http://www.philly.com/philly/home/gardening RSS Feed for P-com Gardening en-us Sun, 30 Nov 2008 18:29:58 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/home/gardening/20081128_Fresco_shows_beauty_of_Pompeian_garden.html The mural is about 2,000 years old, but its flowers look as fresh as a daisy. The fresco was excavated from a townhouse in Pompeii and depicts a typical garden in the doomed Roman city in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius. We see exotic palms and native viburnums, a bubbling birdbath, garden statuary, and trees full of various bird species. http://www.philly.com/philly/home/gardening/20081128_Garden_Calendar.html Today and Tomorrow Holiday Garden Railway Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today, runs through Jan. 4. Opening celebration Costumed carolers, make-and-take seasonal ornament from natural materials; 1 to 3 p.m. tomorrow. Free with admission: $10; $8 seniors; $5 students and ages 3-18. Morris Arboretum, 100 Northwestern Ave.; 215-247-5777; www.morrisarboretum.org. http://www.philly.com/philly/home/gardening/20081128_Time_to____.html Continue to rake lawns and clear out flower beds. Remove annuals, roots and all, and add to the compost with the tree leaves. (Soil clinging to the roots makes for better compost.) Be more judicious with perennials; in addition to those that will provide http://www.philly.com/philly/home/gardening/20081121_A_gift_that_keeps_on_giving_.html Eileen Boyle takes a bird's-eye view of the fall garden. She sees it as a bountiful buffet of fruits, nuts and seeds. http://www.philly.com/philly/home/gardening/20081121_Learning_to_make_your_own.html Catherine Bosk took Eileen Boyle's natural holiday-wreath workshop a year ago and is already planning her 2008 wreaths. That's plural, yes, for Bosk will be making one for herself and helping her grandchildren - Gianna and Chris Vitale, ages 10 and 8 - make others to give their teachers for Christmas. http://www.philly.com/philly/home/gardening/20081121_Garden_Calendar.html Tuesday, Nov. 25 to Jan. 10 Treefest 25 theme-decorated trees, plus music and a visit by Santa; 5 to 7 p.m. Free. Runs daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Bucks County Visitors Center, 3207 Street Rd., Bensalem; 1-800-836-2825; www.visitbuckscounty.com. http://www.philly.com/philly/home/gardening/20081121_Garden_Q_A.html Question: My Caryopteris incana has done very well in sun and well-drained soil. I wonder if it's good to cut it back every year. Right now, it's about three feet tall, and I'd like to see it shorter, with new growth next year. http://www.philly.com/philly/home/gardening/20081121_Neighbors__moving__leave_an_empty_place.html Every morning, as predictably as the sunrise, my next-door neighbor would step out of his door at 11 a.m. and start his walk. If I was in my home office, whose windows faced his lawn, I'd wave. If the weather was foul and he was still on his way, I'd think my admiring thoughts and hunker back down at my desk. http://www.philly.com/philly/home/gardening/20081121__A_good_place_to_call_home_.html Two weeks before Election Day, and two days into the World Series, the house at Brookway and Montgomery Avenue in Merion was flying its partisan colors: Obama/Biden placards on the lawn, Phillies game on the tube. http://www.philly.com/philly/home/gardening/20081121_LifeStyle.html At Thanksgiving - or any time, really - surround yourself with family, friends and reminders of nature's bounteous gifts. - Joy Deangdeelert Cho