Connecticut Garden Journal: Training squash to grow up

Most vegetable gardeners are familiar with the benefits of growing veggies vertically. Certainly we know peas and pole beans love to climb. Tall varieties of peas, such as 'Tall Telephone' and 'Sugar Snap', climb up a trellis or fence with ease. Pole beans like to wrap around a pole or support as t…

Connecticut Garden Journal: ‘Genovese’ is one variety in a world of basil colors and flavors

As the weather warms, I'm starting to think about basil. It's a bit early to plant basil, but it is a good time to shop for plants and seeds of some of the more unusual basil varieties. While we all know and love 'Genovese' basil, there are many other flavors to basil. One of our favorites is 'Tha…

Connecticut Garden Journal: Lasting alternatives to “No Mow May”

One of the recent trends to help pollinators thrive is called “No Mow May.” The idea is to not mow your lawn in May and let the weeds, which may be wildflowers, too, sprout up and bloom. This will provide pollinators with the pollen and nectar they need. Since lawns make up 40 million acres of our …

Connecticut Garden Journal: Grow a hearty summer and fall favorite - Dahlias

With all the bulbs and spring ephemerals blooming right now, it's hard to think of flowers for late summer. But now is the time to plan for that quieter period when fewer flowers are blooming. One of the most versatile flowers to grow for summer and fall color is the dahlia. Dahlias hail from the …

Connecticut Garden Journal: 5 Ways gardeners can celebrate Earth Day

On April 22nd we'll be celebrating the 54th annual Earth Day. While it's great to participate in Earth Day activities, why not make some changes to how we garden to support life on this planet better. I have some suggestions.  Gardeners use a lot of plastic pots. Most of these plastic pots cannot …

Connecticut Garden Journal: Try growing interesting varieties of kohlrabi and broccoli raab

Many gardeners grow Brassica family veggies such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and kale. I also like to experiment with two other Brassicas: kohlrabi and rapini. Kohlrabi looks a bit like a space satellite. It's low growing and forms an edible, handball sized, swollen stem ne…

Connecticut Garden Journal: To prune hydrangeas properly, ID them first

I've just about finished my winter pruning. Blueberries, crabapples, apples and other fruit trees are done. Now it's time to start on my hydrangeas. Pruning hydrangeas can be confusing to home gardeners because when you prune varies depending on the type of hydrangea you're growing. That's the fir…

Connecticut Garden Journal: Keep deer away with unappetizing plants and shrubs

One of the benefits of speaking at the Connecticut Flower and Garden Show last month was having time to listen to other speakers. One, in particular, caught my attention. Adam Wheeler from Broken Arrow Nursery in Hamden spoke about deer proofing your garden. Adam has been trying to thwart deer for…

Connecticut Garden Journal: For the freshest peas, grow your own

One of the joys of growing your own vegetables is fresh garden peas. Fresh peas are rarely found in grocery stores, so it's best to grow your own. Luckily, growing peas is easy, if you follow a few guidelines. It's best to sow peas in the ground while it's still cool. They like to mature early to …

Connecticut Garden Journal: The best phlox varieties for home gardeners

One of the best perennial flowers for blooming from mid-summer to fall is the tall garden phlox. Phlox paniculata and other tall species have colorful blooms, and depending on the selections, are great pollinator plants. However, they can be plagued with powdery mildew disease during our humid summ…