KYW's Fran Sorin
www.fransorin.com
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Tuberous Begonias
If you’d like to find a flowering plant for a shady spot in the garden this season, a spectacular one is tuberous begonia.
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Potted Daffodils and Tulip Plants
You can make your home feel like spring during these winter months with potted tulips and daffodils.
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Growing Poppies
If you'd love your garden to be filled with poppies this spring, here are some simple tips on sowing them directly in the garden.
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Selecting Healthy Plants
Spring is just around the corner. Before you head off to the garden center, here are a few tips for selecting the healthiest plants.
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Cuttings from Coleus
For those of you who love to fill your garden beds and containers with swathes of psychedelic and bold coleus, now is the time to start shopping for them.
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Cactus for Colder Climates
If you live in a colder climate but would love to try some cactus varieties for your garden this season, I've got a great one for you.
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Designing Outdoor Rooms
Now is the perfect time of year to start designing your outdoor living spaces.
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Pathways
Your first priority of business if renovating or designing any new areas in the garden is to focus in on your pathways.
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Rosemary
Rosemary can add a little spice to your life throughout the year.
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Tips on Selecting Roses
If you're a rose lover, as I am, then you know that selecting the right rose for a specific spot in your garden takes a bit of knowledge.
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Designing a Garden Bed
If you're determined to plant your first flower garden this spring but are overwhelmed with how to begin the process, here are some tips.
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Gladiolus
If you want to experiment with some different types of bulbs for your garden this season, I strongly recommend gladiolus.
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Growing Moss in Your Garden
If you think that moss gardening is a magical type of garden that only takes place in Japanese gardens or hidden woodlands, you're in for a surprise.
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Japanese Maples
Few people are familiar with the wide variety of one of the all time great smaller trees for any type of garden, the Japanese Maple.
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Ornamental Grasses in Containers
If you'd like to grow a meadow on your property but your gardening is limited to a terrace, deck or patio, you might want to consider growing ornamental grasses in containers.
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Brugmansias
If you're a lover of exotic, dazzling, intoxicatingly fragrant tropical plants, then you need to check out brugmansia, commonly known as angel's trumpet.
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Growing Early Maturing Tomatoes
If you find it frustrating to have to wait until after your last frost date before planting tomato seedlings in your garden, I have a solution for you.
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Poppy Seeds
For those of you who love growing poppies in your garden, now is the perfect time to buy poppy seeds.
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Colocasias
If you want your garden to be an exuberant standout this spring, you should plan on buying several colocasias.
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Paris Polyphylla
As any keen gardener knows, it is important to treat yourself to at least a few 'luxury' plants each season. Consider Paris polyphylla.
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Pinky Winky Hydrangea
For those of you who love growing hydrangeas but don't always have success with them, there is an easy, new one to grow.
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Organic Seeds
If you're keen on becoming a more diligent organic gardener in this New Year, here's something you can do.
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Helleborus is a Must Have for the Winter Garden
If you don't know about the magnificent winter blooming perennial Helleborus, it's time you learned about it.
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Purple Tomatoes
If winter is dampening your spirits, you might want to peruse some seed catalogues that have a wide offering of tomatoes. Purple tomatoes are still one of the most unusual of all varieties.
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Flowering Plants
This time of year bringing flowering plants into the house not only adds beauty but can also have a significant effect on how you feel as well as keeping you in touch with nature.
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Old House Gardens Heirloom Bulbs
If you want to have your chance at purchasing some unusual heirloom bulbs for your summer garden, now is the time to order them.
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Making Poinsettias Last
Holiday flowers add a tremendous amount of beauty to our homes but getting them to last throughout the season can be daunting.
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A Web Site for Birdwatchers
If you're an avid bird watcher, you'll be delighted to hear about a fabulous bird watching web site.
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Pawpaw Tree
I'm always sniffing out varieties of trees that I want to add to my property. One that has been on my 'must have' list for several years is Pawpaw.
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Caring for Christmas Cactus
If you've either bought or been given a Christmas cactus for the holidays, here are some tips on how to care for it.
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Unusual Ornaments for the Christmas Tree
If you're looking for some unusual and recyclable ornaments for your Christmas tree this year, look no further.
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Brazilian Fireworks Maracas
If you're already dreaming about your garden for next spring and want to plant a show stopper shade annual, I've got a fabulous one for you.
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Keeping Your Tree Fresh Through the Holidays
Keeping your Christmas tree fresh for the duration of the holiday season is easy if you know what to do. Here are some simple tips to help.
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Divorce is Bad for the Environment
Divorce, thought of as having negative effects on the family unit, children, finances and one's emotions, is now being considered as having a bad influence in another arena - the environment.
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Shopping for Ergonomic Tools
More manufacturers are offering ergonomic tools because they tend to be easier to use and less harmful to the body than conventional tools.
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Saving Energy with Holiday Lighting
Because of our growing concern about draining our natural resources, saving energy by minimizing Christmas lighting is important.
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A Holiday Gift for Gardeners
There are plenty of excellent holiday gifts for gardeners but there is one in particular that I find to be especially meaningful.
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Safely Decorating Your Christmas Tree
In order to be sure that no accidents occur while decorating your Christmas tree, you would be smart to take some precautions.
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Earth-Sheltered Solar Greenhouse Book
For anyone who is interested in building an inexpensive greenhouse that will cost practically nothing to heat, here's a book tip.
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Speeding Up the Process of Making Leaf Mold
For those of you who are smart enough to save your leaves in the fall in order to make leaf mold, a rich, fertile mulch for the garden, here are some tips on how to speed up the process.
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Tips for Pruning Efficiently
There always seems to be a lot of confusion when it comes to pruning trees and bushes. Here are a few tips.
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Ilex Verticillata
If you're looking for winter color in your garden, there are several shrubs from which to choose.
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How to Choose Trees
You may think that buying a tree is a 'no brainer' but in fact there are several factors that you should take into consideration before doing so.
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Chicago and Portland in Energy Collaboration
Chicago and Portland are in talks to form a partnership that would help both cities in their on-going efforts to 'go green'.
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Saving Seeds
The two factors that are most important in saving seeds are temperature and humidity.
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Pterostyrax Hispidia
A magnificent tree that has gone pretty much unnoticed in the gardening industry is Pterostyrax hispida.
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Conditions Needed for Forcing Bulbs
Here are some guidelines about the best conditions for forcing bulbs.
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How to Plant Bulbs for Forcing
If you want to force bulbs for late winter bloom, now is the time to do it. Here's how it's done.
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Panel On Climate Change Report
Last week when the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change met in Valencia, Spain, their report on global warming was abysmal.
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Daphnes
A late winter/early spring blooming shrub that has never gotten the recognition that it deserves is daphne.
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Chokeberry
If you've noticed a shrub that is a brilliant scarlet color this fall and don't know the name of it, you may have stumbled upon a chokeberry.
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Preparing Soil to Sow Seeds
Sowing seeds outdoors is a simple and quick way of propagating a variety of perennials, annuals and vegetables.
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Selecting Healthy Perennials
Before you know it, spring will have arrived and there will be a mad rush to garden centers to pick the best that the season has to offer. Here are a few tips on making good choices.
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Creating Useful and Safe Pathways
Paths and walkways are one of the most important elements of garden design and yet all too often they are relegated to the bottom of the list.
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Growing Crops In Pots
If you don’t have enough space for a vegetable garden, consider growing your crops in pots.
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