I've always had a chuckle when I've seen articles in garden magazines that talk about planting for winter interest. Here in zone 3, everything usually has frozen before the middle of October and is covered with snow shortly afterward. But then I started looking around.
Creating winter interest and a pleasant view once your prized evergreen shrubs are buried for the duration, and after your brightly colored berries have been consumed by wildlife, can be done, but think hip-height or higher, and plan for more than one focal point.
One thing is certain about winter in Wisconsin – it’ll never be the same two years in a row.
Pine cones, seed heads, winter bloomers, colorful red berries, and much more! Let's kick off Winter Interest Week with a look at the most popular plants in our database that give some kind of interest to our gardens in the winter. We also introduce a new gallery option in our database for winter interest, with bonus acorns this week!
We're half way through February and that means that we're approaching the finishing line in our race to get through winter, so in this episode we're going to talk about those mid to late winter chores you might want to get to. We'll also feature a fun new segment of the podcast, "plant this," where Dave and Trish will each share their thoughts on a specific plant.
Do you have trouble with squirrels getting to your bird feeders and you want to find a way for birds and squirrels to eat peacefully? I'm sharing a setup my grandfather designed to hang my bird feeders.
Many gardeners are beginning to start their seeds as spring approaches. Each gardener has their own way of doing things, so let's find out which team you are on!
Once a compost pile goes anaerobic, it is toxic to plants.
Make this plant pole for under $20 in about an hour. It uses less than 2 feet of floor space in your greenhouse. It holds small to medium-sized pots (herbs, seedlings, etc.). Great for on the patio too. As an added bonus, a light can be hung at the top, which will be handy when you absolutely must go to the greenhouse after dark :) Feeling really creative? Paint and decorate the pole.
Because they are so easy to cut and are durable enough to last through the summer, vinyl blinds are a cheap and easy way to tag plant crosses.
Keep the suet away from squirrels and raccoons by using a shepherd hook to hang the suet cage.
The Celebration Week for the database is coming to a close, so let's look back on the week and see what was posted, who posted it, and what were the most noteworthy contributions.
Is it possible to spend over 30 minutes talking about the All Things Plants Database? Yes! There's so much to talk about, from the custom databases, parentage of cultivars, multi-plant images, comments, moderators, green pages, planting calendars, growers reports, and so much more!
As you all know, this week we are hosting a contest in the Plant Database. The two most active users will receive gift certificates from Victory Seed Company. Well, we're halfway through with the week, so let's see what the numbers look like so far.
In today's article, I'll explain what our custom databases are, why we made them, how they work, and what kinds of powers they give us in using the database. Anyone interested in a specific kind of plant will likely find this information quite informative and useful!
One of the biggest strengths of our plant database is that we have it sectioned off into "custom databases," each dedicated to a specific kind of plant, and that members can be given power to moderate every aspect of those areas. Come read what our moderators think about the database in this interesting multi-person interview!
We have a powerful photo browsing tool that I want to make sure you know about, and we have a planting calendar tool that hooks into the database and makes planning your vegetable garden a breeze.
Almost every feature of All Things Plants taps into the database in one way or another, and this week we are celebrating this aspect of ATP! Come in and read what activities we have planned for the week, and to learn about our contest with prizes offered by Victory Seed Company!
As we start planning our spring vegetable gardens, one of the first crops we plant may include members of the brassica family, such as cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli.
In today's podcast, Trish and Dave share their thoughts on composting in winter. What to do to keep it alive, when there are no grass clippings or weeds? We also talk about the Green Pages feature at All Things Plants, and give miscellaneous thoughts on the goings-on around our farm.
If you soak the ground the day before, really well, it will be that much easier to dig up a young tree or bush that you want to move to a different area of the garden.
Need an indoor grow-light shelving unit to sow and grow your plants during the winter months? This is how I made one.
Once a pot breaks, many people throw it away. I am going to share what I do with a pot that is broken at the top while the rest of it is still good.
It seems that many people believe that vermiculite and perlite are similar products used for similar purposes. This is not true.
I've always had a "brown" thumb when it comes to growing amaryllises. Either I'll grow plants that have lush green leaves and no flowers, or the bulbs will just sit there and sulk. Or even worse, the bulbs turn to mush or they just shrivel up. This year I cheated and had success!