RIP: H. Clifton Russell, founder of Russell Gardens Wholsale

H. Clifton Russell

TheGardenLady has constantly recommended that readers shop for plants at Russell Gardens Wholesale both for their great plants and their great prices.

Sadly, this is to inform readers that the man who started this business has passed away. There will be a memorial for H. Clifton Russell this Sat. To read the obituary and to see the time of the memorial service check out today’s Philadelphia Inquirer.

Continue reading “RIP: H. Clifton Russell, founder of Russell Gardens Wholsale”

Best New Plants of 2011

Livin’ Easyâ„¢ 1996 AARS Winner

This is the time of year that the best new plants of the New Year are being announced: shrubs, trees annuals, perennials and vegetables. There is plenty of time to read about the plants to see if any will fit into your garden.

The Yellow Rose by AllHarts

All American Rose Selections has announced the 2011 roses of the year.  See here.  I love yellow roses so I was so pleased to see that one of the roses is yellow (see here) and if you want to see the names and types of all the AARS winners see here. 

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Great Gardening Book: Thoughtful Gardening by Robin Lane Fox

This winter has been a great time to curl up with a good book on gardening. I hope Santa Claus or whomever brought you good garden books to read in preparation for your own spring gardening.

For this year’s holidays, my daughter-in-law’s brother gave me the book “Thoughtful Gardening” by Robin Lane Fox. I had not heard about this book and when I saw that it was a book written by a British gardener about British gardens, my first thought was maybe I should exchange it. But I love to read and the more I looked through the book, the more interesting it seemed; especially since the President of the New York Botanical Garden and one of my favorite garden book writers, Penelope Hobhouse, highly recommended “Thoughtful Gardening.”

I am so delighted to have received this fantastic book of 80 essays on gardens and flowering plants. A book that is not only interesting to read once, but one that is a fantastic source of information to own. If TheGardenLady’s British readers have not read “Thoughtful Gardening”, I especially recommend your reading it.

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Where to Buy Galanthus Nivalis (SnowDrops)

Snowdrops – Galanthus nivalis by Süleyman

TheGardenLady received this question from Charlene.

Do you happen to have any blooming or budding Galanthus Nivalis that you could sell me? I live in California.  If not, any suggestions?

Galanthus Nivalis or the Common SnowDrops is a charming flower in gardens that have winters. They need the coldness of winter to produce flowers. This earliest blooming flower is not quite in bloom or budding in the East Coast of the United States because we have been blanketed with snow and there is more snow predicted. But towards the end of winter, the beginning of spring, they will poke through.

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What to do with a Big Sansevieria

Sanseviera by Phlora

TheGardenLady received this question from Ellen.

I was given a re-potted [Mother-in-law’s tongue] plant. It is so  tall that I am having difficulty finding a place to put it. Can the plant be cut off or will it die?

There are many kinds of Sansevieria, Mother-in-law’s tongue plants, and some can grow to be over 6 ft tall. Since you were given one of the taller types, it is understandable that you may be having trouble finding a spot to house it.

Whoever gave you the Sansevieria knew how to properly care for it. Many people want their Sansevierias to grow to full size as they do in nature and have concerns that their plants are not growing tall enough in pots in their home; you are having the opposite complaint. Perhaps because it was so tall that was why your friend gave it away.

If it is a specimen plant, you might consider giving it to someone who appreciates it as it is and maybe just keep one of its leaves to start a new plant. Or you might even want to exhibit this specimen in your local flower show and not cut anything off. Flower shows want to exhibit specimen plants like this; you don’t have to raise a plant to show it- you just have to own it.

It seems sad to destroy something that sounds so magnificent. Continue reading “What to do with a Big Sansevieria”

Did You Have An Eco-Friendly Christmas?

Curitiba’s Recycled Xmas Tree by Garota Sem Fio

How eco-friendly was your Christmas this year? How many of TheGardenLady readers chose the real Christmas tree over the manufactured one?

More and more scientists are proving that a real tree is really more environmentally sound than the plastic trees. The NewYork Times had an article telling about the scientific studies that prove this. See here. The firm Ellipsos had done the study using Christmas trees grown in Quebec or manufactured in China and said that “The annual carbon emissions associated with using a real tree every year were just one-third of those created by an artificial tree over a typical six-year lifespan. Most fake trees also contain polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, which produces carcinogens during manufacturing and disposal. ”

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TheGardenLady Wishes You A Happy New Year!

Flower Fireworks by gamaree

This Garden Lady would like to wish you all a very Happy, Healthy 2011 and a year of Great Gardening!

Thank You to all who read these columns and to those of you who subscribe to TheGardenLady blog. Also, a thank you to those who sent in questions, comments and even poems. I look forward to hearing from more of you over the Next Year. We would love getting more of your comments, plant and garden photos and your personal gardening tips.

To All of You around the world, Happy New Year.

TheGardenLady

Botanical Gardens

Festival of Lights at the Van Dusen Botanical Garden by Kim Yeoh

The weather outdoors might be frightful but the Botanical Gardens in this country and in Canada are warm and welcoming. If you are looking for something to do with your friends, beau or family this Christmas season, don’t forget to check out the Botanical Gardens to see what displays they have. Many have spectacular shows- some with both flowers indoors and lights outdoors. Videos of two of last year’s Botanical Garden shows are on this post and a few other Botanical Gardens Christmas extravaganzas are listed here. And remember if you are going abroad this holiday season, there are beautiful decorations that you may be lucky enough to get to see.

Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA Chirstmas Show through Jan 9, 2011 (see here) Continue reading “Botanical Gardens”

Buying a Fig Tree in New Jersey

the fig tree’s begun to bud by Toni F.

TheGardenLady received this question from Sarah.

I was thinking about getting my brother a fig plant for Christmas. There is a plant store online, which has a retail store in CT,  that was advertised in Better Homes & Gardens for it’s fig plants – logees.com.  However, they ship in an insulated box, express, which makes shipping costs more than the plant.  Do you know any place in NJ that would have a fig plant to buy?

Logees seems to be a good company to purchase exotic plants and I have ordered plants from them.

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Dealing with Deer with Fences

Deer Jumping Fence by F-Stop Philm

If you are unlucky enough to live in an area where there are many wild deer, you are probably having problems with the deer eating your trees and plants.  You might also worry because deer carry so many Lyme ticks.

The most common deer is the white-tailed deer-Odocoileus virginianus, also referred to as the Virginia deer or the whitetail. This medium-sized deer is native to all but five of the states in the United States. Its territory spreads north through the southern regions of Canada in the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario as well as south through Mexico, Central and South America as far as Peru. The white-tailed deer has also been introduced to some countries in Europe and New Zealand.

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