Ask a Master Gardener: How to force winter flowers

Forsythia in February? Impossible, you say? Not so. A vase full of flowers from the garden won’t take much more effort than harvesting some branches to force them to bloom.

While rosemary is not a perennial in Vermont, you can still grow and enjoy fresh rosemary all year. Just plant it in a container. Bring it outside in warmer weather and inside before the first frost. Why rosemary? It is attractive, resembling a small pine … (read more)

Hung in doorways to spread holiday cheer, mistletoe is rich in mythology and tradition.

Mushroom grow kits can be found online and in the gardening section in many stores. Available varieties include oyster, lion’s mane and shitake, along with familiar varieties such as white button and portabella.

Whether grown for aesthetics or food, this hardy perennial can be a long-lived addition to the gardening landscape.

Growing clivia, planting garlic and digging dahlia tubers are some of the gardening tips for this month. Clivia (also known as Natal lily) is a choice, tender bulbous indoor plant which can produce flower stalks, generally about two feet high, rising abov … (read more)

Growing clivia, planting garlic and digging dahlia tubers are some of the gardening tips for this month.Clivia (also known as Natal lily) is a choice, tender bulbous indoor plant which can produce flower stalks, generally about two feet high, rising above … (read more)

Fermentation has a long tradition as an effective method of food preservation. Eating fermented food provides beneficial bacteria that can help maintain a healthy digestive environment. Many people find sauerkraut a delicious option.I learned the traditio … (read more)

What’s more delicious than a sun-warmed raspberry plucked from the bush and popped into your mouth? Hmmm. Keep that delicious flavor into the winter by freezing raspberries, adding them to your baked goods, smoothies or yogurt, or making a batch of freeze … (read more)

Do you ever plant your vegetable garden in the spring, and wish that you had more space to plant other crops? With careful succession planting, you can plant more with the same amount of space.Succession planting is a technique where you stagger plantings … (read more)

Now that it’s July, you may be noticing that your garden plants are starting to flower or even set fruit. Adding fertilizer by side-dressing heavy-feeding vegetables can give them the boost they need for optimal production. Heavy feeders are those that ha … (read more)

If you raise chickens, then you know that while they are laying baskets of farm fresh eggs and amusing you with their antics, they are also generating a lot of manure.Coop litter contains manure, feathers, undigested food and bedding material. A single ch … (read more)

This season, consider incorporating flowers into your vegetable garden.Flowers can transform vegetable gardens from places of production to places of pleasure. While vegetables have a lovely variety of textures and shades of green, flowers add pops of col … (read more)

Just outside of Philadelphia is a magical garden estate in Wayne, Penn., known as Chanticleer. Built in the early 1900s, the estate’s 35 acres of rolling land and gardens are open to the public to explore for a small fee. What is unique about Chanticleer … (read more)

Warm days may tempt you to work in the garden and remove winter mulch, but wait a bit longer. We still could have snow and some very cold nights. Plants still need protection. The freeze and thaw cycles of early spring can damage plants that have survived … (read more)