Gardening Articles, Tips and How-tos - Dave's Garden
Welcome to our library of articles, where you can search and browse over 2,000 articles written by our own team of garden writers. Interested in becoming a Dave's Garden writer? Submit an article to apply.
Did you know that Kiwi is a relatively new name for this nutrient-dense fruit? Join me on my quest to learn about the history, nutrition and varieties of Kiwi, as well as how-to-grow this delicious treat. Enjoy Kiwi as a healthy snack and as a serving of fresh fruit. It has a pleasant, fruity flavor, appealing color and high Vitamin C content, adding nutrition, eye appeal and flavor to holiday fruit trays, fruit tarts and pavlova. Try Kiwi pureed in fruit dips, smoothies, and frozen sorbets, or as a natural tenderizer for meats.
I'd heard the exotic name "Queen's tears" years ago but never seen the plant. Now that I have one, I'm learning that it is just one of many wonderful, equally fascinating siblings in genus Billbergia.
My wreaths begin in the late summer when the cones drop. I pick up red pine cones down along the cedar break and while I’m there, pick some of the tiny white cedar cones. I wander down to the fence line at the bottom of the little orchard and pick the Japanese larch cones that swing on the lower branches. I harvest hemlock cones in the swampy little wood on Stan’s brother’s land and red spruce cones down by our little creek. I add them to my growing collection kept in old laundry baskets and cardboard boxes and wait.
Gardeners have a keen sense of humor and we know that you'll enjoy adding your family-friendly quote or description to the image. We'll supply the picture and everyone can post their funniest title. We can't wait to see what you come up with!
The humble northern cranberry has been associated with Thanksgiving and turkey since 1620. It is said that Native Americans first taught the hungry Pilgrims how to eat this acidic berry. Now cranberry sauce is a important part of Christmas in English-speaking countries everywhere, as well as a necessary part of Canadian and American Thanksgivings. Cranberries have been touted recently with having innumerable health benefits. To me, cranberries are a local industry and a delicious easy-to-make side dish.
The holiday season is upon us and with it comes tradition. The Poinsettia is one of the most recognized symbols of this time of year and people around the world enjoy their beauty. This plant has a long tradition of being associated with Christmas and its popularity can't be ignored
It all started with the realization that I was unable to eat anything that had lived, breathed, listened to, or looked at me. If it had eyes, it could see me, and there was no way I could eat it. Nobody was going to talk me out of that one, not even on Thanksgiving Day.
Don't let your perennials become the winter food source for hungry wildlife. Find out everything you need to know to protect your property and your landscaping plants.
What would Thanksgiving be without herbs and spices? Imagine turkey and stuffing minus the fragrance of sage, thyme, rosemary and marjoram. Pumpkin pie wouldn't taste as rich without cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and allspice. Among the many blessings of today's cooks and bakers is the ease with which we obtain and use these delicious seasonings.
There is nothing better than a baked apple to bring Christmas spirit into our homes! Even if I can eat apples all year long, Christmas is a special occasion when apples must be on the dinner table, whether they are fresh or baked in a cake.
With all the sales and “free turkey!” promotions, it probably didn’t take much to convince you to have turkey as the centerpiece of your Thanksgiving dinner. Domestic turkeys have become such a common holiday purchase that we don’t stop to consider that they weren’t always so easy to obtain…
Gardeners should be aware that the plants they choose will affect the local wildlife. Butterfly host plants and plants that provide seeds and berries for the birds, will attract them to your garden.
My nodding scadoxus (Scadoxus nutans) bloomed for the first time recently, looking like a somewhat bent orange shaving brush. The poor thing was quite pot bound at the time. However, in its homeland of Ethiopia, it grows on trees and rocks in mountain forests, so it probably isn’t picky about how much soil it does or doesn’t have.
Roasted peanuts are a delicious to munch on at a baseball game or the county fair. But, there is so much more you can do with the tasty legume. Grab a bag of tasty peanuts and head to the kitchen. Here are some easy ways to incorporate peanuts and peanut butter in your recipes.
Floral patterns have been used to decorate just about everything and appear almost everywhere.They have been used so extensively, that we take them for granted even though we pass them by everyday. One area of design we may not notice is on dinnerware. The floral patterns depicted here reflect the art work of great designers and remind us of a history in which flowers played a central part.
Gardeners have a keen sense of humor and we know that you'll enjoy adding your family-friendly quote or description to the image. We'll supply the picture and everyone can post their funniest title. We can't wait to see what you come up with!
I began to grow native honeysuckles several years ago after falling in love with the Asiatic varieties but disliking their invasive habits in our American soil. I have found them to be drought tolerant and easy plants to grow. Casual gardeners frequently ask what they are - isn’t it nice to know that such an interesting plant can be native to our habitat?
Fermented food has been around for over 6000 years, making it one of the oldest preservation processes known to man. Not only does it preserve food, but it is also a source of natural probiotics which help support the immune system and provide health benefits. With just a few simple tools, you can ferment your own vegetables as part of a healthy diet.
Goldenseal became a part of early colonial medicinal care with the birth of our country. Those European settlers learned of it from the Iroquois and other tribes. It has not lost its antibiotic qualities, but I wonder if we have lost the ability to properly use them. This is an Aunt Bett story from years ago.
Orchids are tougher than they look. If you've always wanted to grow orchids but were afraid to take one home, this information might changes your mind.
There are several plant species that are called Christmas cacti, but the true Christmas cactus is the plant discussed below, Schlumbergera x buckleyi, a hybrid of some very similar holiday cacti, and is a very common plant in cultivation. These are relatively easy plants to take care of, safe (no spines or toxins) and can live a long time (generations). The following is a brief discussion of these plants and their year round care.
Some plants grow perfectly fine in very low light conditions. If you need to find the perfect plant to live in a shady spot of your home, here are a few that will not disappoint.
My house has a Florida room. Originally a front porch, it has been enclosed and made a part of the main house. This long, narrow room has wrap-around windows on three sides. The other side opens into the dining room on one end and a music room on the other end. This Florida room, as I call it, offers a sweeping vista of my garden, but it becomes very important to the welfare of some of my plants during the winter.
much.
Thanksgiving is at its heart a harvest festival. Make the holiday special by featuring the seasonal bounty of your own garden on the table at your Thanksgiving feast.
A gutter garden is a great space-saving method in which you can grow vegetables, herbs, and flowers. Building a gutter garden makes a great winter project that can be completed indoors.
It's chilly outside, and the house is cold. Wouldn't it be nice to bake something to warm up the kitchen and the tummies? But the cupboards are bare. Or are they? Here are two tasty recipes for wholesome snacking that require a nearly bare cupboard to create.
Maintaining a rose garden can be a lot of work. But, believe it or not, there is a rose variety that is tough and requires very little. Here are some tips and tricks to help you successfully grow the world's easiest rose.
While I was busy decorating our home for the holidays recently, I found myself humming a tune that I hadn’t heard or thought of in years. It begins: “How’d you like to spend Christmas on Christmas Island...”
Gardeners have a keen sense of humor and we know that you'll enjoy adding your family-friendly quote or description to the image. We'll supply the picture and everyone can post their funniest title. We can't wait to see what you come up with!
A symbol of love, peace, hope and longevity, the Maidenhair Tree has withstood the Ice Age and the bombings in Japan in WWII. It is an amazing testament to endurance and strength and lives on as a survivor with healing capabilities.
As this year comes to a close, we are proud to announce the winners of this year's Photo Contest. We had over 1500 entries from around the world and the best of the best was voted on by our membership. The winners and runners-up are an international group and represent a wide range of climates and gardening styles. Please help us congratulate everyone who participated, as they are all winners in our book!
Palms are a mostly tropical species. However, thankfully, many palms can grow in subtropical and temperate climates, providing a wonderful 'touch of the tropics' to less than tropical climates throughout the world. This article is not about what these palms are (that article was already published a few weeks ago), but more about cold hardiness itself and how it relates to palm growing. As one will see there are many related complexities that pertain to marginal palm growing one might not guess at just thumbing through a list of cold hardy palms.
Dear readers, it's November again which means Floriléges for the inhabitants of the town of Le Tampon where I live. Let us have a look at what it is about.
The Getty Center in Los Angeles, California is famous for its collection of European art and artifacts. It is also well known for its modern architecture by Richard Meier. Among all of this static art are also living and dynamic works of art. The Getty Center is also known for its gardens.
Reflecting the spicy scents and mellow colors of autumn, chrysanthemums are a beloved component of the fall landscape. Introduced to the new world during colonial times, the mum now reigns as one of America's favorite flowers.
Did you know November is National Peanut Butter Lovers Month? It's true, and many Americans do not need an excuse to celebrate. In fact, Americans eat about 700 million pounds of peanut butter each year, and, according to the National Peanut Board, the average American child will eat 1,500 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before earning a high school diploma.
