Hello fellow readers, “Be sure you tickle the roots,” I coach new gardeners after carefully removing a plant from its pot. Using my fingers, or an edge of a trowel, I demonstrate how to loosen the roots to encourage them to spread. Sometimes a utility knife comes into play if a plant

Hello Fellow Readers, Just before our gardens kicked into gear, I had the privilege of dropping in on a succulent event hosted by A&J Messina Greenhouses in Blairstown NJ which served as a mini-gardening warmup. What a lively group of over seventy guests learning how to make a ter

Hello fellow readers, Sara from Oxford NJ asked how to prepare a plot in her backyard for organic vegetable gardening come spring. She suspects the previous owners used chemicals as when they moved in, the lawn “looked like a golf course.” Kudos Sara. It’s smart to consider the previo

Hello Fellow Readers, For several years now I’ve had two bales of peat moss in my potting shed. For the life of me I don’t recall where they came from. Perhaps a donation from a client when they moved? Sphagnum moss, or peat moss, is a genus of approximately 380 species. It’s a

Hello Fellow Readers, In the Spring of 2011 my sister Dot, who lives in Chesterfield Virginia, planted a Red maple (Acer rubrum) in the tiered garden she and her hubby built to manage the slope in their back yard. At the time our dear Mom had just moved in and I recall her reminiscenc

Hello fellow readers, Last week we spoke about how fall is a great time for planting most trees and shrubs. What about perennials asked Dorothy of Bangor? By and large I prefer spring for planting most new perennials. But if you can’t resist a bargain, fall can work just fine. In fact

Hello fellow readers, Jill from Nazareth is confused. She heard that fall is a great time to plant but then found out that there is a list of Fall Dig Hazard trees. That does seem confusing! Paul of Gardens of the World in Andover has a simple way to explain it. The Fall Dig Hazard li

Hello fellow readers, Last week we spoke about George’s weedy invasion resulting in the need for a garden do-over. Thankfully, he opted for a more organic approach including a non-chemical remedy called soil solarization. Here’s how. It’s important to prepare your garden for planting

Hello fellow readers, ‘Here’s my dilemma’ wrote George of Blairstown in early spring. ‘It’s the border of my driveway. The good side has Daffodils in the spring then Live Forever /Sedum purpureum summer through fall. The bad side matched the good a few years ago, but weeds and grass h

Hello Fellow Readers, I learned from Patti of Little Big Farm in Blairstown that she started seeds in early February which peaked my curiosity; actually it made me green with envy. Aren’t we all longing for green? The rule of thumb is eight weeks before the last frost date is th