Laidback Gardener

Editor’s note: This article was first published in 2006.

I’ve often thought it was fitting that my father left us at the end of October, at the end ofContinue Reading The post The Dead Trees of Lake Landry appeared first on Laidback Gardener.

Did you know that those adorable pine nuts (also called pinyons), an essential ingredient of any respectable pesto, come fromContinue Reading The post These Pine Trees That Give Pine Nuts appeared first on Laidback Gardener.

I have several boxwoods that were planted about 12 years ago, in sun and partial shade.

Have you ever emptied a birdbath, the dog’s water bowl or a vase forgotten on the counter and run yourContinue Reading The post Biofilm or Haunted City?

You may be wondering what these two subjects could possibly have in common.

The history of plants is full of stories about fruits and vegetables from foreign lands that were adopted by EuropeansContinue Reading The post Edible Plants We Were Once Afraid to Eat appeared first on Laidback Gardener.

In Fall Cleanup: 7 Things Not to Do in the Garden, we looked at all the chores we can skipContinue Reading The post Fall Cleanup: 7 Things to Do in the Garden appeared first on Laidback Gardener.

By Julie Boudreau There are gardening tips that are passed down from generation to generation.

The arrival of fall raises plenty of questions about overwintering plants grown in containers.

A while ago, a reader wrote to ask me for an article about “star jelly.”

For the past few years, I’ve had an all-consuming passion for houseplants, and they’ve gradually taken up more and moreContinue Reading The post The Bad Habits of Houseplant Lovers appeared first on Laidback Gardener.

Like warm-blooded animals, some plants have the amazing ability to produce their own heat.

Do you really need to give your garden a thorough cleanup before winter?

For quite some time now, I’ve been wanting to share with you how I close my garden in the fall.Continue Reading The post Closing the Garden When You Are a Laidback Gardener appeared first on Laidback Gardener.

You know when you pull out a dandelion that has popped up in the wrong place and a little whiteContinue Reading The post Latex, or Plant Blood?

Giving African violets (and their relatives) the light they need At the request of the Société des Saintpaulia de MontréalContinue Reading The post Growing Gesneriads Under Artificial Light appeared first on Laidback Gardener.

When I started working at a medical clinic, my aunt had a baby aloe to give away.

The older I get, the greener I become.

Your birds are at the feeder.

If you’re starting to accumulate some experience in gardening, you’ve undoubtedly heard at some point that nothing grows under aContinue Reading The post Why Walnut Trees Have No Friends!

Trees often raise questions that don’t have one-size-fits-all answers.

Every October, I take you into a slightly darker corner of the garden.

You can borrow this e-book from Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ).

Mealybugs, those little “cotton balls” that collect in the leaf axils of your houseplants, are very difficult to control.

Drought is common in July and August … and so are municipal or state watering restrictions!

Unlike almost all other common vegetables (the other main exception being asparagus), rhubarb (Rheum × hybridum) is neither an annualContinue Reading The post Rhubarb: Not for the Veggie Patch appeared first on Laidback Gardener.

If you’re a laidback gardener, you probably find that maintaining the landscaping around your home is already enough effort.

Plants growing on a slope are more difficult to water than ones growing on a more horizontal surface.

Warning: horticultural oils (dormant oil, summer oil, etc.) and soaps (insecticidal soap, dishwashing soap used as a pesticide, etc.) will meltContinue Reading The post Bye-Bye Blues!

At a symposium for garden writers in Tucson, Arizona, I saw all sorts of remarkable things: landscapes dominated by aridContinue Reading The post The Remarkable Saguaro appeared first on Laidback Gardener.

Most perennials bloom for about 2 weeks.