The Nursery in Winter

Posted by Andrew Beckman

Things are pretty quiet at this time of year but there is always something to do.  Indoors, my partner, Bob, is finalizing the plant and pottery orders.  I am ordering seeds and have already started a few.  The warm green houses where we overwinter tender perennials is a refuge on snowy days. As usual for this time of year, there is plenty of pruning and grooming to do to keep the plants vigorous and healthy.

The sales benches are empty and the shade cloth has been removed from its frame.  Everything looks clean and tidy at this time of year - except the willow at the rear.  It was downed by the ice storm before the holidays.

Winter Garden Chores

Posted by Dionne Victor

Even though the weather outside may be frightful (in some areas), delight in the season by sticking to gardening. On Tuesday's "Homegrown," Tony and Andrew counted down 15 ways for gardeners to stay in the gardening spirit, even if they're going through a dormant season.

1) Don't forget to feed the birds. Birds are a great addition to a garden, but you need a way to draw them in. Why not try by installing a platform bird feeder?

2) Even though your garden may be dormant, it's high time to start thinking about what you're going to plant for the spring.  And while it's cold outside, why not cozy up with some nice garden catalogs and start shopping for ideas and ordering something new for the spring growing season. Go here for our list of seed catalogs.

3) It's time to stop being an analog gardener in a digital world.  Join the revolution and start with your own online garden journal.  Start slowly with what makes you happy.  If you've discovered that after years and years of trying, you've finally got a great tomato crop, upload a picture of it.  Or if you have any gardening blunders, let the people know, too.  There's more than one way to grow, and sometimes it starts with journaling.

Countin' em down...Homegrown Style

Posted by Tony Bielaczyc

Yes indeed, we are hurtling ever faster to the 25th. We don't want to make you feel rushed, but rather, inspired by our version of the '12 Days of Christmas'. The following is a list of ideas for gardeners on that list of yours.

"On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me..." a pear tree, or maybe a high bush blue berry, a fall fruiting raspberry, an antique variety of apple, a quince, kiwi or cranberry. If it is quality, bareroot fruits you want to stuff in a stocking, look here at Miller Nurseries, of Canandaigua, NY. Place you order now for early spring shipment and wrap that order form up with a bow. A lovely gift that will give for years.

Day 2-Turtle Doves are the gift of the day. Doves are in the pigeon family. Pigeons are ground feeding birds, meaning, for one thing, they don't like to light at a suspended feeder. A platform bird feeder is the preferred dinning space for ground feeding birds. Bird Feeders Unlimited is a place to start looking for one.

Up to #3; It's all about the hens, French laying hens, as the story goes. How about Mille Fleurs from Murray McMurray, well respected and simply a blast to visit online itself. Though this

Beautiful Flowers at a Price

Posted by Betsy Karetnick

Recently, I relearned a lesson in flower arranging that I wanted to share with you.

Some of you may know I run a small business arranging flowers and designing gardens. I love it!

One of my longtime clients recently hosted a party for her daughter and she wanted centerpieces to reflect the season.  I immediately thought of the antique hydrangeas I've used for fall that have been so perfect all season. I combine the antique hydrangeas with roses, mums, and fruit such as lady apples and tiny pears.  For larger parties I always offer a trial run for the flowers.  When I arrived to the party location I discovered they had picked purple as a theme color.

Not to worry,I told my client -- I can get purple hydrangeas. And I could, at a painful price!  The gorgeous purple hydrangeas in these arrangements flew halfway around the world before settling in New Jersey.  Many were wasted from the travel and too much chilling and warming.

So here I offer beautiful photos and some flower arranging tips:

1. Try to stick to what is seasonal and local.

2. Give newly purchased flowers a clean cut. Also give the flowers time to rehydrate in fresh water in your home before use.

3. If in doubt about how to arrange flowers, stick to several varieties in a single palette.

4. Look for sturdy flowers with longer-lasting blooms for a party.  Roses, hydrangeas, orchids, and all kinds of greens have great staying power.

P.S. Below are the flower arrangements I made for the party. My client was super happy. Do you have any flower arrangement photos to share with me? Email them!

Photos courtesy of The Portable Garden, Betsy's gardening company.

All the Trimmings

Posted by Tony Bielaczyc

Christmas tree decorating is something to take with a bit of thought.  Be it Fraiser fir or Canaan fir, white pine or blue spruce, on tree farms, the crop of trees are usually sheared each spring.  Shearing helps to regulate growth and lend uniformity in the shape of the classic, conical profile we are have in our mind's eye when we think of Christmas trees.  This same shearing helps make it easier for growers to mow fields and apply sprays if necessary.  And while this is all fine and good for them, it can make for a rather inpenetrable  exterior if you hope to string lights through rather than over the surface or place your favorite glass icicles so they'll sway just so. 

Chrysanthemums in Bloom

Posted by Dionne Victor

On Tuesday's "Homegrown," Stacey, who co-hosted in Tony's absence, and Andrew discussed some of their garden inspirations and asked listeners to chime in, too.  For Stacey, the beauty of visiting the gardens of Versailles at 15 on a school trip to Paris was an impetus for her love of gardening, while Andrew had his own Versailles experience.  One listener called in about her experience as a young child pulling weeds as punishment, which was a precursor for her affinity in keeping her garden weed-free as an adult.

My own garden inspiration was as simple as taking a trip to Spanish Harlem and viewing the spray of  thousands of Korean chrysanthemums in bloom in the French-style garden section of the Central Park Conservancy: Conservatory Garden. The conservatory garden also includes an Italian- and English-style garden.

Propagating succulents the easy way

Posted by Stacey Hirvela

This pretty little plant is Pachyphytum oviferum, sometimes called "moonstones" or "sugared almonds". It is a readily available, easy to grow succulent:

I had to unpot it a few weeks ago for a photo shoot and in the process, a lot of leaves came off. This isn't at all uncommon with succulents, and for good reason: a single leaf is able to create a whole new plant. This makes good sense in harsh desert conditions where plants can't rely on insects to pollinate flowers nor on birds for seed dispersal.

Cactus Just in the Nick of Time

Posted by Dionne Victor

It's holiday season and as Thanksgiving comes and goes, Christmas is right around the corner.  For fans of the holiday or Christmas cactus, it's also the time to try to get these epiphytic plants that come in colors ranging from magenta, to peach and white, to re-bloom. An epiphytic plant is one where its moisture and nutrients are derived from plant and rain.

Getting your Christmas cactus to bloom just in time for Saint Nick can be a bit tricky, but it's not impossible.  Just take into consideration two elements - day length and cooler night temperatures. 

Garden Myths

Posted by Dionne Victor

For the past couple of weeks, the "Homegrown," crew have been playing myth busters to a round of gardening conundrums that aren't always as they seem.  Here's a couple that they debunked.

Many people believe that they should add drainage to the bottom of their pot, in the form of pebbles or broken terra cotta pots (sometimes called "crock").  But there's one thing  -- pots already have drainage. The myth buster: Adding pebbles to your pots doesn't add as a good of drainage as you think.  In fact, it does the opposite; it makes it more difficult for water to trail through by locking it in a smaller space.  As an alternative to this myth, try covering the drainage hole with a piece of broken pottery to prevent the soil from washing out. Put soil on top, add your plant, and the whole thing will drain just fine.

On the Hunt for Mushroom Soil

Posted by Dionne Victor

On Tuesday's "Homegrown," one listener called in for what she thought was the elusive mushroom soil.  It turned out to not be so hard to find after all, though.  The listener once lived in Pennsylvania, moved to Texas and now that she's back in Pennsylvania and she wanted to get her hands on the soil because of how it made her garden grow in the past.