Home & Garden category, Page 3

Hold off before throwing that porch pumpkin into the trash along with Halloween candy wrappers. Those jack-o’-lanterns don’t have to end up in the local landfill. Consider composting pumpkins in the garden, donating them to community gardens, farms or even a zoo, or simply leaving them as a snack for...

WASHINGTON — There were the young women in fresh fall coats, a guy in a suit, hoodied parents with kids, all maneuvering for selfies with the White House south facade. The plant fans and the history fans leaned in to admire the perennials and centuries-old trees on the lawns where...

Much of the country has experienced drought and extreme heat this summer, and turfgrass lawns are feeling the pain. There are steps we can take, however, to mitigate the damage while still trying to conserve precious water resources. Know your lawn There are two classifications of turfgrasses: cool-season grasses, which...

Wooden Door Winery in Allegheny Township is officially on the market. Owners Jeff and Chrissy Pollick announced they were selling their flagship winery in June, but the property wasn’t officially listed for sale then, and an asking price was not disclosed. The barn-themed winery at 4087 Greenwood Road in Allegheny...

I’ve been getting a lot of questions lately about harvesting potatoes, as a lot of gardeners aren’t quite sure when, exactly, to dig them up. And who could blame them? Size, scent and firmness inform the maturity of most fruits and vegetables, but our senses can’t help us here. Dig...

As I write this, I can hear a cardinal trilling in the backyard. I don’t have to look out the open window to confirm the source of the sounds that come through it; I’ve come to recognize the songs and their singers. I know it’s the mourning dove whose cooing...

Close your eyes for a moment and imagine a butterfly. My money says the fluttering insect you’re envisioning has black-veined, reddish-orange wings outlined with white specks — the iconic attributes of our beloved American monarch butterfly. Unfortunately, the species, which populates many childhood memories, is in trouble. The migrating monarch...

One of the biggest mistakes gardeners make is not starting to harvest their vegetable gardens early enough. You don’t have to wait until the announcement of an impending frost before reaping what you have sown. Vegetable gardens should be harvested over a long period of time starting as early as...

Greensburg Garden Center’s annual butterfly releases will be extra special this year, with a song written especially for the event. Member J.D. Peterson of Greensburg will perform her composition, “The Life Cycle of the Butterfly,” as part of a brief, fun educational program she will present during releases at 11...

I am a terrible gardener. I hate weeding, and within weeks of planting anything, the tomato, pepper and other plants start to become overrun with unwanted greenery, and it’s just not a pretty sight. The few plants that do seem to persevere despite my sloppy gardening efforts are the herbs,...

Home gardeners are invited to enter their best blooms in Greensburg Garden Center’s biennial standard flower show. “Growing Wild” will take place from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at the McKenna Senior Center, 971 Old Salem Road, Greensburg. Submissions will be accepted from 3 to 5 p.m. Friday at the...

Many people try to save water just to do the right thing (and save money too). But when serious drought hits, and state and local governments enforce restrictions, water conservation becomes non-negotiable. So far this summer, nearly 65% of the United States and Puerto Rico is experiencing “abnormally dry” weather,...

An Edgeworth property is the recipient of the Professional Silver Award for Design by The Society of American Registered Architects. The property is currently for sale, listed by Piatt Sotheby’s International Realty. William H. Childs Jr. & Associates Inc. were the architects/planners for the home and accepted the award. “This...

The cost of everything from gas to burgers may be rising, but home gardeners growing produce have found a way at least to avoid paying $4 for a pound of tomatoes. Fertilizing those tomatoes — or cucumbers or flowers, for that matter — is another story, as the cost of...

Editor’s note: This story was originally published in 2018. Pennsylvania’s official state flower, the mountain laurel is in full bloom throughout the Pittsburgh region. Although most people are familiar with the laurel’s relatives — rhododendron and azaleas — the official state flower is plentiful but in select environments, mostly rocky,...

Much of gardening is learned by trial and error — for many, mostly error. Planting a shade-lover in full sun isn’t likely to breed success, nor is letting your emotions run rampant at the nursery. But we’ve all been there, and the good news is we can learn from others’...

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — A pair of University of Michigan researchers are putting the “pee” in peony. Rather, they’re putting pee ON peonies. Environmental engineering professors Nancy Love and Krista Wigginton are regular visitors to the Ann Arbor school’s Nichols Arboretum, where they have been applying urine-based fertilizer to the...

Westmoreland Pollinator Partners is offering a passport for a tour of pollinator-friendly gardens across Westmoreland County. Anyone visiting at least six of the 21 featured gardens will be eligible to receive a free native plant that appeals to local pollinator species. Passport folders for the Pollinator Palooza Tour will be...

Butterflies aren’t just beautiful — they’re out there working hard, pollinating as they flit from flower to flower. In fact, butterflies are the second-largest group of pollinators, after bees. Unfortunately, like many other pollinators, butterfly numbers are decreasing around the world because of factors including loss of native habitat, replacement...

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — LeighAnn Ferrara is transforming her small suburban yard from grass bordered by a few shrubs into an anti-lawn — a patchwork of flower beds, vegetables and fruit trees. It didn’t happen all at once, says the mother of two young kids. “We started smothering small sections...

A funny thing happened on the way to May: I have what looks to be a million tiny yellow flowers. It happens every year for about four to six weeks, but no one talks about it. Some even look away. Lemon Coral sedum was the 2019 Proven Winners Annual of...

The annual sunflower (Helianthus annus) has a long history in North America, with evidence of its cultivation for food, ceremonial and medical use by Native Americans dating back to at least 1,000 B.C. Sunflower seeds are said to have been brought to Europe by Spanish explorers around the late 16th...

The latest round of plants added to Pennsylvania’s noxious weeds list reads like a directory of popular landscaping options. Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii), callery or Bradford pear trees (Pyrus calleryana) and Ravenna grass (Saccharum ravennae; Tripidium ravennae) have been staples of urban and particularly suburban landscaping for decades. All three...

Gardeners are made, not born. If you want your children to become enthusiastic gardeners, take steps early to get them going down the proverbial path. It isn’t difficult, but it might require an adjustment to your attitude about children in the garden. The first step is to pique your child’s...

Even though the Western Pennsylvania landscape is still a bit drab, the glasshouse at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is bursting with color. This year’s Spring Flower Show: Sunshine and Rainbows opens Saturday in the historic glass house in Pittsburgh’s Oakland section, one day before the vernal equinox. The display...