A guide for growing fall greens ..read more

Winning the war against weeds ..read more

E. paradoxa, or Yellow Coneflower, grows up to 3-feet tall. Photo by Janet Carson. Gardeners dream about plants that can bloom 24/7 with no care. While no such plants exist, there are some long-blooming perennials that are fairly carefree, once they are established. Having something that can bloom all summer that we don’t have to replant each season, like summer annuals, is a great thing. The echinacea family is one of the longest-blooming perennials, and long-lived as well. Echinacea, commonly called coneflowers, is a wonderful family of native perennials that will thrive statewide in full su ..read more

Gardeners plant bulbs as an easy way to add color, but most people consider only spring-blooming bulbs like daffodils, tulips and hyacinths. There are many bulbs that can be planted now for summer enjoyment. Whether you are looking for foliage or flowers, plants for sun or shade, there are plenty of options with summer bulbs. You can find dried bulbs for planting as well as potted bulbs that are already growing. Some bulbs are annuals, and others are long-living perennials. Common bulbs are readily available at local nurseries, while more obscure or old-fashioned plants may need to be ordered ..read more

While tomatoes continue to rank as the No. 1 vegetable planted in home gardens, peppers are by far easier and often more prolific. There is a huge variety of pepper plants to try, ranging from sweet to hot in various degrees. Some are large, some are small, but all do well in sunny gardens. Peppers, like tomatoes, are warm-season vegetables and should not be planted outdoors until the air and the soil have warmed. Since peppers are long-season vegetables, most gardeners start with small plants or transplants, rather than seeds. Planted in well-drained soil, with at least 6 hours of sunlight a ..read more

Fruit trees, blueberry bushes and grape vines all require annual pruning, and late February is the ideal time to prune. Home gardeners typically don’t have a huge number of fruit crops, so waiting until most of winter has passed before pruning is fairly easy. Pruning fruit crops not only maintains size but increases production. Unpruned fruit trees may produce more fruit, but the size and the quality will be reduced, and you risk limb breakage. Unpruned grape vines and blueberry bushes can result in less fruit production and unevenness in ripening. There are different ways that fruit crops can ..read more

Hellebores come in single- or double-flowering blooms. Photo by Janet B. Carson When gardeners think of flowering perennials, they think of plants that bloom in the spring, summer or fall. But there is a tough family of evergreen perennial plants that shows off in the winter months. Hellebores are must-have plants in any shade garden. Not only do they give us color when most plants are dormant, but since they are poisonous, they are deer-resistant as well. Commonly called Christmas Rose or Lenten Rose, today there are many hybrid options to choose from. Depending on variety, some can begin to ..read more

There is usually very little gardening activity during the holiday season. Before you forget, take time to winterize your garden tools. A little extra energy spent now will reward you in the spring, when you are ready to start gardening and your tools are in great working order. After the end of a hard gardening season, many gardeners are happy to forget about those power tools they dumped in the garage or shed, only to find they won’t start when needed next spring. Or the pruners or shovels that got left outside are rusted or corroded. No one wants to have to buy new tools annually. With a li ..read more

The Arkansas Master Gardener program celebrated its 35th anniversary last month. The first class of 25 volunteers from four central Arkansas counties graduated Oct. 13, 1988, at the Arkansas 4-H Center in Ferndale, paving the way for one of the most successful volunteer programs of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service. The Master Gardener program officially began in Washington state in 1972 as a pilot program to help county agents meet the demand of horticulture work in their offices. It has spread internationally, available in all states, several p ..read more

Any way you look at it, it was an unusual growing season. Many of our landscape plants struggled to rebound after winter, so more summer annuals were planted to give color this year. For a time, we had summer rains, and the annuals thrived. Then, it got unbearably hot. Then, it got dry. And then, hotter and drier. Our summer annuals bit the dust, and our gardens now need a spot of color. It’s time for winter annuals to help save the day. October is a great time to plant fall and winter annuals. While we will still have some warm days, the cooler nights and lower humidity can help the annuals ..read more