Is your tetanus booster up to date?
/Gardeners working with soil and manures are vulnerable to the terrible disease known as tetanus or lockjaw. An ounce of prevention truly is worth a pound of cure. Get a vaccine booster every 10 years..
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Gardeners working with soil and manures are vulnerable to the terrible disease known as tetanus or lockjaw. An ounce of prevention truly is worth a pound of cure. Get a vaccine booster every 10 years..
Read MoreAmong flowers that bloom in June, delphiniums stand head and shoulders above the rest (literally). The standard kind are the pride of English gardens. You’ll have better success here with a slightly different species
Read MoreSummer’s coming and we’re up for spending time down the Shore. We don’t mind sand at our feet and salty ocean breezes but many plants can’t cope. Beach roses, tough enough to grow wild on windblown dunes, are a top choice for seaside gardens.
Read MoreI love old-fashioned flowers and these include two favorites — morning glories and moonflowers. For these big vines, you have to seek out seeds and wait patiently for the payoff. Trust me, it’s worth it.
Read MoreBeautiful, stately irises will shortly be blooming. The “poor man’s orchid” is a durable perennial that’s actually hard to kill, provided it is in a good spot. Besides the familiar bearded (German) type there are many others, all very pretty.
Read MoreDogwoods are breathtaking in bloom and spring would not be the same without them. A long-term breeding program at Rutgers University has produced spectacular new varieties worth your attention — and a spot in your garden.
Read MoreSpring is finally creeping in and with it comes some of our most beautiful wildflowers. Blooming in woodlands, along streams and on rocky screes, the spring ephemerals are just that — here and gone in a brief blaze of glory.
Read MoreIt may seem counter-intuitive to launch a round of pruning just as new growth appears. But clearing away dead and damaged branches, lopping down spent perennial stems and neatening the shape of shrubs gets the season off to a good start.
Read MoreYou may never see the secretive mole but it does make its presence known by raised runs and heaped-up molehills in the lawn. Have a little forbearance for these tiny creatures, which really are no threat to life as we know it.
Read MoreEvery shady garden needs a few ferns. Their delicate fronds add a touch of enchantment to woodland settings. If you don't choose to grow them, try fiddleheads on the plate. A spring delicacy!
Read MoreThere's no real joy in Mudville as we end a cold and stormy March. It's wet and soggy underfoot wherever the soil isn't mostly sand. Don't mess with your garden soil until it dries out and warms up.
Read MoreI get it -- we're all pretty sick of the snow. There are many words for the white stuff, not all of them polite. A brief review for your amusement.
Read MoreThis season, bring your plant identification skills up to speed by mastering a little plant Latin. Friends (if not Romans) will lend an ear when you can correctly pin down genus and species. Besides, it's fun...
Read MoreAre we bored with winter yet? The snow, the power failures, the hazardous driving, the shoveling? I think so. In spite of the stormy weather, winter just can't hold on much longer. Spring will come.
Read MoreSpring is arriving earlier these days but don't jump the gun. The science of phenology gives us cues for planting that reflect real-time conditions. And includes poetic reminders like "When the oak leaves are the size of squirrel's ears..."
Read MoreWe've just celebrated the arrival of the Chinese Year of the Dog. (Woof!) Maybe you've acquired a bit of lucky bamboo to speed good fortune your way. Here's the backstory on this popular houseplant.
Read MoreIt's time. Really, really time. Clear away those spent and tired Christmas decorations and let the countdown to spring begin. Talking to you, procrastinators!
Read MoreWe're attracted to the idea that there's hidden magic in household products that will make our gardens flourish. Forget those pricey fertilizers. Beer on the lawn! Epsom salts for tomatoes! But these claims often fall apart on closer examination.
Read MoreEverybody ready for the 132nd re-run of Groundhog Day? Tomorrow the famous Phil will emerge to predict the duration of winter. The original scheme involving animals on the move was a bit more exciting.
Read MoreIt's bitterly cold and then it's warm enough to go around in a sweater. Winter is up to its usual tricks, but what are temperature swings doing to the garden? Your plants are probably less confused than you are.
Read MoreThe icons above take you to my Twitter feed, Pinterest boards and Facebook page. News of interest to gardeners has moved to my Facebook page, Valerie's Garden Diary. There you'll find posts about events and developments in the Garden State, as well as items about plants and backyard wildlife culled from the web. If you "like" my page, these posts will show up in your Facebook news feed. It's a public page -- no need to request "friend" status.
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