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I find myself getting the bug to grow things now that the outside world is lifeless, cold, and snow-covered. The Christmas tree has been filling my need for living plant-life with its delightful smell, but today's project is to undecorate it and fling it over the porch railings, to be hauled up...

Some years ago I bought 3 varieties of asters for my perennial beds. Two were purple and they seemed to thrive, whereas the pink one deteriorated to the point I gave up on it and removed it. However, on a whim, rather than just toss the uprooted plant into a weedy patch, I turned over a patch...

As usual I've drawn up a design for what I will plant, and where, this coming spring, and ordered seeds to put away with my saved seeds once they dry. Typically once I've put away the seeds and written plan/notes, and Christmas season is looming, I will forget all about gardening. Then in the...

This is the second time I've witnessed this phenomenon, and it has me wondering what factors cause a daylily to produce blooms of a color different from the advertised photo on a tag when first planted, and then over the course of a few years, gravitate to the color it is supposed to be. The...

I started my riesentraube heirloom cherry tomatoes last week in tiny pots in this indoor grow kit, and they have sprouted! As I'm still wanting to keep my crop of salad greens (at left in pic) going a bit longer, I have the tomatoes on the "day shift" under the lights, and the salad greens on...

This is still ongoing I think, but the world's largest battery storage facility caught on fire some weeks ago, and it is spewing heavy metals and other toxins across what is commonly called "America's salad bowl." The Salinas Valley is the largest producer of fruits and vegetables for the...

I planted these little guys from seed about 10 years ago and they seem ok but haven't grown much at all in the last 5 years. They are on a windowsill that gets a fair amount of sunlight in summer, but sunlight is scarce here in winter. Also this room tends to be warmish even with the A/C in...

These bright colored seed catalogs are always so welcome when the world outside has turned to monochromatic shades of white. I have almost all the seeds I need, but I love looking through the pages and dreaming of summer. The arrival of the latest catalog reminded me that my saved seeds...

I am thinking of growing an heirloom tomato next summer, rather than the Arctic Plenty variety I grew this year. I think that now with my indoor grow light kit, if I start the plants early they might have a hope of ripening before frost. A short growing time was my main reason for planting...

Who else here loses tools (and other things) on their own land or in their own houses (or out buildings)? My most recent loss is a pair of pruning shears. I've retraced the last times and places where it was used, but to no avail. Finally I gave up and bought a replacement, but still hoping...

I guess I've answered a question I was going to ask here, as to why my dwarf sunflower heads are closed, rather than opening to expose ripening seeds. A little digging into old receipts tells me that these sunflowers are hybrids. Normally I buy only open-pollinated seeds, but apparently didn't...

While making up my 2025 garden plans, I've come to the conclusion that the only container gardens I have that bring me joy these days are my raised bed of tomatoes and squash out back of the house, and the collection of flower pots on my front porch, as seen here: So I'll be retiring all the...

I realized my limitations this past year and scaled back the areas I can realistically maintain. Three perennial beds were first to be abandoned this spring. This shows them in mid-summer back in their earlier days: and they exist now (below) as part of this fenced off section which also...

A relative gave me this "Aerogarden" thingie some time ago. I had no use for the seeded plugs or chemical fertilizer it came with, nor the automatic watering system, so I adapted it to hold two small pots. I did a test planting of organic pea seeds and they are nearing harvest now to go into...

This is the time of year when those of us in the far north without a greenhouse turn to house plants. This rubber tree plant is the oldest living thing I possess. I bought it in Boston in 1969, and it lived with us in our city apartments, before moving with us in 1972 to Vermont. At some...

This sprang up in an unmowed area and I'm wondering what it is and where it came from. I believe it is some sort of rose, but I didn't notice it blooming this summer. It has thorns, rose-like foliage, and now has developed clusters of what look like rose hips.

Thus far the only damages I've suffered from this rainy summer have been a temporary untamed jungle growth of weeds, but now I think I am going to lose the crabapple tree in my front yard. In this picture, the leafless tree at the far left is the tree in question. The healthy tree at the far...

I posted this on an old thread where it sort of stayed buried https://www.theeasygarden.com/threads/strawflowers-in-a-container.11410/page-2#post-427922 so I'll try giving it a life of its own. I just wonder what is preventing my strawflowers from blooming or even developing buds. They get...

I wasn't quite sure where this thread belonged. I thought about putting it under "pests" but I'm not sure that's what these creepy things are. They look like little round seed pods. Does anyone know what they are?

I was given this by a well-meaning relative, but the problem is I'm terrified of bees (and other stinging insects)! I co-exist with bees that visit my gardens and I understand their ecological importance, but I draw the line at inviting them to take up residence on my property, even this...