David's Landscaping Blog November 2007 Archive

The Twelve Days of Christmas From the Garden
Marie Iannotti's "Twelve Days of Christmas" from the garden features "easy to make gift ideas using dried herbs, flowers and foliage from the garden." About's Gardening Guide allays the fears ... Read More

Friday November 30, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

The Most Popular Christmas Trees
"What are the most popular Christmas trees?" It's a cold, statistical question that I can ponder at this point in my life, now that I know the difference between a ... Read More

Thursday November 29, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Cold-Hardiness of Plants -- Some Examples
With colder temperatures on the way, it's not a bad time to reflect on the cold-hardiness of plants. The cold-hardiness "zone in which you live can play a major part ... Read More

Wednesday November 28, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Pansy Flowers
Pansy flowers "are one of the joys of cool season gardening," observes Marie Iannotti. They are often the first plant for sale at nurseries in spring and close out the ... Read More

Tuesday November 27, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Gas Snowblowers
When you're shopping for snowblowers, there are many questions to consider. For instance, what are the pros and cons of gas snowblowers, as opposed to electric? And if you've decided ... Read More

Monday November 26, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Pond Liner Repair
You've just installed a large garden pond with a flexible pond liner, only to find out later that it's ripped somewhere and leaks. How frustrating is that? But after you've ... Read More

Sunday November 25, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Yew Shrubs
Yew shrubs are an old-time favorite in landscaping. Their popularity is due in part to their adaptability, as they can be grown in either sun or shade. Learn about some ... Read More

Saturday November 24, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Self-Seeding Annuals
As I looked at my compost bin during this harvest season, I couldn't help but feel gratitude toward this year's volunteers. By saying, "volunteers," I do not mean to ... Read More

Friday November 23, 2007 | permalink | comments (1)

Trees Not to Plant Near Patios
A reader emailed Steve Nix with a drainage problem: "I have a small patio with a very large, very old pin oak tree. When it rains hard (almost every day ... Read More

Thursday November 22, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Companion Planting and the First Thanksgiving
Many books have been written on the subject of companion planting, the technique of grouping plants that benefit each other. But centuries before those books were written, the Iroquois and ... Read More

Wednesday November 21, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

How to Clean a Concrete Driveway
Concrete driveways look great when they're new. But stains such as those from oil, grease, rust, mildew and tire marks rob concrete driveways of much of their lustre. Thus the ... Read More

Tuesday November 20, 2007 | permalink | comments (1)

Black Friday, Black Rose
The burgundy color of cranberry sauce may be on my mind this Thursday, but on Friday, I'm more likely to be thinking of a black rose, black pansy or black ... Read More

Monday November 19, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Companion Trees for Azaleas and Rhododendrons
Azaleas and rhododendrons "have shallow roots and love partial shade," states Steven Henning, the Rhody Man. It is therefore difficult to find companion trees for azaleas and rhododendrons. The qualifications ... Read More

Sunday November 18, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Book Review: "Garden Voices"
Doing any holiday shopping this year for a plant-lover? Save yourself some time (and stress) and order a good book online -- something the recipient will be able to read ... Read More

Saturday November 17, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

How to Start Perennials From Seed
Why do we usually buy perennials already growing in pots, rather than starting them from seed? Is it a matter of a lack of patience? Well, yes and no. Marie ... Read More

Friday November 16, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Maidenhair-Trees: A Photo Gallery
Of maidenhair-trees or "ginkgoes," Steve Nix writes that Buddhists "revered the tree and preserved it in temple gardens. Western collectors eventually imported ginkgoes to Europe where it was very popular ... Read More

Thursday November 15, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Building Wishing Wells - Plan for Wishing Well Construction
You've been wishing to have a wishing well in your landscape design, but you've been unable to locate any wishing well plans? Look no further. This site supplies affordable wishing ... Read More

Wednesday November 14, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Oleanders No Match for Old Remington Electric Chainsaw
Reader, Tom saw my review on Remington electric chainsaws and emailed me a "review" of his own. Since I'm sure other readers have experienced much frustration over chainsaws that refused ... Read More

Tuesday November 13, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Regional Gardening Calendar for November
"November is when any similarity between gardening zones ceases to be," states Marie Iannotti. "Some of you are just moving into your temperate, gentle garden season and others will have ... Read More

Monday November 12, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Keene Pumpkin Festival
The Keene Pumpkin Festival (Keene, NH) held the world record for a display of lighted pumpkins, until recently. According to PumpkinFestival.com, a Boston event in 2006 trumped the Keene ... Read More

Sunday November 11, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Christmas Poinsettias
"Christmas poinsettias" is a common name for those colorful plants that have brightened up so many homes during the holidays. The name derives from the fact that Joel Roberts Poinsett, ... Read More

Saturday November 10, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

How to Force Bulb Plants
If you like to force bulb plants to bloom indoors, Marie Iannotti reminds us that there's still time to do so, noting that, in fact, amaryllis and paperwhites "don't require ... Read More

Friday November 9, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Canker Control on Trees
Ever get cankers in your mouth? Not pleasant, is it? Well, trees can suffer from cankers, too. "A canker is a localized area on a stem or branch of a ... Read More

Thursday November 8, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Thanksgiving Decorations for Outdoors
Last week, I posted a blog about Thanksgiving decorations for outdoors. The post linked to an article about Thanksgiving wreaths. Reader, Gloria replied with such a thoughtful comment that I ... Read More

Wednesday November 7, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Outdoor Christmas Decorations
Soon, many people will be displaying their outdoor Christmas decorations again. I can't say that I'm looking forward to it. I'm too busy missing the Halloween season, which I enjoy ... Read More

Tuesday November 6, 2007 | permalink | comments (1)

How to Landscape Inexpensively
Anybody with enough money can have the kind of landscapes you see featured in some of the Home and Garden shows on TV. Where's the challenge in that? Okay, I ... Read More

Monday November 5, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Wetland Plants and Land Stewardship
If you're thinking of buying a house, it's important to inspect not only the house itself, but also the yard -- as well as your own attitudes toward land stewardship. ... Read More

Sunday November 4, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Gerbera Daisy Flowers
In northern climes, we're at about that point in the year when our thoughts turn to next year's garden. What will we plant next year? Sometimes, we derive inspiration from ... Read More

Saturday November 3, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Winterize Your Shrubs With a Natural Shelter
Remember those flowering shrubs in your landscape design that bloomed so profusely last spring? That's good, because this is no time to forget them! Especially if you live in areas ... Read More

Saturday November 3, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

Fall Ornamental Grasses
Some ornamental grasses save their best displays for autumn. Such fall ornamental grasses "still give you a full growing season of swaying and rustling, but they shine among the rich ... Read More

Friday November 2, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)

How to Harvest Walnuts From Black Walnut Trees
If you're the frugal type like me, then you just have to love edible landscaping. Take black walnut trees, for instance. Steve Nix says that his family "owns a small ... Read More

Thursday November 1, 2007 | permalink | comments (0)