Author Archives: Emily Dydo

‘White Lancer’ feathergrass

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White, feather-like seedheads tower over long, green foliage.

Virtues: We love  ‘White Lancer’ feathergrass  for its long, abundantly flowering white seed heads that resemble soft pipe cleaners waving above the billowing foliage.

Is a Brown Lawn a Dead Lawn?

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Advice that’s debatable: Water enough to keep grass green because a brown lawn is a dead lawn. Every summer, at least one person in every neighborhood lets the grass turn brown. People start grumbling about what a shame it is …

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Protecting Your Trees from Lightning

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Protect your trees from damaging lightening strikes

Question: A neighbor recently lost an old, beautiful tree to lightning. How can I protect my trees? Predicting which trees are likely to be struck by lightning is difficult. Studies have shown that ash, elm, oak, maple, poplar, pine, and …

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Temari Patio Blue verbena

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Bluish-purple blooms of Temari Patio Blue

Virtues: We love Temari Patio Blue verbena for its bushy, more upright growth habit than typical annual verbenas, which makes it a unique cultivar for patio pots and the garden beds. Temari produces bountiful, bright bluish-purple flowers that cascade over …

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Solutions for Managing Water

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Manage water in the garden with a soaker hose.

Effective water management often means the difference between gardening success or failure. Too much water, and the roots of your plant suffocate and die, or are subject to invasion by root rot fungi. Too little water, and your plant will …

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Zahara Double Fire zinnia

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Scarlet-orange double blossoms of this zinna variety

Virtues: We love Zahara Double Fire zinnia for its spectacular scarlet-orange, double blooming flowers.The dense, bushy plant is a continuous bloomer from late spring until frost. 

Creative Garden Uses for Terracotta Pots

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Cover of Handmade Garden Projects by Lorene

This week’s gardening tip is excerpted from Handmade Garden Projects (Timber Press, 2011) by Lorene Edwards Forkner. My collection of hundreds of small terracotta pots once belonged to a friend and next door neighbor. Gordon was a nursery man of …

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Varieties of Summer-Blooming Azaleas

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Question: I heard about some special azaleas that bloom in the summer. Can you tell me what they are and where I can find them? Answer: In the eastern woodlands of the United States, several species of deciduous azaleas bloom …

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Blue Velvet St. Johnswort

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Bright Yellow Flowers of St. Johnswort

Virtues: We love Blue Velvet St. Johnswort for its lustrous, fragrant blue-green leaves and vibrant yellow blooms with “fiber-optic” centers.