Gardening on the cheap
/Gardening takes a lot of green -- from your wallet, that is. Spring planting season with all its temptations can be a budget buster. The frugal gardener can prune costs by adopting some of these ideas.
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Gardening takes a lot of green -- from your wallet, that is. Spring planting season with all its temptations can be a budget buster. The frugal gardener can prune costs by adopting some of these ideas.
Read MoreSlimy little slugs can leave your newly planted seedlings and favorite garden specimens in tatters. They apparently enjoy a passionate love life, too -- which only leads to more slugs. Here's how to fight back.
Read MoreLilacs are just plain voluptuous with their dense flower clusters and heavenly scent. If yours aren't blooming well, here are some suggestions for revving up the flower power.
Read MoreBlooming with the dogwoods and bleeding hearts, bluebells are a charming addition to the spring garden. These woodland hyacinths are totally carefree, critter-proof and fragrant -- and will spread a carpet of heavenly blue under your trees.
Read MoreBleeding hearts are always on the receiving end of jokes in the political sphere. But nothing could be lovelier in the shady spring garden. Their airy sprays of heart-shaped flowers are pure romance.
Read MoreAre more experienced gardeners confusing you newbies with arcane gardening terms? What's a "drip line" and must deadheading be performed to a soundtrack of classic rock? Fear not - we can explain.
Read MorePoised to bloom in earliest spring, forsythia is one of those rock-solid reliable shrubs no one should be without. It's a great source for branches to force into bloom. It's also good for casting off artistic blocks.
Read MoreThe Brits are daft about primroses, early spring flowers not as popular as they should be on our side of the pond. The hardy types like damp, shady places so if you are being led down the primrose path, chances are you'll get your feet muddy.
Read MorePansies are no shrinking violets -- modern varieties can shrug off cold, spring or fall. If you're tempted to buy some as they show up in garden centers about now, look for the types that bloom twice a year. Double duty!
Read MoreIt's tulip time again, at least in preview with cut flowers arriving on the market. In the vase, these are blossoms that just won't stand still. If you've ever wondered why, here's the explanation.
Read MoreDon't forget to turn your clocks ahead an hour before you go to bed Saturday night. Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday, March 12. Two camps here: Either you resent losing an hour of sleep or you revel in more light at the end of the day.
Read MoreNow that we've fetched up in blustery March, Spring is in sight. If you look and listen, you'll see unmistakable signs that a new season is stirring. Where to seek these signs and portents? Read on.
Read MorePopular during the Victorian Era, terrariums are making a comeback for thoroughly modern reasons. These miniature gardens (properly made) largely take care of themselves, creating their own self-sustaining atmosphere. It's a whole world...in your hands.
Read MoreItching to launch the season? Among the first things to plant are bare root roses. They should go in the ground while you're still wearing your winter coat -- like next month. Time to get busy.
Read MoreHoping for some flowers on Valentine's Day? Or just keeping your spirits up with fresh flowers through winter's dreariest days? Here's what to do with them once you've got them.
Read MoreYou may have noticed that days are getting longer now. But have you ever thought about how life on earth depends on just two things: sunlight and photosynthesis. Without these, we'd be hanging around thermal vents with the tube worms.
Read MoreFruits and vegetables may provide the only close encounters we have with the plant kingdom these winter days. An invisible gas called ethylene is responsible for the ripening - and often the rapid decline - of our produce and windowsill flowers. If you aren't aware of its sneaky ways, you might get tripped up.
Read MoreGarden catalogs are filling up the mailbox with the stuff of endless fantasy. Do you have lust in your heart for these visions of perfection? You're not alone.
Read MoreIt's 8 degrees or less and the snow is flying. Then - presto! It's 58 or maybe 60. What's going on, you ask? Oh, just a weather singularity...
Read MoreHouseplants are the greenery that tides us over until spring comes again. It's dismaying when perky plants don't look so perky anymore. Here's your cheat sheet on rendering first-aid.
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