"Herbaceous perennials are plants that bloom year after year. Their tops die back to the ground each fall, but their crowns and root systems remain alive (though dormant) during winter. They regrow from those roots and crowns when conditions are right the following spring."
Early spring is a great time for transplanting trees and shrubs, but you must do so before they wake up. Transplanting a plant is a very traumatic experience for the plant if it is awake. It's like doing surgery on a person while they are awake. Dormancy starts in the fall as soon as you experience a good hard freeze, and the plants remain dormant until the weather warms up in the spring. This is when you should transplant, while the plants are dormant.
The objective of pruning is to produce strong, healthy, attractive plants. By understanding how, when and why to prune, and by following a few simple principles, this objective can be achieved.
Organic Gardening Techniques (PDF)
The success or failure of the organic approach depends on how gardeners use and prepare organic matter. Organic matter improves soil tilth and prevents soil compaction and crusting. It increases the water-holding ability of the soil and provides a more favorable soil environment for earthworms and beneficial microorganisms. It slows erosion, and in later stages of decay, organic matter releases nitrogen and other nutrients to growing crops. Carbon dioxide from decaying organic matter brings minerals of the soil into solution, making them available to growing plants. Many soils of the world have been ruined, mainly because they have been depleted of organic matter from prolonged cultivation without proper soil management.
Seeding Flowers Indoors: An Inexpensive Way to a Beautiful Summer Garden
Every year you plan that THIS will be the year you have pots and pots of lush plants on your balcony or deck. Then you visit your local nursery in the spring and reality hits - the cost for your fantasy is just outrageous! Sound familiar?
But you can have the planters of your dreams at a fraction of the cost and with a choice of varieties far beyond what the local garden center offers. How? Start your own flower seeds now.
Pruning Ornamental Trees and Shrubs (PDF)
Correct pruning is an essential maintenance practice for trees and shrubs in the home landscape. However, most homeowners regard pruning with considerable, though unnecessary, apprehension. Pruning is not difficult if you understand the basics, learn why, when, and how to prune.
Productive fruit trees with an abundance of high quality fruit don't just happen. They result from good cultural practices, including pruning. Pruning is often neglected either due to a lack of pruning skills and knowledge or a fear that one is going to injure or kill the tree.
