Every year the nursery industry introduces new and improved plants. They are variously described as bigger, hardier, more compact, more disease resistant, with new color breakthroughs, etc., etc. Did you ever wonder what happens to the “old” ones from last year? Of course, the ones that performed …

While in general bulbs are easy plants to grow, they can be difficult to understand, simply because there are so many different types. We have spring bulbs and summer bulbs, and then we have tender bulbs and hardy bulbs. And to confuse matters, not all of the so-called summer bulbs are tender and …

If you look at most articles on bulb forcing they tell you to put a single layer of bulbs in a pot - all one kind. This is all very well if you have tons of pots and can bank them up to simulate a garden. But if you have several kinds of bulbs and want to make a spring garden in a dish there must …

Q: I bought some spring-blooming bulbs in September, but never got around to planting them. Now it's December and the ground is frozen. I have daffodil, tulip, crocus, snowdrop and grape hyacinth bulbs. What can I do?  •  A: First, check the bulbs and discard any that are bruised, soft or rotting …

If there's one refrain gardeners sing too often it's "You should have been here last week," or "You should have come next week." It seems like no matter how the garden looks, something special has always just gone out of flower, or won't bloom until after our garden visitors are gone.  •  This is …

A few years ago, a friend of mine - a real iris fanatic, sent me a photo that I was sure was a trick. It was full of autumn colors, with blazing trees and shrubs - and, in front, one lone and lovely bearded iris.  •  Everyone knows that irises don't bloom in the fall. But wait - things have …

Egret FlowerHabenaria radiata, Egret Flower, is a hardy terrestrial orchid (meaning that it grows in the ground) that is native to Japan.  •  It is often grown by orchid enthusiasts in containers instead of the ground, but is well suited to being planted in the ground.  •  When the bulb arrives it …

Spring has come and gone - and as deliriously happy as I always am to see the gorgeous displays of spring bulbs, I get just as excited about watching the other areas of my garden fill out and start a show of their own.  •  So far we've had plenty of rain this year, so that the gardens seem more …

Gardening is wonderful! What other hobby can give you such an amazing return on your investment? Plant a daffodil bulb for instance, and before you know it, it has begun to make new little plants. In a few years, you will divide your now crowded clump, replant the divisions and pretty soon, you …