Horticulture Magazine

We've Moved Our Blog

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:27:59 GMT

Hello, Horticulture blog readers!

We've recently relocated our blog to another area of Hortmag.com. Please visit www.hortmag.com/blog to read all future posts. Bookmark that page, or better yet sign up for the RSS feed so you'll get automatic updates of new posts.

Don't miss our additional blog, Kiss My Aster, written by Amanda Thomsen.

Thanks for visiting us on the web.

—The Horticulture team

A Gardener's Goals for 2009

Tue, 30 Dec 2008 16:06:13 GMT

by Meg Shinn and Patty Craft

We’ve come up with a gardener’s list of things to do in 2009:

1. Return to childhood. Grow peas or beans in a plastic cup on the windowsill. Relive the magic of seeing your first sprout.

2. Volunteer. Help clean up a park or wild area. Look for opportunities at a botanic garden or historic site. Adopt a traffic island. Make bouquets for local nursing homes or the senior center. Start a garden team at your church, school or workplace.

3. Go through old materials (fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, etc.). Look for expiration dates and safely dispose of expired goods. (Check with your city or town for guidelines; many have several special “hazardous material” trash dates.)

4. Share knowledge with fellow gardeners. Experienced gardeners, lead a class or demonstration, offer advice to newer gardeners, propagate plants and share them with friends. Newer gardeners, take a class, ask questions at the garden center, reach out to more experienced neighbors. Connect with gardeners near and far on the Co-Horts Forum.

5. Grow food, whether it’s a full veggie garden or a single pot of herbs.

6. Look for inspiration in art. Visit an art museum or the art section of your local library. What colors, shapes, textures draw you in? Can you interpret these details into a new section of your garden or a new container combination?

7. Lighten up. Don’t look down on the “common” plants your less-gardenerly neighbors are using. Appreciate their efforts.

8. Start a garden journal. Use it to track what works and what didn't. Jot down ideas or tips from other gardeners. Even doodle/draw a bit. Let your garden inspire your creativity.

9. Discover public gardens wherever you travel. Visit them and see what gardeners are doing outside your hometown.

10. Take a risk—grow something you've never grown before. Share your story with your Co-Horts or just use that garden journal to document your efforts.

What are your gardening goals in 2009? Add your ideas by clicking "Comment," or post them in the Co-Horts Forum.

Happy New Year!

Season's Greetings

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 14:22:26 GMT

Best wishes to all our readers for a happy and safe holiday season!

Houseplants 'R' Us

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 14:27:03 GMT

by Meg Shinn, editor

Since Horticulture’s writers often talk about uncommon plants, compiling the “Sources” page of the magazine, where we list mail-order sources of the specific plants mentioned in the issue’s articles, can be quite a challenge. In my years of working on this page I’ve gathered a group of “go-to” nurseries to make the task go a little bit quicker. They’re nurseries that I know have a good selection of uncommon plants.

Around this time of year I’m sure some of you are thinking about houseplants. Why not try something new indoors this winter? Here’s my “go-to” list for houseplant sources; all have a great variety—things you won’t likely find at the garden center and definitely not at the grocery store. (Be sure to check the winter shipping policies before you order.)

Logees

Glasshouse Works

Kartuz Greenhouses

Stokes Tropicals

The Violet Barn

Lyndon Lyon

Bob Smoley’s Gardenworld

Aloha Hoyas

Horticulture on Facebook

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 14:01:42 GMT

Horticulture is now on Facebook!

There are thousands of gardeners using Facebook, and Horticulture now has a brand new page where they can stay connected to their favorite gardening magazine, and to each other, without interrupting their game of Wordscraper!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Horticulture/19069518597

Our Facebook page includes a direct feed of our Editor's Blog, and we've posted a photo album of recent covers, including a sneak peek of the "Get Ready for Spring" issue which will set the stage for our Year of the Gardener celebration throughout 2009.

If you're on Facebook, become a fan of Horticulture today and connect with other fans, post comments and ideas on our Wall, as well as photos and videos of your own plants and gardens.

talk of traditions

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 21:51:36 GMT

by Patty Craft, managing editor

This is a bound volume of some of Horticulture's earliest issues—July 1, 1905 through December 23, 1905—lying atop our most recently published issue. In today's new-is-better world, I often long for a greater nod toward history and tradition. Perhaps this longing is precisely why I love working on a magazine that's been in publication for more than 100 years.

With Thanksgiving rapidly approaching next week (how in the world did it already get to be November 17?), maybe you are preparing to set in motion long-held family customs. Do you have any garden traditions tied to your holiday celebration? Have you grown vegetables that will become part of the Thanksgiving feast or that will serve as centerpieces or decorations?

Maybe the path of long-held traditions isn't yours for the walking (it's not for me either). While I wish for the days when my mother cooked and all my siblings and our kids shared a meal at the table around which we grew, that's no longer an option. My daughter and her husband will be celebrating with her father up north. Two of my sibs will be celebrating on the West Coast where they live, and I will be sharing a meal with my tribe of friends here in our river valley.

Come to the forum and share your stories and photos. Even if there's not much gardening in your tradition we want to hear your stories.

Wishing you a peaceful week.

what's your wildest dream?

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 21:13:05 GMT

by Patty Craft, managing editor

By now many of us have put our gardens to bed, and though the weather here in our river valley is unseasonably warm, soon we’ll be inside for long stretches of time. We’re curious as to how you’re going to get your garden fix when the weather turns cold.

Reader satisfaction (in print and online) is our #1 priority, and we want to know what you'd like to see more of here at hortmag.com? Or what you'd like to see less of? Is there something different you’d like to see? What's your wildest dream for the site or the blog (if you could ask for anything!)?

What about other sites you hit when surfing the blogosphere? Do you have a handful of favorite gardening sites? Which ones? What about your favorite gardening blogs?

We’re full of questions today, but please know that your responses are valuable to us. Your input helps us make Horticulture the best that it can be! Talk to us; leave your comments here.

Peace & love,
Patty

p.s. I encourage every one of you—no matter your politics—to make history on Tuesday 11/4/08 by getting out to vote.

the lantana is still blooming!

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:46:08 GMT

by Patty Craft, managing editor

Greetings from the Ohio River valley (where the home office of Horticulture is located),

It's been a long time since I've posted here, but since editor Meghan Lynch is off getting herself hitched this weekend and art director Joan Moyers is off enjoying a hike in the Great Smokey Mountains I've found my way back to the blog—I've missed y'all!

You may recall a blog I posted last July about the lantana I was growing in my balcony container garden? Here's the link to that post: http://blog.hortmag.com/My+Voluptuous+Garden.aspx

Believe it or not, that lantana is STILL in bloom on my balcony! We've only had a couple light frosts so far this year and so the lantana and my geraniums are still in bloom. I can hardly remember a Halloween when I still had pots growing next to my jack-o-lantern.

What's going on in your garden right now? Are you putting the garden to bed for the winter? Are you still enjoying some late-bloomers? Tell me your garden stories, please.

Peace on the path,
Patty

Planters Peanuts?

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 18:36:16 GMT

by Meg Lynch, editor

Recently I received some breakable items in the mail, all packed in a plentitude of peanuts. I’d like to reuse or recycle them somehow.

I know I can use them in the bottom of pots and planters for added drainage and root support. They also cut down on the amount of soil needed to fill the pot, and the overall weight of the planter. (Peanuts are much lighter than pea gravel, which I’ve also used in the bottom of pots.)

The only problem is that after a while the peanuts must start to deflate or something, because it seems the soil sinks lower than the usual settling. Has anyone else had this experience?

I store empty clay pots in stacks, and I think a few peanuts in the bottom of each will keep them from getting stuck together.

Does anyone have some other planty uses for packing peanuts?

A Warmer Zone

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 20:17:20 GMT

by Meg Lynch, editor

A couple weeks ago we posted a “Tip of the Week” on finding microclimates in your yard, where you may be able to grow plants that aren’t quite hardy to your zone. A e-newsletter reader responded with a great pointer:

I have found that the area where the dryer vent is located on the exterior of your home proves to be a good place for plants that need a warmer, more humid environment. I’ve been able to keep an exquisite Mahonia alive and flourishing in this area for several years now, and I do not need to provide any extra protection in winter.—Martha L., Rosemont, Pa.

Thanks, Martha!

Read the original tip

See our homepage to sign up for our e-newsletter

Sanseveria in Bloom

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 20:23:25 GMT

by Meg Lynch, editor

Our next issue will be out in a couple weeks, and it includes a great story on interesting uses for bromeliads, which are usually relegated to planters inside shopping malls. I have a “mall plant” that recently took itself to star status – a huge sanseveria that she’s had for years.

It spent the summer outside, and when it came back in it bloomed. The flowers were a greenish white and smelled spicy-sweet. Made me look at this common, no-care plant in a new light.

Our Clever Readers

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 20:32:25 GMT

by Meg Lynch, editor

Over the past few weeks we’ve asked Horticulture E-newsletter readers to e-mail gardening tips so we might share them with fellow gardeners. Here are a few responses, with many thanks to the gardeners who sent them!

In July when I trim the chrysanthemums, I save the tops, put them in water to root and then plant them in a pot. Right now I have them blooming along with the main plants.—Pauline, Prairie du Chien, Wis.

O.K., don't laugh! A gardener whose flowerbeds and shrubs border wooded area keeps deer out by placing a whole fresh RAW egg in a pint canning jar, tightening the lid and putting in the flower bed. It will not deter squirrels and small animals of that sort, but deer won't come into the beds. I've tried it and it kept the neighbor's cat at bay. She swears by it, and I've had good luck too!—Jan, Sanford, Mich.

As we gardeners know, roots and oxygen go hand in hand. I've been using my “step boards” for years to avoid compacting the soil as I move through the garden. Simply take two pieces of plywood, about 24 by 30 inches. Drill a hole in the top of each to carry them around like a suitcase. Add some nonskid paint for preservation and safety. Leapfrog them as you plant or weed.—Dan, Chesterfield, Mass.

Do you receive our E-newsletters? We send one each week, updating you on the new posts at Hortmag.com and the Forum. There's a sign-up box in the top left corner of our homepage.

Do you have a tip to share? Leave a comment below, e-mail us (please put "Tip" in the subject line) or post to the Co-Horts Forum.

Fall Birds

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 19:48:52 GMT

In the past couple weeks I’ve noticed more birds in the yard. I’ll admit I’m not too serious a bird watcher—I just see what I can see and move on with the day—so I’m not sure if they’re passing through on their way south or they’ve been deep in the woods all summer or what. In particular I’ve noticed lots of black-capped chickadees and tufted titmice, which will be visible at the bird feeder all winter. Right now, they’ve been eating the berries off the English hawthorn tree.

We used to leave the bird feeders up all summer, and that did make a difference in how many birds you could see on a given day. But that ended when a fisher cat came on the scene. We were making the birds and squirrels an easy target for him. There’s plenty of natural food sources for the birds over the summer anyway, so the feeders come down in spring and go back up right about now.

What's a fisher cat?

Baldfaced Hornets

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 19:50:18 GMT

by Meg Lynch, editor

Late last week my neighbors were having a new fence installed, which entailed first removing the decrepit existing fence. The fence guys checked out the whole fence before they started removing it—a good thing, because it turned out there was a humongous hornet’s nest attached to one of the panels, hidden behind a shrub. It was about a foot wide and two feet tall, with a two-inch hole through which large black hornets were entering and exiting.

This halted all fence work for the day while the exterminator was called in. He said they were baldfaced hornets, which are actually a type of wasp. They make their nest by chewing up tree bark, turning it into a sort of plaster with their saliva.

They’re beneficial in that they pollinate and prey on “bad” bugs, and they don't seek attack unless provoked. No one had any clue this nest was there, though people were passing within a few feet of it. I think that shows they aren't vicious. Everything I've read in the meantime says if you spot such a nest in an out-of-the-way area—such as high up in a tree, a common place for them—it’s best to just leave it alone.

However they will attack if their nest or their comrades are threatened, so this nest had to be destroyed. The fence guys could have been really hurt otherwise.

Even though the bald-faced hornet is overall a "good guy," I hope you don’t ever find a nest near your garden. It was just plain scary to see. Of course, I’m sort of a wimp about such things. (I’ll be honest—my sister took this picture!)

Here are some links to more info on baldfaced hornets:

http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/2008/8-27/hornets.html

http://www.govlink.org/hazwaste/house/yard/problems/goodbugs.cfm?entityID=113&ModeID=632&grp=biorem

http://www.ext.vt.edu/departments/entomology/factsheets/hornets.html

Cultivating a Career for Young Horticulturist

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:45:57 GMT

By Jessie Gridley, associate editor

No matter what field we study or have worked in, or what age we are, those timeless questions linger: “What will I be? What will I do next?”

One young Horticulture reader, Joshua, has grown up with green running through his veins, but he is unsure about just how to turn his passion for plants into a career. In a letter he wrote to us, the horticulture major describes the 250-acre farm he grew up on and the greenhouse his mother has worked in for years. He asks for advice from the editors at Horticulture about what types of jobs are out there in his field. We thought we’d present his question to some of the most knowledgeable people we know—our readers. Here is part of what Joshua wrote:

“I am a student going for a horticulture major. Have just finished my second semester here and still trying to work out what I’m going to do with my major. I would like to do something with greenhouses—maybe open my own. I was hoping that if I write to you that you could give me some idea of other things in the horticulture industry.

“I would like to learn more about what is out there for me when I get out of school or even now for jobs I could take to help me out! I know there is so much in the horticulture industry and with some help, I think I could find something.”

What career path in horticulture would you recommend for Joshua and why?

Cactus Goes for the Gold

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 20:23:00 GMT

by Meg Lynch, editor

Here are a few shots of my cactus that bloomed over Saturday night into Sunday morning.

This plant was about a foot tall when I bought it five or six years ago. It is now a little more than two feet tall. It spends summers outside and the rest of the year inside. This is the first time it has flowered.

I didn’t expect the flower to open at night, and I was lucky to be awake for it. I guess I should thank Michael Phelps. I was waiting to see whether he’d win the eighth gold medal (the race aired just before 11 p.m. EST).

When I looked out and noticed the flower was starting to open . . . well, I didn't react quite the way Mama Phelps did everytime her son won, but I was definitely excited and proud!

The bloom was fully open in the morning but closed during the day Sunday. The bud is starting to dry up now. I’m hoping for a repeat next year—and I’ll know to stay awake.

Greetings from Santa's Greenhouse

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 20:14:50 GMT

by Meg Lynch, editor

Yes, it’s August, but I’m looking for Christmas gifts. Oh, not to actually buy—I’m definitely not that organized—but to show in our December/January issue, which we’re working on right now. Each year we run a page of holiday gift ideas, to help you shop for the gardeners in your life (or to help you write your own wish list!).

I think the best gift to give is one you’ve enjoyed receiving yourself. Last year my mother gave me this miniature greenhouse. She knows I’d love to have a full-size one someday. Moms are great at helping you dream!

I’d love to hear about your favorite gardening gifts. What has someone given you because you’re a gardener? Let me know and I’ll look for it or something similar to put on the gift-idea page in our winter issue. Leave a comment below, or join the thread I'm starting in our Forum.

And here’s one store that carries a mini greenhouse like mine.

Looking forward to seeing your ideas. Thanks!

Are You The Next Horticulture Blogger?

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 20:37:35 GMT

by Jessie Gridley, associate editor

Being a blogger or columnist isn’t easy, unless you are charged with a topic that you are passionate about.

I worked at a weekly news-magazine for my last job. Suddenly, like most publications, it was realized that blogging is an integral part of reaching out to folks. They stated their needs for me to write a column and blog about living downtown in the hustle and bustle. Problem was, I didn’t live in what was considered the downtown core.

The only option was for me to try to be more of a downtown pseudo-resident by attending free concerts, museums, restaurants, etc., all of course on my own measly dollar. I muddled through each week with this topic that I clearly was dispassionate about while growing poorer by the word. Every week was a battle to plug the hole and utilize the Web site. After all, it’s hard to be a Chihuahua when you are a lion—or vice versa.

I promised myself after that horrible experience that I would never blog or write a column about something that I didn’t feel passionate or knowledgeable about again. For it is a far better experience to incorporate your experience into a blog when the topic has enlivened part of you.

This passion that the Horticulture editors feel about gardening is why we decided to hold open auditions in the “Are You The Next Horticulture Blogger?” contest. We want to provide the best gardening bloggers out there a chance to have a platform to reach a very respected audience—you.

If this is something that interests you, I challenge you to give it a shot. For all the rest who are content being a reader, then stay tuned for this exciting competition.

Click here for “Are You The Next Horticulture Blogger?” contest details.
http://www.hortmag.com//article/blogcontest

Best of luck!

Playing Favorites

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:56:34 GMT

by Meg Lynch, editor

At the start of the summer I moved all of my houseplants outdoors. It’s a vacation for them—they can enjoy the fresh air. I admit it’s a welcome vacation for me, too! I basically let them fend for themselves while they’re out there, though I do water them now and then. (Most are under trees, so they don’t get much rain.)

Don’t get me wrong. I love my houseplants. I like what they do for my décor and I like taking care of them. I find it rewarding and fun and generally a good way to unwind. But I have an awful lot of plants! Putting them outside lets me (a) open/close the windows more easily and (b) spend my “plant time” in the outdoor garden. This is its season, after all.

I do keep a few plants inside though. I guess I’m playing favorites. Besides my living stones, which would surely rot outside, I held back these two pots of succulents. The round pot has Aloe ‘Blue Elf’ (rear), some sort of haworthia (left) and Haworthia attenuata ‘Variegata’ (right), which is a pup of the plant in the other pot. Something about this little group makes me want to keep it close.

Do you have plants that you baby? I'd love to hear about them. Leave a comment here or join us in the Forum.

NEW Forum Feature: Unidentified Plant Life (aka UPL)

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:58:37 GMT

Imagine this: You’re trolling the aisles of your favorite nursery and a flash of color catches your eye. You’re drawn to a beautiful plant and softly you utter, “I must have it.” The problem is that you have no idea what it is, or how to help it thrive. You’ve encountered Unidentified Plant Life (better known as UPL).

Have no fear, your Co-Horts on the Gardener’s Forum are here to help you solve the mystery!

Simply login to the Gardener’s Forum and post a picture of the UPL under the designated category. Describe where you got it and what you do know about the plant. Then wait for help from your Co-Horts as together we determine what kind of plant life you’re dealing with.

See this week’s UPL
http://forum.hortmag.com/tm.aspx?m=1223

Meet DaveC, the UPL moderator
http://forum.hortmag.com/tm.aspx?m=1230&mpage=1&key=&#1230

How do I login, post a photo, etc.? Click Here
http://forum.hortmag.com/tt.aspx?forumid=38