Articles

Ignore Aunt Tilly and embrace the "ugly season." Pick what's left of your fruits and vegetables, apply the thumbnail test to squashes and pumpkins and, above all, don't panic!

This week’s stunner in the Herb Display Gardens is Perovskia atriplicifolia — otherwise known as Russian sage. This sun-loving deciduous perennial sports long panicles of lavender blue flowers on thin white stems with aromatic gray-green leaves. The overall look is loose and upright, with the flowering stems creating a cloud-like image from a distance.

Mums. Brussels sprouts. Winter rye. Spring flowering bulbs. Powdery mildew. Dill and coriander. Daylilies. Deer-proofing. And a message that Ron may have found in a fortune cookie.

American Burnet, garlic chives, harvest marmalade, apple cider, sage jelly, mint jelly, raspberry vinaigrette, sachets, herb salt, and more. Read the latest from the Hern Associates.

Pick tomatoes. Harvest shell beans. Wash vegetables in a vinegar solution. Pull out some small squares of plywood. Keep sowing. Transplant trees and shrubs that need to be moved. And what to do with your excess produce?

It must be twenty years since I first encountered arguments against the use of peat by gardeners. Their point was that peat harvesting destroyed its remarkable bog habitat, and that despite the claims of the peat extraction industry, this was not a sustainable practice.

This week we’re highlighting two herbs in the Herb Display Garden: mountain mint and woad, plants that may be new to you.

It's getting chilly at night, so now what? Let's talk about houseplants, peppers, eggplants, canning, cabbage, peonies, lawns, and getting your knickers in a twist (and out of a twist).

Today’s column will focus on ways to preserve culinary herbs — particularly, on drying and freezing. While this August through October period of time is often associated with harvesting of all kinds, some gardeners in the know will already be undertaking steps to preserve their herbs.

Cantaloupe. Watermelons. Garden-grown geraniums. Flowering bulbs. Container-grown plants. Roses. And dragonflies. Let's talk. Read Ron Kujawski's latest tips and tricks. 

Lupines! Oriental poppies! Garden-grown annuals! Raspberries and blackberries! Save your "pruning juice." And many notes to self! Read Ron Kujawski's latest.

Let's talk texture! Plus, this was a week of abundance of tarragon, which lead to the production of “J. Wilson’s Tarragon French Dressing,” “Sweet and Sour Herb Dressing,” and “Oil-Free Tarragon Vinegar.”

Let's quote Margaret B. Freeman, who wrote, “An herb is a plant with a purpose — you just need to find it. It’s not just about eating or seasoning things.”