more about: Gardening

The Grumpy Gardener

Tropical Flowers for Temperate Gardens — Yellow Shrimp Plant

April 18, 2013 | By Steve Bender | Comments (0)

It has always been one of Grumpy’s foremost goals to introduce his readers to great flowers named for the freshest seafood. Therefore, I present to you this wonderful, nonstop bloomer that is often seen in Florida gardens, but should be seen in all — yellow shrimp plant.

The Grumpy Gardener

Welcome to Dad’s Toxic Waste Museum!

April 14, 2013 | By Steve Bender | Comments (3)

My Dad was an enthusiastic, conscientious, and thrifty gardener. He never threw away anything. This latter point was never illustrated any better than during my visit home last week. I walked into his workshop in the basement and opened the door to his garden pesticide cabinet. There stood a murder’s row of dangerous and mostly banned pesticides. Let’s all take […]

The Grumpy Gardener

These Blooming Bells Ring My Chimes! Calibrachoas

April 11, 2013 | By Steve Bender | Comments (1)

At first glance, Calibrachoa (pronounced callie-bruh-KO-a) looks like a miniature version of the petunia. That’s not so weird. The two belong to the same family. But Calibrachoa offers colors that petunias don’t — strong yellows, terra-cottas, oranges — as well as red, pink, rose, burgundy, blue, lavender, purple, and bicolors. Boatloads of single or double flowers appear from spring to […]

Finally, Growing Roses Made Easy!

March 2, 2013 | By Rebecca Reed | Comments (1)

Confession: This garden editor was not a huge fan of roses—until I met Paul Zimmerman four years ago at the Organic Growers School in Asheville, North Carolina.

The Grumpy Gardener

Jessamine and Jasmine — Two Fine Vines

February 28, 2013 | By Steve Bender | Comments (14)

They’re vines, they’re evergreen, they have fragrant and showy flowers, and their names sound alike. If you have something in your garden you want covered fast, they just might be the ticket — Carolina jessamine and Confederate jasmine.

The Grumpy Gardener

Grumpy Goes Green! His Favorite Organic Products

February 24, 2013 | By Steve Bender | Comments (11)

I know some of you think Grumpy is in bed with the big chemical companies, but nothing could be further from the truth. Judy will let Ketchup, our cat, sleep with us, but absolutely nobody else. Helping gardeners sleep more soundly these days is a wide range of nature-based pest control products, some even made by the big chemical companies […]

The Grumpy Gardener

February’s Prettiest Tree — ‘Okame’ Cherry

February 17, 2013 | By Steve Bender | Comments (6)

If you’re snowbound, afflicted with cabin fever, can’t wait for spring to get here, or simply have two eyes and a brain, here’s the tree for you. It’s a vision of beauty even pinker than Richard Simmons’s underwear — ‘Okame’ cherry.

The Grumpy Gardener

What’s Killing My Boxwood?

February 14, 2013 | By Steve Bender | Comments (3)

Boxwoods are supposed to be green, 24/7, 365 days a year. So it’s no wonder that when boxwoods turn brown, people get upset and demand answers. Why is this awful thing happening?????? As always, Grumpy knows.

The Grumpy Gardener

Plants To Dye For

January 27, 2013 | By Steve Bender | Comments (7)

Grumpy is a tolerant guy. He didn’t go postal when he discovered blue-and-purple poinsettias with sparkles on the leaves for sale at Christmas. And when he chanced upon white moth orchids with their flowers dyed blue, he forswore his usual reaction of biting the head off of a doll. But today, he was presented irrefutable evidence of a crime against […]

The Grumpy Gardener

Start Veggies Indoors

January 17, 2013 | By Steve Bender | Comments (4)

Don’t give up on gardening just because it’s cold and gloomy outside. Spring will be here sooner than an IRS audit! So if you’re one of those wild-eyed weirdos who prefer good heath to disease and fresh veggies to canned or frozen, here’s an easy gardening task to jump-start spring. Sow vegetable seeds indoors.

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