Sometimes we notice things in our gardening endeavors that are puzzling. In time the proverbial light bulb may appear over our heads and an explanation for the oddity presents itself. One of those eureka moments occurred recently. Several years ago I ordered seeds for a purple tomatillo (Physalis ixocarpa.) These tomatillos are much sweeter...

Ash Fraxinus spp Last month we commented on the wooly adelgid and its attack on the local hemlock. Another pest, the emerald ash borer, has been with us for some time and some unexpected results of this infestation are coming to light. The emerald ash borer has not only devastated ash trees they have created...

Pruning Clematis We mentioned that sweet autumn clematis blooms on new wood and should be pruned in the spring or late winter to a height of one foot above the ground. There are other rules for different species of clematis.  When they are pruned and how they are pruned frequently depends on the time of...

  When we have a dry summer we often retrospectively rethink our plantings. While in ground perennials survive with only a bit of extra watering, it is those baskets and planters that we so optimistically planted in May that keep us watering and watering and watering. While we cannot predict if we are going to...

Generally speaking we are told that plants that have a tap root cannot be divided. A taproot is a long slender fleshy root that goes straight and deeply into the earth. A carrot is a modified taproot. It is designated modified because it is also a food storage area and is generally thicker than the...