THESE DAYS, I'm spending a good deal of time in my rose garden (pictured above, during summer), and feeling grateful that I do not use chemicals there. Too often gardeners resort to systemic poisons (like Bayer's honey bee-killing "Rose & Flower Care") in order to avoid the pests and diseases which target roses. But I have found that if hardy varieties are selected, and a sensible cultural routine is practiced, chemical controls are not necessary. And here are my time-tested tips for growing beautiful, healthy roses the organic way: Read more » Roses
The Organic Way to Beautiful Roses
April 19, 2012
THESE DAYS, I'm spending a good deal of time in my rose garden (pictured above, during summer), and feeling grateful that I do not use chemicals there. Too often gardeners resort to systemic poisons (like Bayer's honey bee-killing "Rose & Flower Care") in order to avoid the pests and diseases which target roses. But I have found that if hardy varieties are selected, and a sensible cultural routine is practiced, chemical controls are not necessary. And here are my time-tested tips for growing beautiful, healthy roses the organic way: Read more » Boxwood Beauty the Easy Way
April 8, 2012
Is there a more elegant shrub than boxwood (Buxus)? I don't think so. Evergreen and tolerant of all kinds of "shape-shifting," it is the ideal plant to edge a pathway, or to frame a garden bed or border. Despite its beauty this box, however, has one major drawback: it is very expensive. But you can have a sophisticated boxwood hedge without breaking the bank. My own ribbons of enduring green, pictured above, are living proof of this fact. Read more » My Big Job for the Day: Winter Mulching the Roses
December 11, 2010
WHEN THE GROUND FREEZES SOLIDLY IN DECEMBER, I know it’s time to mulch my roses. Mulching keeps their roots cold and unstimulated, should a freakish warm spell occur between bouts of frigid weather. Furthermore, this insulating blanket ultimately improves the soil: (click photos to enlarge) As you can see from the photo up top, when… Read more »
Waging War On Japanese Beetles
June 28, 2010
HAVE JAPANESE BEETLES (POPILLIA JAPONICA) FOUND THEIR WAY TO YOUR GARDEN, TOO? You might find the following roundup of treatments helpful, should you care to wage war against them. First up, my own experience with Fruit Tree Spray Concentrate, the great promise that wasn’t: Bonide Fruit Tree Spray. Although Bonide claims this spray kills beetles… Read more »
My Favorite Roses
June 17, 2010
JUNE IS FOR ROSES, including the luscious, pink ‘Bonica,’ above. This one, and others, too, grow almost too well here at A Garden for the House. Would you like to see them? Here they are — along with a few cultural tips — in a click-to-enlarge photo gallery of color and perfume: I have never… Read more »
Last-Minute Chores
June 10, 2010
UH OH — two days before the garden tour, and my Rosa ‘New Dawn’ is misbehaving. This exuberant pink climber, which marks the entrance to the Woodland Garden, has sent long, thorny canes over its iron arbor, making the arbor look like an obstacle — not an opening. What am I to do — tell… Read more »
From Parking Lot to Rose Garden
June 8, 2010
WITH DETERMINATION, even the most grievous eyesore on a property can become a sparkling jewel. My own rose garden (above, click to enlarge) is proof of this fact. Here, where fragrant flowers flourish between ribbons of boxwood, and where classical fountains play soothing music, there existed, not long ago, something quite different: When we bought… Read more »
