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Using Vines in the Garden
It's often said that vines are the best friends of a passionate gardener with a small urban lot. And it's true: There's no better way to splash color and texture around a postage-stamp property than by collecting plants that grow skyward rather than sideways. But this doesn't begin to give vines their due, for there are no more versatile creatures in plantdom.
By Karen Davis Cutler -
Flowering Vines 101
North America is the home of horizontal gardeners. A few trees and shrubs may creep into our landscapes, but our sight usually is directed down and straight ahead, making it easy for us to forget plants that grow up rather than hug the ground. Making it easy to forget flowering vines.
By Karen Davis Cutler -
Growing Vines Successfully
Vines are a diverse group of plants. Most are easy to grow and require little care; however, a basic knowledge of their cultural needs is important for success in your garden.
By Andrew Bunting -
Lemon Grass: A Very Versatile Herb
Lemon grass is a tropical perennial, native to southern India, but cultivated outdoors in practically all tropical regions. In the United States, it is root-hardy to about USDA Zone 9 (California, central Florida) where it goes dormant during the mild winter.
By Robert Newgarden -
Twelve Ways to Design a Bird-friendly Garden
Twelve general guidelines on how to design a garden that appeals to both birds and people.
By Stephen W. Kress -
Indoor Worm Bin Composting
You can use red worms to recycle your food waste by setting up a worm bin recycling system in your school classroom or at home in your kitchen, basement, garage or yard.
By Patricia Jasaitis -
The Four-Square: A Classic Kitchen Garden Design
Like a country kitchen, a four-square kitchen garden evokes thoughts of hearth, home, and abundance. It is a garden design based on a very simple layout that provides a rich, unpretentious display of color, form, and, quite literally, good taste.
By John D. Simpson -
Cutleaf Staghorn Sumac
This native shrub is known for its gorgeous foliage. It's easy to grow and produces distinctive flowers and pretty winter berries.
By Robert Newgarden -
Growing Conifers
One of the real bonuses of growing conifers is that they are so easy to maintain. These guidelines will help even novice gardeners grow conifers successfully.
By Susan F. Martin -
A Bog Garden
Few gardeners are lucky enough to possess a moist spot, much less a true bog. I garden in Minneapolis on a dry terrace adjacent to the Mississippi River, in silty loam above limestone bedrock. For an ardent plant collector such as myself, lack of moist soil is a cruel fate. I love turtleheads, sedges, skunk cabbage and iris, plants of low woods and wet meadows which demand continuous moisture to thrive. In my dry, silty soil, it seemed impossible to even think of growing them. Impossible, that is, until I thought of creating an artificial bog garden.
By C. Colston Burrell
