Web Search powered by YAHOO! SEARCH  

  

Current Story
Amy Pollack sits by the pond in her Swarthmore front-yard garden, transformed when a huge beech fell in Hurricane Floyd in ´99. Right, Pollack´s favorite color combos, blues and purples, with orange.
Natural catastrophe to natural wonders
Opportunity doesn't always knock. In the case of Amy and David Pollack, it crashed in their front yard. Almost 10 years ago, Hurricane Floyd uprooted the enormous century-old beech tree that dominated the couple's traditional front lawn in Swarthmore. Today, that same space is a naturalistic landscape of soft lines and sweeping color, with a pond that rocks in spring with the kreek-eek, kreek-eek of frisky frogs looking for hookups.
VIDEO: RON TARVER

The art of bonsai
Michael Marinelli of the Pennsylvania Bonsai Society conveys his exceptional knowledge of bonsais, having thirty years of experience. He describes bonsai as "the marriage of horticulture and art."

Ginny Smith
"Kiss the Earth:
'The most fun of all'
 
Read her gardening stories
Ron Tarver
Ron Tarver
"Art from the Garden"
Master Gardeners

John Holtz
"The Hortisexual: Real men do garden"
Marion Yaglinski
Marion Yaglinski
"A Master Gardener's Journal"
"The Garden Shed"

Gloucester Extension Services
Submit Your Photos

Readers' Bounties II
Slide Show
Reader Gardening photos
View more photos submitted by our readers. Send us your photos.
Featured Reader Gardens
Photo of clivia taken at Longwood Gardens by Sharon Vogel
Photo of clivia taken at Longwood Gardens by Sharon Vogel
  • Gardening Classes & Workshops
  • Calender/ Links
  • Gardening Tips
  • Q & A
Make shopping for gardening friends easier on yourself by opting for gift certificates to nurseries or mail-order houses. In our clime, December holidays occur when gardening needs are at their lowest - but come April, those gifts will earn another round of thanks.

Take proper steps with a living Christmas tree so that it actually grows and thrives when planted outdoors. The hole should be dug now (digging frozen soil later is folly); maximum 24 inches deep, covered to keep water out. Store the soil where it won't freeze. The tree should remain inside as short a time as you can bear, seven to 10 days maximum. Keep it in a cool garage or porch until the last minute. Strong people will be needed to maneuver it - root balls are very heavy. Place as far from heaters as possible and keep the thermostat low. Don't let the root ball dry out.

Escape December mania by visiting a local arboretum. The absence of leaves and low angle of the sun create entirely new ways to appreciate the plant kingdom. You'll also get ideas for prodigious ornamental grasses and berry-laden shrubs to liven your winter garden (the shocking pink-purple berries of callicarpas will surely make you smile). Take notes and staple them to the April page of your 2008 calendar.

 
Time to ... |

Garden Q&A
Each week, garden enthusiast Michael Martin Mills answers your questions about plants, vegetables and flowers, and how to make the most of them. He exhibits at the annual Philadelphia Flower Show, and regularly contributes plants to the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's plant dividend program for members. His columns appear Fridays in The Inquirer.

Ask him a question.

Advertise Here
  • Top Jobs
  • Top Homes
  • Top Cars
 
SEARCH JOBS
Lewes


$279,990
Eagle Point 		Center City


$1,050,000
904 Pine St
SEARCH CARS
Inquirer & Daily News Merchandise

Buy Inquirer, Daily News & Philly merchandise here including:

 
Books
 
Movies
 
Page Reprints
 
Photo Licensing
 
Photos
Ticket Offers
COMCAST TIX
 
The Wiggles
 
Lewis Black
 
Pennsylvania 500
OTHER OFFERS
 
Jonas Brothers
 
Green Day
 
Maxwell