Home & Garden category, Page 10
Heather Holm carries the mantle for pollinators
Heather Holm and her husband were exploring Denmark, and as he delved into his family tree, the understanding spouse also knew he’d be spending time with flowers … as Holm’s passion for pollinators transcends international boundaries and vacation time. “I’m always interested in reading landscapes,” she says of the trip....
Clematis pruning is not one size fits all
Question: I know there are three types of clematis. And that the specific type determines when the clematis should be cut down. Can you give some direction as to when each should be cut, and perhaps what some of the most common varieties are? Answer: Clematis is a popular flowering...
Learn about 5 beneficial insects in the garden
While some gardeners still think that any bug in the garden is a bad bug, change is in the air. Most plant-lovers now realize that insects and plants go hand-in-hand and that there are far more beneficial insect species than there are harmful ones. In fact, of Earth’s million insect...
Plan now for the best tomatoes next year
A myth among tomato lovers is that home-grown tomatoes taste best. Not true! The best varieties of tomatoes are what taste best, whether they’re grown on a farm or in a backyard. What about growing conditions? You would think that tomatoes grown on a farm or backyard in a sunny,...
New greenhouse testament to Frank Pizzi’s dedication to Pittsburgh Zoo
Every gardener wants a state-of-the-art greenhouse, but not everyone is going to need one that’s 18 feet tall. Frank Pizzi, curator of horticulture and grounds at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium explains what this new building replaces. “The last greenhouse was a fabricated thing from a kit and a...
Do deer contaminate garden crops through their droppings?
Question: Can rhubarb be eaten even though deer roam through the rhubarb patch? Amswer: Deer droppings do have the potential to transmit both E. coli and chronic wasting disease (CWD), the latter of which is specific to deer and elk and has symptoms similar to mad cow disease. CWD has...
Keep your compost pile cooking all winter long
Compost is often referred to as “gardener’s gold” and rightfully so. Its ability to add organic matter, nutrients, and beneficial microbes to the soil, along with improving the soil’s over all structure, is unparalleled. Adding compost to our clay-based soils opens up pores within the soil to allow easier passage...
Pick the perfect perennials now
Nurseries and garden centers are bringing in fresh plant material right now, but there are also deals to be had on plants that have been sitting on the shelves for months. One of the reasons to buy from a good nursery is that those plants have been properly watered and...
Learn how to propagate bleeding hearts
Question: I have a bleeding heart that was given to me by my mother-in-law. My daughter would like to have a piece of the plant, but I’m not sure how to divide it since it has died back for the season. What is the best time to divide a bleeding...
With proper care, artichokes can survive Pennsylvania winters
Most gardeners like to take chances on plants. We push the boundaries and try our hands at growing plants that might not be cut out for our climate just because we like to experiment. I make it a point to grow something new-to-me in the vegetable garden each year. Whether...
Knowing when to prune is just as important as knowing how
Pruning is one of the most fundamental tasks in gardening, and knowing when to trim is as essential as knowing how. Pruning woody plants at the wrong time can interrupt bloom cycles and damage stressed plants. “It’s time to prune whenever your pruners are sharp” is an old adage that...
Gross-looking corn smut a traditional Mexican culinary treat
We always grow a nice big patch of sweet corn in our backyard, but this year some of the ears have some kind of growth on them. Our neighbor said it was smut, which is a type of fungus apparently. The growths are gray and deformed. They look really gross....
Ed Pfeifer: Blacktopping is hard work, but it used to be much worse
Professional driveway coaters are hard workers doing a dirty job. If it is daylight between May and October, they are covered, nose to toes, in tar. The black splatter dots their tanned skin like freckles and dyes their clothing the color of a Starbucks French roast. Blacktopping is tough work...
Brandywine Conservancy preserving legacy of Penguin Court
Penguin Court, the former family home of the late Tribune-Review publisher, Richard M. Scaife, is now a preserve of Brandywine Conservancy. Located off Route 30 in Laughlintown, the more than 1,000 acres of forest, meadow and open space, including Thomas Road Farm, represent one of Scaife’s bequests. Staff now care...
Spittlebugs are common finds in the spring garden
Have you ever come across what looks like a blob of spit clinging to a plant in your garden? If so, then you’ve had the “pleasure” of meeting a spittlebug. While finding the white, bubbly blobs of spittlebugs clinging to the stems of your precious plants is pretty disgusting, there...
Get rid of those pesky bugs
Summer (and early fall) means barbecues, hikes and some all-around fun in the sun, but the season also invites a host of pesky pests ready to crash your summertime soirees. Summer also brings about prime breeding time for some of the most annoying bugs, such as ants, mosquitoes, ticks and...
Chipmunks look cute but can be destructive inside and out
Anyone plagued by chipmunks would agree that the cute cartoonish Alvin, Simon and Theodore made great TV, but the real-life versions undermine walkways and threaten to chew your wiring. While these rodents seem playful and often are a source of visual enjoyment, their presence can be quite dangerous. Their burrowing...
Why’s the daylily looking so brown?
Question: This is a photo of our daylily. The flowers are beautiful, but the leaves are striped with brown. Do you know what’s wrong with it and what we can do to keep it from happening in the future? Answer: Daylilies (Hemerocallis species) are popular perennials for sunny areas of...
Think it’s the end of garden-fresh veggies? Not by a long shot
Many gardeners stand over their plots proudly at this time of the year, basking in the glory of what they accomplished with a spring planting. They are satisfied with their gardens and sometimes even look forward to frost as a way to get a break. Then there are the rest...
Master gardeners host monarch migration celebration
Children ages 5 to 12 are invited to learn about the fascinating world of monarch butterflies as Westmoreland County Master Gardeners host a “Monarch Migration Celebration.” The free event will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 7 at Penn State Extension’s Donohoe Center, 214 Donohoe Road, Hempfield....
Remedies for fungus gnats on philodendrons
Question: I was given a Philodedron scandens oxycardium. The original plant was around 20 years old, was divided, and I was given 1/3 of it. The plant is in a container and weighs about 150 lbs. It is outside on a screen in porch that gets the morning sun. It...
Somalis transform vacant Pittsburgh lot into their own farm
Abdulkadir Chirambo smiles easily, especially when he’s talking about the vacant city lots the United Somali Bantu of Greater Pittsburgh have converted to a huge farm-like garden. As president and spokesman of the organization, he gets serious when asked what brought him from Kenya to Pittsburgh. “Peace, education and changing...
Learn about ‘Monarchs, Milkweed and More’ at Ligonier museum
The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Ligonier Valley will hold “Monarchs, Milkweed and More,” a collaboration with Penguin Court and Brandywine Conservancy. The event, set for 1 to 4 p.m. Aug. 18, is designed to enrich and educate children and adults on various pollinators, planners say. Penn State Master...
The culprit to blame for missing flower buds
I’ve heard from a few gardeners this season, asking about what’s happening to their flower buds. The damage, at first, seems like it may be rabbits, deer or groundhogs nibbling off the flower buds before they can open, but after a bit of investigation, it’s often discovered that a small...
Topiary tips: When you want shrubs to double as sculpture
Topiary is the art of growing trees and shrubs as living sculptures — cubes, spheres, obelisks, animal shapes or combinations of these. The tradition has flourished in various places at different times, but in modern gardens, topiary is rare, unless you count our foundation plantings of clipped yews and junipers...
