touchstone for gardeners to compare plants and determine which are best for their area. The USDA Hardiness zone map was last updated in 2012 and now they have...

I was poking around my basement the other day and found my amaryllis bulbs. I stored them down there a few months ago to go dormant. Now it's time to move them into a sunny, cool room. Amaryllis bulbs are native to the southern hemisphere. They normally bloom in spring and early summer in those climes, which means winter here. While the classic amaryllis has either a large sized, red or white flow...

I hope everyone is having a good Thanksgiving break. This time of year it's nice to do some indoor craft and gardening projects. One of my favorites is decorating with indoor succulents. Succulent plants have become very popular for their low maintenance and interesting shaped and colored leaves. They don't require much water, especially in winter, but do need a brightly lit room to grow well and...

After the cold weather that ended our growing season, it's predictably warmed up again. This temperature fluctuation is our new norm, so we should be ready to act when we have a window of opportunity. That's why I'm building some new, raised beds this week. Raised bed gardening is a great way to maximize your veggie and flower yields, contain gardens in a small space and define the garden so kids...