Seasonal Issues

Container gardens can be enjoyed year-round, but tender plants need some help in winter. Learn how to adjust your container garden for seasonal change, as well as a step-by-step tip for protecting your potted plants from the cold.

Many gardeners are hit with allergies during the blooming season. But don’t blame showy garden plants for making you sneeze – it’s the wind-blown pollen of trees and grasses causing most of the suffering. Learn how pollen counts are determined, as well as some tips on alleviating allergy woes.

California has two seasons for planting and growing. Knowing the difference makes for a much better gardener.

Use the natural warm, moist air in the crawl space to overwinter frost-sensitive bulbs and grow cool-season plants.

Spring fever makes gardeners itchy to hit the dirt. And this year, you’re determined to go “water wise” and “drought tolerant.” Great! Just don’t buy-and-plant too early. Drought tolerant doesn’t mean “frost resistant.” Don’t let early frost turn spring fever into a cold your plants won’t recover from.

We were all fooled: Spring popped up, we ran out to the garden, and then Mother Nature blasted us with unexpected freezing temps. If your garden now looks like it’s not going to make it through the rest of the season, don’t panic. All may not be lost.

A rough winter and tough spring can really damage young trees. If yours look like they didn’t make it through the cold season, don’t give up hope yet. Learn why your favorites might not be blooming or leafing out – as well as how to help them bounce back.

Do you have some tender plants you can’t bear to part with now that summer’s over? You can’t just leave them outside in their containers, or they’ll surely fall victim to autumn’s frosts. Here are some ideas to help you get your plants through winter’s chill.

Cool-climate gardeners may feel limited by what they can grow year-round. But thanks to containers, no plant has to be given the cold shoulder! Learn which pots best survive outdoor winters, as well as how to overwinter your container plants before the chill sets in.

As much as we try to fight allergy season, it can’t be completely avoided: Pollen can blow in from hundreds of miles away. But allergy-suffering gardeners can avoid making their sneezing, eye-watering problems worse by keeping away from some heavy pollen producers.

Marginally hardy plants need some extra TLC to make it through the rigors of winter. With just a few precautions and some regular garden maintenance in fall, you can help them survive the cold reality of winter and continue to enjoy their seasonal beauty for years to come.

Hold on to your hats…and patio furniture – it’s fall, which means hurricane season! A few long-term gardening practices – as well as some last-minute preparation – may help minimize some of the blow that Mother Nature dishes out.

Hardiness zones, heat zones, Sunset zones and microclimates are used to determine how well plants fare in different parts of the country. Now what the heck does that mean?

The weather’s getting warmer and the urge to garden is great – don’t let your plants get frostbit by a cold night in early spring! Here are a few quick and easy ways to protect your springtime plants when the temperature dips.

Inexpensive straw bales can be used to create an effective cold frame for tender, young plants by insulating the leaves from winter temperatures.

Fall is a busy season for the garden. Here’s a timely list of chores for Northeast gardeners to help keep their autumn yards looking fresh and lively.

It seems like the seasons aren’t what they used to be. Recent changes in weather patterns are throwing many US regions for a loop. So how can we handle this – for our gardens, as well as for our planet?