Connecticut Garden Journal

I'm all about making gardening easier and more rewarding. One the best ways to accomplish both goals is to grow plants in raised beds. Many gardeners are familiar with raised vegetable beds, but you can also plant annual and perennial flowers, herbs, berry bushes and even small trees in raised beds. Raised beds are perfect for poor quality soil, and sandy and clay soils. By raising the beds up, yo...

When I was growing up near my Italian grandfather's farm in Waterbury, me and my cousins would often wander the field edges looking for wild blackberries. We would come home with scratches on our arms, purple juice stains on our clothes and smiles on our faces. They were that good. Now, we don't have to work so hard to get delicious blackberries. With modern varieties, blackberries are disease fre...

Everyone knows the orange tawny daylilies growing on the roadsides or in meadows. They seem to be everywhere in early summer, but their show is brief. Also, many gardeners have some hand me down and some older varieties, such as 'Stella D' Oro' and 'Lemon Lily', in their gardens. But if you're just growing these older varieties you're missing out on some newer daylily types with better flowering h...

I have to admit, when I first started vegetable gardening I wasn't a big beet fan. Beets were not a regular vegetable in my Italian-American household growing up, so they became an acquired taste over the years. Now I love them, especially roasted with other root crops. Beets have large seeds that are easy to plant and grow quickly in cool soils. The seeds are actually dried fruits, so you can get...

Most times it's better to work with nature than against it. Take shade for example. I often field questions for what to plant in a mossy, shady spot under trees. My answer is moss. We are blessed in New England with mostly cool, moist, weather conditions. As we all know, moss grows well in those conditions covering the ground, rocks, stone walls and old tree stumps. So, why work against Mother Nat...

Even though it's still too early to plant tomatoes, it's not too early to make plans for supporting those plants. If you're growing the dwarf, patio tomatoes, then little support is needed as these plants only grow a few feet tall. But for determinate varieties, such as 'Celebrity', and indeterminate varieties, such as most heirloom tomatoes and cherry tomatoes, you'll need a hefty support structu...

Blue hydrangeas can be stunning in Connecticut, especially along the shore. That's because Hydrangea macrophylla or the big leafed hydrangea that turns blue, is native to coastal Japan where it thrives even in windy, salty air. But not all gardeners are thrilled with the blue hydrangeas in their yard. The plants can flower sporadically, get big and unruly and can be confusing to prune. But there a...

If you're looking for a perennial flower that will break your heart, try delphiniums. These beauties grow large and tall, loaded with beautiful white, pink, blue or purple flowers and are stunning in your garden. However, delphiniums can be fickle, lasting only a few years in the garden before succumbing to root disease, insects or just a tough Connecticut winter. But if you’re willing to accept t...

It's hard to think about mid summer vegetables when it's still cold and brown outside, but if you want to try some unusual eggplant varieties in your garden this year, now is the time to start seeds indoors. While eggplants are considered a quintessential Italian dish in many homes (my mom used to make a mean eggplant parm), it actually hales from India and China. In that part of the world, Asian...

St. Patrick's Day is here. This Irish celebration often features parades, green hats and clothes and lots of green beer. Irish plants are also highlighted, beyond the green-dyed carnations. So, consider a gift of an Irish plant for a loved one. Say St. Patrick's Day plants, and everyone thinks of the shamrock. But the symbolic shamrock is most likely a European native clover ( Trifolium repens )....

The forsythia shrubs may not be blooming yet, but they're coming soon. Forsythias are one of the first flowering shrubs of spring. Their bright golden colored flowers brighten up the late winter, dreary landscape. Most gardeners know forsythia as a sprawling deciduous shrubs that can get out of control easily. When I was growing up we had a forsythia hedge of shrubs between our house and my uncle'...

With garden season coming soon, I'm in full swing, planning mode. I'm sketching out what veggies are going where in my garden. It's certainly a good idea to rotate plant families not growing the same plants in the same location every year. But also it's good to think about companion plants. These would be plants that are mutually beneficial by sharing nutrients or warding off pests. Here's some go...

We're all itching to plant in the garden, but it's way too early. What we can do, however, is work on our garden design. You don't have to be a professional designer to do a simple design. Here's some tips. On a piece of paper sketch out the structures, natural features, walkways and other permanent fixtures around the garden area. Indicate the amount of light the bed area gets. To build fertile b...

There is no more romantic and fragrant annual flower than the sweet pea. While this delightful, vining flower needs to grow and bloom in cool weather, ironically modern sweet pea varieties begin with a monk in Sicily, Italy in the 1600's named 'Cupani.' In fact, you can still purchase this variety to grow in your garden. The best fragrant varieties of sweet peas have sensuous names such as ‘Old Sp...

Yes, it's almost time for the big February holiday, Valentine's Day. While everyone knows cut flowers and chocolates are the go-to gifts for Valentine's Day, for the gardener in your life, you might want to consider something different this year. I fell in love with the Sweetheart Hoya a number of years ago. There are green versions that are common, but look for the variegated version that's a pla...

With real winter temperatures seeping through our windows and doors it's good to remember that spring is only a month or so away! That means it's time to look for some new, interesting perennial flowers for our gardens. Each year nurseries and breeders introduce new colors and versions of popular perennial flowers such as echinacea and salvia. But I like looking for something that is truly unique....

Sitting around the dining room table surrounded by houseplants in the dead of winter is a satisfying feeling. We even have some of our geraniums blooming in the sunny, South-facing window. But upon closer inspection things aren't all well in the houseplant jungle. We're not the only ones appreciating the greenery this time of year. I see little black flies flying around my houseplants. These are m...

January is houseplant season in our home. With more time indoors due to the weather, garden geeks can't help but fuss over their houseplants. We're no different. We're evaluating, tossing and shopping for new houseplants right through the winter. The houseplant craze has spurred the creation of some great new versions of some classic houseplants. We all know philodendrons. This vining plant is one...

Usually I spend part of the holidays making out my seed order for the season. But with lots of guests this year, I've fallen behind. Even though I have some favorite tomato varieties, I'm always on the lookout for new, improved ones to try. Here's what I've found so far for 2023. While most of the interesting new tomato varieties are small fruited, this one beefsteak size variety sounds really int...

Come January, many gardener's attention turns to indoor plants. One group I've struggled with for years is citrus. But my wife and I seem to have figured out what we need to do to make indoor citrus survive. Dwarf plants, such as 'Meyer' lemon, 'Persian' lime, 'Calamondin' oranges and kumquats, are best for their small size and fruits. Purchase nursery grown plants. We do have one seed grown citru...

As the holidays wind down you may be wondering what to do with your live holiday tree, wreath and boughs. Certainly leaving them in your yard for wildlife to enjoy is an option. You can even add some peanut butter and birdseed to make it more attractive. Another good use is to cut boughs and cover tender perennials, such as lavender, in your garden. The boughs collect snow which insulates the plan...

Many gardeners are also avid bird feeders. Overwintering birds often rely on a constant source of food from bird feeders. It's important to keep the feeders well stocked and clean throughout the winter and spring months. Feeding birds can also be a fun DIY project, especially with kids or grandkids. Here's a few DIY bird feeders you can easily create over the holidays. These feeders don't replace...

Preserving our landscapes by planting native plants is important for bird and insect life and overall ecosystem health. What most gardeners don't know is that now is a good time to sow the seeds of wild plants. It might sound counterintuitive to sow seeds in December outdoors, but that's exactly what wild plants such as Joe Pye weed, bee balm, and asters need. It may be too late to collect wild, n...

We love to decorate our home with flowers for the holidays. But if you want to add fragrance, try the paperwhite narcissus. I first have to warn you, not all people love the sweet fragrance of paperwhites. I find them alluring, but my wife says they stink. So, check it out with your housemate before growing a bunch of flowers indoors. Paperwhite narcissus are a type of daffodil that doesn't need a...

One of the brightest flowers of the holiday season is the amaryllis. This Southern Hemisphere native bulb comes in a variety of colors from pure white to the deepest burgundy, with single or double petals and in different sizes. Everyone loves amaryllis flowers, but some budding gardeners don't like the messiness of potting it up and remembering to water it. Well, bulb breeders to the rescue. One...