Canning, Jamming, Preserving, and Storing
Why Roses? Roses (Rosa spp.) have been one of the most beloved flowers throughout history. Their colors even have meaning: red for love, yellow for friendship, white for innocence and new love, etc. Roses can be incredibly tough and long-lived plants in the garden. Old garden …
A garden journal provides a mechanism to review a garden’s past, present, and future. A journal can be simple or complex, sparse or detailed, black and white, or artistically colored. This article will describe the type of data, observations, diagrams, and paraphernalia that can be …
Blueberries in the Garden Blueberries (Vaccinium spp.) are native to the Americas. Historians believe that dishes with this fruit were probably served on the first Thanksgiving. In Pennsylvania, the gardener has many choices of cultivars. Lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) is a short mat-forming shrub ranging from …
Worldwide, there exist over 280 species in the genus Iris (family = Iridaceae). Of those, 28 are native to the United States, but only four are native to Pennsylvania. Harlequin blue flag iris (Iris versicolor) and Shreve’s iris (Iris virginiana L. var. shrevei) are found in Pennsylvania in wet …
Sweet Woodruff in the Garden This small, 6-12 inch tall, quick-spreading ground cover grows well in partial to full shade, thus in our woodland gardens. The dark green leaves, between six to eight leaflets, whorl up and down around a square stem creating an illusion …
“Right plant. Right place.” It is an adage that gardeners turn to when choosing plants for the landscape. If plants are matched to their preferred conditions, such as light, moisture, soil pH, and nutrients, their success is better assured. This adage works for those plants …
Herbs provide flavor to culinary creations. Lemon-scented herbs epitomize the essence of summer with their lemon scent and flavor. Some of the most popular include lemon balm, lemon basil, lemongrass, lemon-scented geranium, lemon thyme, and lemon verbena. Both the scent and flavor of lemon have …
Many pickle recipes are easy enough for even a beginner to be successful. There are more kinds of pickles than sliced dills, though homemade sliced dills are wonderful. Pickles can be made from most vegetables – asparagus, beets, carrots, snap beans, peppers (sweet, spicy and …
What’s Wrong with My Tomatoes? Tomatoes are one of the most popular vegetable crops grown by home gardeners, but they are sometimes plagued with diseases. To ensure healthy plants, provide tomatoes with adequate fertility by following soil test recommendations. Rotating crops in the nightshade/Solanaceae family …
Snake plant is a long-lived, unfussy, succulent houseplant also known as mother-in-law’s tongue. Having historically been in the genus Sansevieria, with the advancement in genetic research snake plant has been reclassified into the genus Dracaena. The genus Dracaena also includes such commonly known houseplants as Madagascar dragon tree, corn …