By Vanessa Richins

I often hear people say “I can’t keep any plants alive!” when I tell them I have a degree in Horticulture. (Just for the record – I manage to kill some plants too).

In fact, as an article from ABC15 in Phoenix states, ” Research shows Americans kill close to one third of all plants within the first year after they are purchased.”

A company called PlantSense wants to change those statistics with their new product, EasyBloom.

EasyBloom works by collecting environmental data in your yard (such as sunlight, temperature, and moisture in both air and soil) for 24 hours. After that, the data is sent to Read the rest of this entry »

By Vanessa Richins

There is good news for residents of Michigan.

On Wednesday, Governor Jennifer Granholm announced the new “State of Michigan Land Bank Garden for Growth Program.”

In an effort to encourage urban gardening, participants will be able to lease tax-reverted property for only $50 a year, no matter what the size of the lot may be.

They will be able to do any sort of gardening or agriculture, as long as it is legal (sorry, no marijuana farms!) and adheres to the local zoning laws. Temporary fences are allowed – a fence permit may be required.

The advantage to leasing out the land is that Read the rest of this entry »

By Cindy Naas

Many homes display a beautiful floral wreath on the front door, a cheerful way to greet guests and family alike.

Hanging a seed wreath can be just as attractive and will please both guests and birds, too.

Here are simple instructions for making a pretty seed wreath for your local birds.

You will need:

• 1 wire wreath form (do not use a foam form)
• fresh grapevine or Virginian creeper
• 2-3 small ears of corn
• several sprays of millet (pet stores carry these)
• sunflower seeds
• dried fruit such as cranberries, raisins, apricots, apple slices
• fresh cranberries
• about 10 small pine cones Read the rest of this entry »

By Vanessa Richins

As winter starts creeping closer, the thought of not gardening makes me feel a bit sad.

However, there are many ways to keep the passion for gardens going.

One option is to read garden magazines.

The pages are filled with vibrant pictures and gardening dreams. Here are some of my favorite magazines – hopefully you can find at least one to love also!

Sunset

When I was growing up, I read Sunset magazine a lot. (I suppose I was a strange kid.) Written for the West, Sunset magazine has a great gardening section, as well as fun topics such as travel and cooking. They also produce one of my most beloved books – the Sunset Western Garden book. It is published every month.

Horticulture

Would you like a picture guide to dividing perennials? Looking for plants that love shade? Interested in Read the rest of this entry »

By Vanessa Richins

Do you have land, but no time to do any gardening?

Or do you love to garden, but don’t have a space to use?

A new service would match landowners with urban gardeners.

Cultivating Sustainable Communities (CSC) is starting a new program called GardenSwap. Participants could sign up, noting whether they have garden space, or are looking for a yard to use. They would then be matched together and share in the produce harvest.

As their website GardenSwap explains, “Urban food gardens are not only fun; they support low-carbon food production, create economic development, inspire healthful eating, build community, create opportunities for education, address watershed health concerns, create Read the rest of this entry »