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Special Series
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Curbside Gardens—Transforming Your Hell Strip
Heated by pavement, often assaulted by salt and sand during winter, these ribbons of city-owned real estate are not prime gardening spots. Indeed, they have been dubbed "hell strips" by writer Lauren Springer.
By Claire Hagen Dole -
Authenticity in Japanese Landscape Design
There are two quite different paths to authenticity in Japanese gardening. The quickest way to tell them apart is to consider two key aspects of the design process—the sources of inspiration and the choice of materials.
By David Slawson -
Grape Tomatoes: Giving the Cherries a Run for Their Money
Grape tomatoes combine a number of desirable tomato qualities, including very sweet flavor, firm texture, and at least the semblance of having been ripened on the vine.
By Niall Dunne -
Columbines—Elegant Flowers Spurred to Greatness
When folks hear the word "spur," many of them invariably think of cowpokes in the Old West and the jangling metal boot contraptions they wore to urge on their horses. For us plant lovers, however, the word can conjure up something a little more serene. We can think, for instance, of the architecture of a columbine flower, with its distinctive spurs curling outward like the necks of graceful birds in mid-flight.
By Katherine Gould -
Four Indoor Garden Designs
The indoor landscape can form an integral part of your interior and, naturally, reflect your personal preference and style.
By Bill Shank -
Bamboo: Graceful Grass or Jungle Giant
Imagine yourself enclosed deep within a bamboo grove, a "living room" of green, with walls enveloping but breathing, a cathedral of vertical stems stretching to the heavens above, the shadows delicate and swaying. You feel quiet, contemplative and calm, protected. Are you in Kyoto, Bangkok, or Bali? No, you are at home, surrounded by bamboos in containers. It is not difficult to create your own bamboo grove indoors—try it!
By Susanne Lucas -
Cacti and Other Succulents as Houseplants
Succulents evoke glorious warmth, and range widely in form and texture. They make wonderful houseplants, alone or in a group.
By Julia Solarz -
Gods and Monsters: The Genus Ficus
We encounter glorious specimens in ubiquitous bank and shopping mall plantings, we marvel at lush archetypes on tropical isles whilst on vacation, and we regard forlorn examples in the corners of our doctor's office. We adore them. We despise them—yet we attempt to maintain them time and time again. They are the gods and monsters of the indoor gardening world—they are the figs, the rubber trees, the genus Ficus.
By Scott D. Appell -
Palms in the Parlor
Of all the members of the plant kingdom suitable for use as houseplants, none evoke a feeling of the tropics like the palms. With their large, architectural leaves and strong outlines, palms can help create an indoor Garden of Eden wherever you live.
By Tom McClendon -
Nine Keys to Plant Disease Prevention
Prevention is the key to plant-disease control. This is true whether a disease is infectious (involving host-parasite relationships between plants and pathogens such as certain fungi, bacteria, or viruses) or non-infectious (involving disorders such as nutrient deficiencies or winter damage).
By Jim Chatfield
