Ask a Master Gardener: Tips for growing clivia

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 the strap-like leaves. Flowers, usually orange but yellow in some cultivars (cultivated varieties), are in clusters on top of the stalks similar to its amaryllis relatives. If you have a clivia, or get one not in flower, now is the time to give it a “temp … (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)

Do you have herbs and flowers that you dried or preserved last summer still sitting in your cupboard or freezer? If so, now is a great time to pull them out and put them to good use. Dried herbs can be used in many ways depending on their variety and flav … (read more)

Pruning trees and shrubs, cutting back ornamental grasses, and checking perennials for frost heaving are some of the gardening tips for this month. The days are longer, the sun is warmer, and sooner or later the buds of trees and shrubs will start growing … (read more)

With the lengthening daylight and the many seed catalogs arriving in your mailbox, it’s hard to ignore the promise of spring. Are you planning to grow your own vegetable and flower transplants this year? You may find that shopping for grow lights for indo … (read more)

As you hit the trails this winter, take a close look at Vermont’s forests. Some trees are threatened by invasive forest insects, and in some places, you might be the only one to spot them. The three pests to be on the lookout for when exploring our forest … (read more)

Dominated by shades of gray, the landscape appears bleak in winter. Look closer and you may glimpse muted mauves in the distant mountains or the warm glow that envelopes the land at the golden hour. If that doesn’t satisfy your yearning for color, conside … (read more)