Garden Cents

Named for rapidly “jumping” up in size as temperatures warm after the winter, johnny jump ups are delightful little favorites for gardeners, especially during the spring! It’s not uncommon to hear the name jump up used interchangeably with viola or pansy, but these names all refer to different, but overlapping, groups of plants. Johnny Jump […]

Shorter days and crisper evenings tell us that autumn is quickly approaching. One of the most nostalgic fall traditions is carving pumpkins and showing them off for all to see. As I walk and drive around different neighborhoods, it’s always fun to see how houses are decorated – from simple carved pumpkins quietly sitting on […]

Chrysanthemums (Chrysanthemum) are sometimes called mums or chrysanths for short. Their name is derived from the Greek words for gold (chrysos) and flower (anthemon). They are mostly perennial flowering plants of which there are around thirty species. They are native to Asia and northeastern parts of Europe. They were first cultivated in China as far […]

It is a common misconception that moles and voles hibernate during the winter, when in fact, they simply dig deeper tunnels to escape the cold and they continue eating ferociously throughout the winter. Deeper burrows and occasional snow cover, combined with our own tendency to go outside less often in cold weather, makes their signature […]

When most people think of hibiscus (Hibiscus), they think of the Chinese Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis). It is the most popular and well-known with its large, bright red flowers and attractiveness to hummingbirds. They are often grown as ornamental houseplants and can only be grown outdoors in USDA zones 9a through 10b. They require full sun […]

Use your green thumb to give gifts to your friends!  It is certainly easy to “snip snip” a few starts off a spider plant or sitck a trailing piece of pothos in a little bud vase.  It is nicer if you go ahead and root those starts yourself and pot them up in a cute […]

The morning my boyfriend broke up with me (the one I thought I would marry, though obviously that didn’t happen), I sat in the snow on my patio in Delaware and sobbed my eyes out, planting lettuce in a pot.  I was so upset, I couldn’t see straight, and the only thing I could think […]

Anyone who gardens can identify with hair-brained schemes that did not go as planned!  I have one such gardening story to share.  It is about my first large-scale vegetable gardening experience. Tons of Tomatillos I had my first vegetable garden when I was about six.  I think I grew tomatoes, and not much else.  I […]