How to deadhead a rose bush.
Learn how to prune any type of rose in Wayside Gardens’ latest press release! This short article will show you the How, When, and Why of rose pruning. These are all the basics you need to know whether you are pruning climbing roses, floribundas, shrub roses, or any other type!
Read More(Note: This is Part 3 in a series. For more info on this topic be sure to check out Part 1 and Part 2).
If your problem is not too much rain, but too little, again we can look to nature for solutions. In nature you don’t see lush tropical plants trying to grow in the desert. Rather, the flora follows the climate, with plants growing only as full and lush as the local water sources allow. We can learn from nature’s wisdom by adapting our gardens to suit our climate and by making good use of every raindrop the sky gives us! We can mimic the water cycle by carefully conserving and re-using our water supplies. We can mimic deserts and prairies by landscaping with drought-tolerant native species rather than “thirsty” turfgrass and ornamentals. And for those of us that are really ambitious, we can mimic the way that forest landscapes hold onto rain by utilizing techniques like Hugelkultur and swales.
Read MoreDrought can be one of the most disappointing things to happen to a gardener. You work all year long, growing beautiful plants, and your yard looks exactly how you want it to look. All of it can be taken away in just a few dry weeks in August. There are a few things you can do to give your garden the best chance of pulling through.
If you live in an area that is prone to dry weather take a look at Wayside Gardens’ diverse line of drought tolerant plants. You may also want to check your local nursery for native plants that are more adept in your climate.
Read MoreTo protect your roses this winter:
Roses are naturally hardy vigorous plants, with some wild climbing varieties reaching 60 feet or higher and thriving in the harshest conditions. And, since the introduction of the Knock Out Rose in 2000, breeders have focused on bringing out the innate strength of roses, making some of the hardiest disease resistant roses ever seem. But, there are some conditions that even the strongest plants struggle to surmount. If you are a rose gardener in a colder area, you know how hard it can be for roses to thrive in the spring following a hard winter.
Read MoreThe purpose of fertilizing your garden or lawn is replacing soil nutrients or amending deficient soil. In nature, organic material falls to the ground and is reincorporated within the soil. An area rich with life constantly replenishes itself. In domestic situations, the soil is cleaned of debris and any interfering organisms that might be future food for plants. Even pruning and removing fallen leaves and fruit removes potential food. Harvesting and cleaning plant debris in your garden removes a possible source of nutrients– when left, your plants could be self-sufficient, maintaining a constant size and humble blooms and fruit. However, humanity did not master agricultural practices millennia ago just to let the plants do all of the work. The essence of technology is manipulating one’s environment. We can prune and keep our garden free of debris and still amend the soil to get better than average returns for our labors.
While we do this we must remember that there are other aspects of soil care that also affect plant performance. Temperature, aeration, moisture, and acidity are also very important. You could have the best grasp of fertilization, and still have poor performance because you missed another key element. Here I just intend to talk about fertilization.
