Green Living
Origins of Fall Flowers
Dr. Leonard Perry, Extension Professor University of Vermont Gladioli, asters, chrysanthemums, and everlastings are some of our common fall garden flowers. You may be surprised to learn the origins of these flowers, and that others in past centuries have used them as well. Most of our gladioli came from Africa, where the corms were roasted…
Read MoreFruits of Fall
Dr. Leonard Perry, Extension Professor University of Vermont Fall is the time most fruits on woody plants, not just on fruit trees, mature and become most colorful. These come in various forms, types, and colors with names such as berries, pomes, and drupes. In addition, there are other attractive fruiting or seed structures on some…
Read MoreFall Shopping and Other September Gardening Tips
Charlie Nardozzi, Horticulturist and Leonard Perry, UVM Extension Horticulturist Taking advantage of fall plant sales, keeping new plantings watered well, and using excess tomatoes are some of the gardening activities for this month. The sales are on. There’s still plenty of time to plant trees and shrubs. Root growth will continue into late fall or…
Read MoreFlowers For the Fair
Dr. Leonard Perry, Extension Professor University of Vermont If you haven’t ever entered flowers in the fair, or even considered doing so, you should. It is easy, you often have a good chance at some ribbons and perhaps even monetary awards, and you will be adding to the beauty for all to see. Most underestimate…
Read MorePreserving Your Summer Harvest
Summer is the season of bounty. The days are longer so we’ve got more time to spend outside doing things we really enjoy. For many Americans, gardening tops the list favorite outdoor activities for a variety of reasons. Not only is it good for your health, both physically and mentally, but it’s also good for…
Read MoreGarden Cover Crops
Dr. Leonard Perry, Extension Professor University of Vermont A cover crop is just that– a crop sown to cover a fallow garden area. There are several choices for cover crops, depending on the purpose which includes enriching the soil or controlling weeds. While growing, cover crops can slow soil erosion, outcompete weeds, provide cover over…
Read MoreRenovating Perennial Beds
Dr. Leonard Perry, Extension Professor University of Vermont One of the main problems I hear from perennial gardeners, and one I have myself, is perennial beds gone weedy. Or, as friend likes to say, they’ve gone “natural” and reached their “goldenrod years”. Where I used to have hundreds of perennials, all nicely organized and labeled…
Read MoreThe Oyster Reef Project: Cleaning Our Waterways & Teaching Local Students
The coastal community of St. James Plantation, near Southport NC, borders the beautiful Intracoastal Waterway where marsh creeks twist and weave through the 6,000 acre neighborhood. Residents here want a better environment – one rich with life: fish and oysters, crabs and birds, even fishermen!
Read MorePreserving Corn and Other August Gardening Tips
Charlie Nardozzi, Horticulturist and Leonard Perry, UVM Extension Horticulturist Preserving corn, freezing berries, and making pesto from basil, are some of the gardening activities for this month. Preserve the fresh-picked (well, almost) flavor of corn on the cob for winter meals. Cook the cobs as usual, then using a special corn scraper or a sharp…
Read MoreMonarch Butterflies Need Our Help
Dr. Leonard Perry, Extension Professor University of Vermont Monarchs—those beautiful orange butterflies we’ve seen all around in late summer in past years—are becoming scarce. This is due in large part to loss of habitat—both where they overwinter in Mexico and summer in the U.S., as well as some recent temperature extremes. While we can’t do…
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