Home & Garden category, Page 12

We’ve certainly had our share of rain this spring, and as a result, I’ve been hearing from gardeners about various fungal issues appearing in their landscapes. Fungal diseases tend to be exacerbated in wet weather due to the spores easily germinating on wet plant foliage. While there are dozens of...

The Connellsville Area Garden Club will share the city’s highlights with visitors during its Connellsville Art, History and Garden Tour. Suitable for driving or cycling, the go-at-your-own-pace tour is set for 9 a.m.-2 p.m. June 29. The tour will feature five public art spaces, such as Coke to Spokes, the...

Peggy Anne Montgomery has spent a lifetime in the garden, and for the last 15 years she’s tried hard to create a pollinator-friendly landscape. The horticulturist and account executive for the Garden Media Group is championing the cause by informing gardeners about the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge and Pollinator Week,...

Ecologically minded gardens are in vogue, which is all to the good. One of the hallmarks of a successful landscape is that it is in harmony with its place, in its flora, planting aesthetic and general mood. But it is worth knowing that the contemporary broad interest in plant naturalism...

Jim Fitzroy is attempting to give away his recipe for something called hot honey as his friend Michelle Wright tries hard (with a wink) to keep the ingredients a closely guarded secret. Wright is a WTAE-TV news anchor, as well as a beekeeper who shares a love of all things...

Going on a garden tour is a little bit like picking from Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates — you never know what you’re gonna get. Or, more accurately, what you’ll see when you pull up at a featured home. That’s part of the fun, says Mary Ann Artman, chairwoman of...

Question: Last year we had trouble with our cucumber plants. They didn’t really form many cucumbers. We had a lot of flowers and the vines were quite large and seemed healthy, but we only had two or three cucumbers from each plant. We’ve never had this problem before. Was it...

May 31 was the last day I would be working with KDKA-TV personality Jon Burnett. We spent the past 16 years on television together, and that day I would be saying goodbye on the air. Over the years, some of our most memorable segments revolved around hot peppers. Jon is...

Flowering “bee lawns” that attract pollinators are a compromise between fastidious turf management and the more casual yard approach. They add biodiversity to the landscape and need less maintenance. That makes them cost-effective, too. Bee lawns are turf grasses blended with low-growing perennials that bloom again after mowing. They’re cared...

Long tables covered with healthy, deep green plants filled the Belmont Sports Complex in Kittanning for the Armstrong County Penn State Master Gardener’s Plant Sale. I was the speaker that day and had about 15 minutes before starting to quickly peruse the offerings. I was blown away at the quality...

Southwestern Pennsylvania’s soil does not offer the kindest reception to rose growers. “This is a tough area to grow (roses),” says Ann Kubik, a Pittsburgh Rose Society member. “There is so much clay in the area. You have to amend the soil with peat moss, compost, mushroom manure, anything to...

The temptation to plant early is an urge that seduces all gardeners. It fools the most knowledgeable and thoughtful growers and turns them into careless dreamers who throw caution to the wind in the quest to see the first bloom or harvest the earliest fruit. In March, while visiting Chapon’s...

The annual juried Hosta Show, presented by the Daffodil and Hosta Society of Western Pennsylvania, is set for 1-4 p.m. June 1 at Soergel Orchards Farm Market, 2573 Brandt School Road, Wexford. Entries for the juried show of cut leaf and potted hostas/arrangements will be accepted from 5-8 p.m. May...

The annual hosta show and plant sale presented by the Daffodil & Hosta Society of Western Pennsylvania is set for Saturday June 1 at Soergel Orchards Farm Market in Franklin Park. The plant sale begins at 10 a.m. followed by the hosta show from 1 to 4 p.m. The free...

Roses are among the oldest flowers in cultivation, although many have earned a reputation as fussy or difficult to grow. Some of the newer shrub rose hybrids, however, are disease-resistant, carefree and repeat-blooming — just the qualities novice gardeners love. “They are generally much healthier, more free-flowering, easier to prune...

Twelve years ago, I was lucky enough to visit Rome with my wife, celebrating our 25th anniversary. We had never traveled internationally before, so the mysteries of a different country and language were both thrilling and daunting. I knew there were gardens at the Vatican and wanted desperately to see...

A labyrinth garden should not be puzzling — that’s a maze. A labyrinth and a maze were once the same, but the labyrinth has recently grown to become a totally different animal. Enter a labyrinth and every turn you make is the correct one, leading you to the center. The...

If you’re looking to try something new in your vegetable garden this season, perhaps the tiny but mighty cucamelon would be a good fit. Cucamelons ( Melothria scabra) are also called Mexican sour gherkins or mouse melons. They’re closely related to cucumbers and other cucurbits. They’ve been grown as a...

When David and Cuthbert Landreth founded the D. Landreth Seed Co. in 1784, they never could have imagined the ups and downs the company would see over the centuries — sold during World War II, changing hands over the years several times and even fading away until recently being purchased...

Noted home and garden editor Doug Oster will share favorite home gardening tips during Armstrong County Penn State Master Gardeners’ annual plant sale on May 18. The sale is set for 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Belmont Complex, 415 Butler Road, Kittanning. The talk by Oster, manager and editor for...

Artist Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) once said, “If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere.” The Dutch post-impressionist painter’s own love of nature expressed in his vibrant landscapes and still-life paintings is interpreted in a series of botanical vignettes in the summer flower show, “Van Gogh in Bloom,”...

Spring is a busy time for gardeners, but if you’re a blueberry grower, I encourage you to take the time to head out to the garden to observe one of my favorite spring garden sights: blueberry pollination. While hives of imported European honeybees are often the pollinators of blueberries grown...

It’s finally that time of year again – when horticulture enthusiasts can swap their winter mittens for garden gloves. Before they head out to the garden, many will visit their favorite May Markets to check out the latest plant varieties, get the scoop on new garden tools and accessories and...

Question: We have Triple Crown Blackberry bushes at our residence. What is the proper care for these particular bushes? They get overrun with weeds and grass during the late spring to early summer. Should they be cut completely down periodically? Any help or suggestions will be appreciated. Answer: Triple Crown...