Ask a Master Gardener: Gardening helps your body and soul

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 for the body and soul.

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)

Are you looking for a fun gardening project to do with your children?

If you want to add a touch of architectural interest to your shade garden, look no further than the graceful silhouette of Solomon’s seal. 

Trends come and go, but in gardening, one that seems here to stay is the no-dig, also called the no-till method. How does the no-dig trend supplant thousands of years of tilling history?

Did you know that the composition of the soil in raised beds is vital to their success?

Before taking a rest from gardening for the season, have you thought of direct sowing seeds to grow a minimal-care garden next spring?

Thinking back to an art class she took as a 4- or maybe 5-year-old, Nadie VanZandt remembers painting a big leaf; finely outlining the veins with the most delicate strokes.

Making your own compost is an eco-friendly and rewarding way to manage your food waste. But what can you do if your compost bin is being raided by wildlife?

Do you spend a lot of effort to get rid of the moss you find in your lawn? Knowing the benefits of moss may convince you otherwise.

For a stunning display of blooms in early spring, most New England gardens would benefit from the addition of a remarkable perennial — the hellebore.

As early as 30 A.D., reports of greenhouses appeared in the writings of the famous Pliny the Elder, Roman savant and scientific authority of his time.

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

In summer, while vegetables and flowers thrive in the garden, so does poison ivy in backyards, woods, disturbed areas and anywhere else it can get a toehold. Challenging to recognize due to its changing shape in different environments, careful observation … (read more)

Do you know that it is illegal to transport, buy or plant shrub honeysuckles in Vermont? This is because honeysuckles are labeled “Class B noxious” on Vermont’s Noxious Weed Quarantine list.The invasive species include the Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maack … (read more)