Basic Information For Healthy Gardens
Spring is over, and we're getting to the last month of summer. What Now?
I want you to know JUST how your herbs are grown! We have always been committed to 'Greener Growing'!
Growing herb plants presents many challenges. Almost all are species plants and have their own requirements for germination, growth, and peaceful establishment in someone's garden. When The Growers Exchange decided to grow only herb plants, we quickly found ourselves pretty much all alone in our commercial greenhouse community. When growing more common plants, we could always call around and find extra plants when needed...
The first thing to remember is that working your soil too early can be a mistake; if your soil is still wet from heavy snowfall or spring rains, working it early means that you are actually compacting the soil, making it harder for plant roots to establish...
The holidays are fast approaching; I know what you are thinking, it is not even Halloween! It is never too early to start thinking about gifts...
Gardens are as unique as the people tending them...
...Read More
Botany, Briefly!
Every gardener knows that plants are special. Plants are the essence of the garden, the essence of life. But, how many of us understand the real importance of plants and their significance to our future? Remember photosynthesis? Probably not! Plants can do one thing that no animal can do:...
...Read More
Composting My Way
Composting has become very popular and there are many recipes for the perfect compost. My yard is about one acre and has many trees. Each fall the city comes around and picks up leaves piled next to the road. Though they do compost these leaves, their process requires fossil fuel and the finished...
...Read More
Don't Treat Your Soil Like Dirt
Why use organic fertilizers? To begin answering this question, a brief description of healthy soil is necessary. A healthy soil is a teaming environment of microorganisms. These tiny creatures decompose organic material so that it becomes usable food for plants. Organic fertilizers feed these...
...Read More
Sowing Seeds
Seeds need to be sown, cuttings taken, and plugs planted. The new ellepots are living up to their claims; the greenhouse staff loves them because the plants are doing great in them and growing faster than they ever have. Now is a good time to start seeds inside, to be set outside later....
...Read More
Starting A New Garden
1. When you shop for bedding plants, look for compact, bright green, healthy plants. The label will tell you about the variety, color, and height. Don't reject those that aren't in bloom; all-green plants often do better in the long run. 2. If you can't...
...Read More
The Dirt On Soil
Sometimes, it might feel like you need a degree in geology to understand the terminology used in gardening publications to describe soil. You may think to yourself, how complicated can soil be, isn't it all just dirt? Well, there are a lot of different types of dirt and different...
...Read More
Understanding Zone Maps
Gardeners need a way to compare their garden climates with the climate where a plant is known to grow well. That's why climate zone maps were created. Zone maps are tools that show where various permanent landscape plants can adapt. If you want a shrub, perennial, or tree to survive and grow year...
...Read More
Growing Herbs In Pots
Container planting your herbs is a terrific way to keep them useful all year round. They create a fresh escape when the weather is too cold to go out and can be very useful in the kitchen. Here are some things to remember when you begin potting your herbs for indoor growing...
Herb Gardens Make A Great House Warming Gift
Since herbs grow beautifully not just outdoors, but also indoors, giving an herb garden gift to city-dweller with a new apartment is the best way to get an urbanite interested in gardening. Indoor herb gardens make a great addition to anyone's kitchen, and those interested in gourmet cooking will most likely appreciate your gift and your thoughtfulness...
The #1 Most Important Task to Get Ready For Spring
Everyone Needs Help Sometimes.
Growing Herbs OutdoorsHerb gardening can take part in any landscaping scheme - from a simple planting of culinary herbs at the kitchen doorstep...
Growing Herbs Indoors
An indoor herb garden allows you to enjoy the flavor and fragrance of fresh herb plants year round...
Taking Care of Your Fall Garden
Don't Put Your Garden to Bed! Fall gardening can be a wonderful experience.
...Read More
Daffodils are Easy to Plant
Fall is the right time to plant daffodils and we provide you with all you need to grow big, cheery daffodils that welcome in spring...
... Read More
Success With Tulips
If you are planning to use tulips in your garden motif, there are a few steps you can take to ensure that your tulips are both attractive and healthy...
... Read More
Growing Perennials
Unlike annuals, perennials provide permanence in the garden. If you give them a good start they can stay with you for years! Here are few suggestions for starting perennials: When planting perennials in a bed or in the landscape take into consideration how large the plant will eventually be....
... Read More
Amaryllis Care
Of all flowering bulbs, Amaryllis are the easiest to bring to bloom. This can be accomplished indoors or out, and over an extended period of time.
... Read More
The Scent of the Season
Paperwhite Narcissus, named after the handsome youth of Greek mythology called Narkissos, who, in at least one of many variations of the tale, became so obsessed with his own reflection as he kneeled and gazed into a pool of water that he fell into the water and drowned. Easy to grow, these handsome bulbs bring us the hint of spring ...
... Read More
Annual Plant Care and Tips on Growing
Annuals are plants that are grown from seed, flower and die in the same year. Although annuals need to be replaced each year, they do provide wonderful color, texture and interest to the garden. They are the accents to compliment your shrubs, perennials and flowering trees. I have a confession to make...
... Read More
Don't Forget Our Feathered Friends
Don't forget the birds this winter. It is cold, and not every species has flown south. In fact, your yard is full of birds foraging constantly to survive the winter months. You can really help by keeping feeders constantly full, and have the benefit of a yard full. I keep a few close to...
... Read More
Bonsai Plant Care
Bonsai, pronounced "bone-sigh" (singular and plural) are dwarfed plants or trees grown in shallow pots or trays. The Japanese developed the art of Bonsai many hundreds of years ago. They tried to capture the beauty of oddly dwarfed trees that managed to grow under the most adverse...
... Read More
Christmas Cactus Care
Zygocactus or Christmas cactus are not the average desert dwelling, drought tolerant succulents that we all think of when we see the word "cactus". Native to the mountainous rainforests of southeast Brazil, zygocactus are far different from your average 'prickly...
... Read More
Controlling House Plant Pests
Aphids, Mealybugs, Scale and Spidermites are the most common house plant pests. If not properly treated, any one of these bugs could cause serious damage, even death, to your plants. Mealybugs: crawling insects that are closely related to scales. As the pinkish bugs mature...
Fall Duties
Get Ready for Fall Although it may not feel like it during the heat of August, fall is just around the corner. The cooler days of autumn are a perfect time to get outside and enjoy gardening before winter. Here are a few fall garden reminders: - Fall is a great time to plant your pansies....
... Read More
Harvesting Herbs
When harvesting herbs for immediate use there are a few rules to keep in mind. For single stemmed herbs such as basil and savory, only pick the center tip. This encourages bushy growth. Use the tops and flower buds of chervil, thyme, and mint. Use the outside leaves and stalks of your parsley...
... Read More
Light Requirements for House Plants
Light Requirements for Indoor Plants Different houseplants make different demands on their environment. Most plants have their requirements expressed by symbols, which you will find on the care tag of most plants. The trick is figuring out what those symbols actually mean. Most light...
... Read More
To Repot, Or Not?
Easter was on the horizon, 40 people were on their way to our yard for an Easter Egg Hunt and the food was the last thing on my mind; my priorities are straight, and the replanting of my pots was the ONLY thing bothering me. As I anxiously awaited the arrival of annuals at The Growers Exchange...
... Read More
A Little Planning Goes A Long Way
Winter can really get a gardener down, but don't despair! Fight the winter blues by planning your spring garden early. We've got tips on planning, ways to winterize, and perennial pruning information to prep your garden for spring...
Growing Lavender plants can be easy, as long as your remember a few very important tips...