What is the best garden gift you’ve received?

SuperUser Account — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 15:06:01 GMT

For gardeners, the best gifts are ones you can use in the garden—helpful tools, new plants, and even garden luxuries like outdoor art.What’s the best garden gift you’ve ever received? Who was it from, and what was special about it?Tell us about it in two to three sentences at forum@gardeningclub.com. Please include your first and last name, city and state, and member number. Winning responses will be featured in the November/December 2008 issue of Gardening How-To. Deadline is August 1.

Win a prize!

SuperUser Account — Fri, 30 May 2008 15:18:02 GMT

Many gardeners keep track of the plants they grow from year to year—when flowers bloom, whether or not certain vegetables thrive, and which annuals look best all summer long.Do you keep a garden journal? Is it on a computer spreadsheet, in a simple notebook, or do you have other creative ways to track your garden’s progress?In two or three sentences, describe your best tips for keeping a garden journal. Responses will be printed in the November/December 2008 issue of Gardening How-To magazine, and winners will receive a prize. Deadline is August 1.

Regional Gardening Tips

SuperUser Account — Fri, 30 May 2008 13:57:56 GMT

Wonder what region you live in? See our map here or visit the “Site Specific” column in each issue of Gardening How-To.Pacific Northwest• Make sure your climbing roses are securely tied into position. Prune them after they bloom. • Deadhead the developing seed pods from your rhododendrons and azaleas to improve next year’s bloom. Be careful not to damage next year’s buds, which may be hidden just below the pod. • Keep watch for damage caused by the four-lined plant bug, especially on plants in the mint family.Southwest • Give special attention to fertilizing and watering containers and hanging baskets. Soil in containers dries out quickly, so check daily. • When mowing and trimming weeds around trees, be careful not to make contact with the trees. Wounds created from lawn mowers and string trimmers allow borers and other insects to enter and become a problem. This is especially true for dogwoods, flowering peach, plum, and cherry trees. • Give your compost a turn.Midwest/Mountain• Fertilize roses at bud break, then each month during the growing season, or according to the package directions. Don’t fertilize roses after August 1. Fertilizing too late in the season makes the plant less winter hardy. • Give newly planted perennials 1 inch of water a week during the growing season, either from rain or through irrigation. • Garlic is a shallow-rooted plant, so water regularly (but not so much that the soil stays muddy) to ensure proper bulb development. If young plants don’t get enough water, they’ll become stressed and produce small bulbs prematurely.Northeast • Most tulips and hyacinths last only two to three years. Dig up and discard tulip and hyacinth bulbs that send up spindly leaves and stalks and few flowers. • Prune spring-blooming shrubs and trees, such as lilacs, forsythia, and crabapples, as soon as possible after bloom. • Inspect your irrigation system for damaged sprinkler heads, which waste water. Replace as needed.Southeast • Pick vegetables often, even if you don’t plan to use them immediately. Vegetables that aren’t harvested soon enough will produce a chemical that inhibits further blossoming. • Paint tree trunks with a light-colored indoor latex paint to prevent sunburn damage, which invites borers and fungus infections. Use an inexpensive brand, or thin down a more expensive one to a solution of half water and half paint. • Keep melon plants growing strongly throughout the season for best quality fruit. Almost half of a melon’s final sugar content develops during the last week of maturation, so stop irrigating then to concentrate the sugars.

National Home Gardening Club

What is the best garden gift you’ve received?

Win a prize!

Regional Gardening Tips