At Hartley Botanic we have a good relationship with many knowledgeable garden writers both in the UK and USA ā here you can enjoy reading their articles and gardening tips
There is never a perfect time to have knee replacement surgeryā¦or any surgery for that matter. However, for this gardener, May 1, 2024, was exactly the wrong time since it erased for all practical purposes an entire gardening year. Even now, as I write this, my right knee is complaining after just a brief totter […]
Space in a greenhouse is often at a premium. Traditionally, seed starting requires room on tables for multiple containers, heat mats, etc. So, when I found out that my colleague, Seattle garden journalist and speaker, Erica Browne Grivas was working with a new space-saving method, I was interested. Basically, it involves creating long rolls of […]
Last year the US Department of Agriculture released a new Plant Hardiness Zone Map, which is based on average minimum winter temperatures over the prior 10 years. Most locations were given a somewhat higher categorization on this new map to account for global warming. So, because of ongoing climate change, gardeners may be seeing earlier […]
āBy the Light, of the Silvery Moonā was top of the charts in the early 1900s; a vaudeville standard that young lovers crooned to each otherā¦given the chance, which was often taken beneath a full moon to the gentle strum of a ukelele echoing across a gardenās shrubbery depth, accompanied by a girlish giggle and […]
Many people use a greenhouse to start seeds, but where do you put all the potted-up plants when the greenhouse isnāt large enough for them? An outdoor, raised bed can be an ideal location. Plus, with a few additions, the bed can be easily converted to a polytunnel or even a small, temporary greenhouse. The […]
Many gardeners are particular about protecting their hands with gloves for different jobs. But what about their feet? Anyone familiar with a greenhouse knows that the coolest part is at floor level. Boots or shoes can only go so far. If you stand around for any time on those floors, your feet will be getting […]
Iāve been a gardener since childhood. In England, as I was growing up, I tended the family garden while my dad traveled frequently for work. After I moved to the US, my wife and I bought land in Rhode Island. A Victorian-era house had previously been on the property, but it had long ago been […]
This month is filled with memories, no matter how you observe the holiday season. For me, Christmas meant spending a week in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin at my grandmotherās home, where my Dad was born and grew up a small house on N. 63rd St. Food was the main feature: Grandma was a stunning cook in the […]
One of the best benefits of a greenhouse is bringing bulbs to bloom at the time when you most need themādĆ©cor, a celebration, or just for cheer in the darkest winter days. This month Iām talking with Brent Heath, the eponymous head of the family-owned mail order business, Brent and Beckyās. After an amazing number […]
Now that weāre well into fall, growing outdoors is almost impossible unless you have a greenhouse or some other protected enclosure. But how do you keep this environment sufficiently warm to prevent the winter cold from killing your plants, especially at night or on days without sunshine? There are more ways of doing this than […]
Itās bulb season. This will be a two-part column about how to enjoy growing bulbs inside a glasshouse. Most of this advice will also be useful for growing on a sunny windowsill. Next month I will talk about forcing other tender and hardy bulbs indoors. But this month, Iām talking about Amaryllis with Christian Curless, […]
āIf you can read a book, you can do anything.ā Short of embroidering it on a cushion, thatās a mantra Iāve lived by since my best friend in high school wised me up. Iāve packed in a lot of reading since then, researching the history of garden design and landscaping for the books Iāve written, […]
