Why I pruned my lilac right to the ground

I didn’t actually mean to prune it to the ground, but that is what happened when I lost control of the lawn mower. Of course, I assumed I had killed it but left the stump anyway. A week or so later I noticed that the stump had sprouted some leaves. I was thrilled to think [...]

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Rooting cuttings with Adam Wheeler of Broken Arrow Nursery

I recently took a plant propagation class at the Berkshires Botanical Garden in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Although I am a member of a private plant propagation group, have been propagating plants for a few years now, own a company I started that designs, assembles and sells misting systems and misting components for homeowners and startup nurseries, [...]

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Trees, shrubs, and other plants over your septic system

I get quite a bit of traffic from people searching for answers about what can be planted over septic tanks and septic systems. Questions such as: Can I plant ornamental grass over my septic tank? Is it safe to plant trees or shrubs near my septic system? Can potatoes harm my septic system? Is it [...]

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Do you have a memory garden?

A local paper just published a story about a garden club president’s memory garden. She started gardening 33 years ago with her husband and they both enjoyed working on creating flower gardens. She would make the mess, and he would follow behind cleaning it up. Sound like a perfect match! The president’s husband passed away [...]

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37 shrubs that are easy to propagate from softwood cuttings

Softwood cuttings are taken in summer of the following plants are quite easy to root and should be a saleable plant in a short amount of time. Beautyberry (Callicarpa japonica) Beautybush (Kolkwitzia amabilis) Blue mist shrub (Caryopteris x clandonensis) Burning bush (Euonymus alatus) Butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii) Chinese stranvaesia (Stranvaesia davidiana) Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) [...]

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What effect does salt have on ornamental plants and groundcovers?

I recently wrote an E-book on the effects salt has on ornamental plants and groundcovers. It explains how soil becomes saline (salty), the effects salt has on plants, as well as how to reduce the salinity of your soil. Download it by using this link: Salt injury to ornamental shrubs and groundcovers For more info [...]

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4 links on protecting your plants from freezing by spraying them with water

I recently mentioned writing an article on exactly how spraying water on your tender plants during a frost or freeze protects them. Well, I am feeling a bit lazy and decided to give you a few links instead to articles that have already been written. Along with the articles is a link to a video [...]

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Customize Google news with plant propagation stories

For those of you that are not aware that you can customize the news you receive from Google News, I have a great tip for you. First, you must have a Google account to be able to use this feature. It’s free and takes just a few minutes to complete. First, log in to your [...]

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How about a little contest to celebrate spring?

First, the prize: A brand new pair of Fiskars bypass pruners And now the contest: The first 5 commenters get the pruners. The comment must relate to pruning to qualify. Tell me what you will be pruning, or maybe a pruning disaster you have had, whatever you want, as long as it relates to pruning. [...]

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Why you should not use softened water to root cuttings with your misting system

Can you use softened water to root cuttings? Of course you can use water that has passed through a water softener to mist your cuttings with. It will provide the exact same amount of moisture that non-softened water will. However, that is pretty much all the benefit it will provide. What is softened water? Softened [...]

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