July/August 2020

Horticulture

Horticulture Magazine

Horticulture2 min read
Editor’s Note
Merriam-Webster defines pastime as “something that amuses and serves to make time pass agreeably.” If ever we needed a pastime, it has been this year, when the covid-19 pandemic required many of us to stay at home from March through May. (As I write
Horticulture1 min read
Horticulture
Editor Meghan Shinn Contributing Editor Jennifer Howell Scott Beuerlein | Greg Coppa | Jeff Cox Niki Jabbour | Daniel J. Hinkley Associate Art Director Carrie Topp Peter H. Miller, Hon. AIA Brian VanHeuverswyn Kristin Beane Sullivan Eric Flynn VP
Horticulture2 min read
Summer Checklist
Harvest! Staying on top of the harvest is one of the most important tasks of summer. Once the harvest season begins, peas and beans should be picked every day or two. Pull root crops like carrots and beets when they reach their ideal size, which is a
Horticulture4 min read
The Perfect Perennial
IS THERE a perfect perennial? And what would we mean by a “perfect perennial” for our ornamental gardens? Well, first of all, it would be trouble free. Its blossoms would of course be beautiful, it would flower profusely and for a long time during th
Horticulture2 min read
Speed Demons
MOST FOOD GARDENERS plant summer vegetables like cucumbers or bush beans after the risk of frost has passed in spring. In the case of bush beans, the plants begin to produce around two months from seeding, with the harvest continuing for about two we
Horticulture4 min read
A Life of Growth
IT’S AMAZING what can come from curiosity and imagination. Dr. Carl Whitcomb, age 80, credits his dozens of successes in plant research and breeding to these qualities. The president of Lacebark Inc., a horticultural-research farm near Stillwater, Ok
Horticulture2 min readArchitecture
Common Cover Crops For The Home Garden
As with any plant, check with local extension agencies or other resources before selecting a species for your garden. Some cover crops can become weedy under the right growing conditions or if they aren’t managed properly. This nitrogen-fixing legume
Horticulture4 min read
Rethinking the Dandelion
ONE OF THE MOST maligned plants in the cultures of the world is our friend the dandelion. This guy is like the monsters from the movie Alien. It is about as tough, proving almost impossible to eradicate despite the best efforts of men, women and goph
Horticulture3 min read
Covering Up
FARMERS ACROSS the country use cover crops over the winter. Cover crops do several things, depending on what species is planted. A cover crop can help prevent erosion and the loss of topsoil. The roots, and the plants themselves, help hold the soil i
Horticulture5 min read
Desert Dreams
My mother-in-law dreams of growing an English garden full of beautifully blooming roses, hydrangeas and primroses. Unfortunately, she lives in the high desert of Southern California, where the most common landscape plants include cacti and Joshua tre
Horticulture1 min readEarth Sciences
Recommended Reading
• Hot Color, Dry Garden by Nan Sterman • The Drought-defying California Garden: 230 Native Plants for a Lush, Low-Water Landscape by Greg Rubin and Lucy Warren • The Hot Garden: Landscape Design for the Desert Southwest by Scott Calhoun • Desert L
Horticulture4 min read
Worth a Spot
Most people with small gardens want the same thing: a beautiful, dynamic garden that looks good yet also marks the passing of the seasons with flowers and fall color. What they don’t want is a garden overwhelmed with plants too big for the space. One
Horticulture1 min read
Growing Crapemyrtle
Find success with these tips from Dr. Carl Whitcomb: • Crapemyrtle are adaptable, but they grow and flower best in full sun. Although they tolerate shade, any decrease in light intensity and duration will decrease growth and flowering, while reducin
Horticulture5 min readGardening
A DOWNEAST eden
To get to Thuya Garden you must first travel to the edge of the continent. Situated in Northeast Harbor, Maine, on the southern coast of Mount Desert Island and at the foot of Acadia National Park, this garden is a bit off the beaten path. Here the l
Horticulture3 min read
Duped!
A horticulture professor once told my class that weeds will often grow next to desirable plants that resemble them, as a way to keep from being pulled. Right. We were so new to plant studies we thought he was pulling our legs. How could this be true?
Horticulture2 min read
Cool Companions
ELEPHANT EARS (Colocasia and Alocasia) are tropical plants grown for their stunning, often enormous leaves, which can be lime green, variegated or nearly black. These summer-loving plants grow from a bulb planted in the spring. They take well to grow
Horticulture1 min read
Comparing Batteries
What do the numbers describing a battery’s power mean? Here’s a quick guide: • Higher voltage means more torque, or rotating force. • Higher wattage means more power. Wattage is calculated as volts x amps (short for amperes, or electric current). • H
Horticulture3 min read
Power Up!
Recently I received an e-mail from the local electric company announcing a new program that offers rebates to homeowners on newly purchased electric-powered yard equipment. I was surprised to see a zero-turn riding mower on the list of eligible purch
Horticulture1 min read
Battery Care
Maximize your battery’s total lifespan with these tips: • Store the battery indoors over the winter. • Do not keep the battery where it is subjected to hot sun or high heat. • Maintain the battery’s charge; keep it docked on its charger when it’s not
Horticulture5 min read
Plants We Love
The yellow-flowered vine known as Carolina jessamine or false jasmine is a quick-growing US native that offers fragrant blossoms. Clusters of one- to two-inch-long trumpet-shaped flowers appear from late winter to early spring. The evergreen foliage
Horticulture7 min read
Frozen Land, Fresh Tomatoes
ICELAND IS KNOWN for many things, including northern lights, steaming geysers (from the Icelandic geysir), sturdy five-gaited horses and abundant geothermal springs. It is not known for agriculture on a scale recognizable to most of the rest of the w
Horticulture5 min read
Summer Reading
This book tells the story of Untermyer Garden, once the estate of activist and attorney Samuel Untermyer (1858–1940), who fought for transparency in business and banking, women’s suffrage and other causes. In 1899 he purchased a Hudson River mansion
Horticulture1 min read
Smithsonian Gardens
ESTABLISHED IN 1972, Smithsonian Gardens encompasses 13 outdoor “museums without walls” surrounding the many buildings of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. These gardens are spread across more than 180 acres. They serve to spark interest
Horticulture1 min readGardening
Design Lessons From Smithsonian Gardens
Incorporate curves into your landscape to encourage exploration and create a visually dynamic space. Include seating so that you can enjoy your beautiful creation. Place benches in all of your favorite spots so you can admire different views. Place
Horticulture1 min read
5 Favorite Native Plants At Smithsonian Gardens
Asclepias incarnata. This pink-flowered perennial is native to swamps and prairies across eastern North America. It’s a great choice for an area with poor drainage, as it will tolerate even the muckiest clay. It attracts hummingbirds and butterflies
Horticulture2 min read
In a Garden Lives Hope, Always
EACH TIME you come home with a new plant and give it a good home in your ground you perform an act of faith for a better future. When you move a struggling perennial from here to there, likewise. In your basement late in winter, you plant tomato seed

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