Ask a Master Gardener: Get ready for spring with a party

By this time of the year, it may seem like winter will never end. Many of us are eager to start gardening knowing that spring is right around the corner. While we can’t make the calendar pages turn more quickly, we can get ready for the upcoming gardening season while having some fun with friends and neighbors by hosting a garden party.

You may be familiar with its name from the bottle of astringent found in your home medicine cabinet or for sale on pharmacy shelves near rubbing alcohol and hydrogen peroxide. What you may not know is that the leaves, bark and twigs from American witch ha … (read more)

Compost, the dark, crumbly, earthy-smelling material produced by natural decomposers, provides many benefits to gardeners and non-gardeners alike. Converting garden waste, kitchen scraps and various paper items into compost at home reduces the amount of w … (read more)

The Middlebury Garden Club offers its first public program of 2025, “Close to Nature Landscape Design,” on Tuesday, Feb. 11, at the Residence at Otter Creek.

The middle of winter with snow covering brick-hard, frozen ground may seem like an odd time to plan a new garden bed, but it’s the best time. If you make decisions now, you’ll be ready when the weather warms and the ground is workable.

Sprouts are a versatile, dramatic addition to foods that go far beyond the basic bean sprout. Sometimes seen as an addition to sandwiches, toppings on salads and garnishes on entrees, sprouts add crunch, flavor and vibrant color to a variety of dishes.

Cold weather has arrived, and you’ve put your garden to bed for the season. That doesn’t mean you can’t garden. Just shift your focus from outdoors to in. 

The apple harvest is over, but there are still some important pest management practices to follow to ensure healthy trees in the spring. The pests we need to manage are not the little ones we typically see in the summer but are larger and fluffier and inc … (read more)

Amaryllis bulbs and blooms make popular and appreciated holiday gifts. Gifted in full bloom to brighten the winter months or lovingly tended to bloom after the new year, amaryllis add vibrant color and joy to the dreary season.

How do we invite nature into our gardens? This will be the question explored at this year’s University of Vermont (UVM) Extension Garden Conference.

Research shows that spending time in nature enhances our physical and mental well-being, so it’s no surprise that gardening offers similar benefits, including reducing stress, anxiety and negative thoughts. Gardening is an all-around wonderful activity fo … (read more)

When the air becomes cooler, and leaves begin to turn colors, it’s time to gear up for fall garden maintenance. Or is it?

An excellent choice to consider for late-season interest in your garden is the New England aster, a North American native plant with many benefits. When other plants start to wither, New England asters bloom with brilliant shades of violet and purple dais … (read more)

Weeding is often a reality of summer landscape maintenance. Some people don’t mind weeding, some highly dislike it, and other people fall somewhere in between.

There’s something happening in the Bridport School flower garden. On May 24, Bridport Central School students checked it out.