Planting garlic: great, not late if you put it in the ground right now. Garlic is hardy (remember, it grows in Siberia)! Harsh weather conditions will stunt its growth and make it less resistant to insects and disease. If you want great garlic, you need to encourage it to be strong. It is all about the encouragement. The key is that you have to think like a garlic.
Garlic has long been considered a wonder herb. According to folklore, it is capable of curing everything from the common cold and flu to warding off the plague.
It’s hard to say if any of these claims are true, but one thing’s for sure: It tastes great in cooking; plus it’s one of the easiest crops to grow.
According to Ron Engeland, who many of us consider the Guru of Great Garlic (his book, “Growing Great Garlic. The Definitive Guide for Organic Gardeners and Small Farmers“), bulbs planted later, tend to be more plump, dense, heavy , and have better storage capabilities.
Some say the rule of thumb is to plant 4-6 weeks before the ground freezes. Others say plant any time from late September through mid-January, as long as the ground isn’t frozen. Philosophical Europeans go for the Winter Equinox. [click to continue…]
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Give yourself a hearty little Christmas Cactus this season and it will keep its lovely blossoms in your house for decades. Its ample, beautiful flowers might be in a wide variety of colors including red, purple, orange, pink, cream.
I was dreaming of a graceful and beautiful pussy willow tree for Christmas! I’ve long admired its graceful drooping form in other gardens. Their graceful, shimmering foliage has found mention in literature right since the times of Shakespeare.
Give style with your seven winter plants this season and the garden will invite you to be in it even though the weather is cold or snowy. Evergreen shrubs in the garden will give you structure in the winter. The number of wonderful miniature and small conifers is legion. They look wonderful for four seasons of the year and get better with age. 
You’re going to need a holly tree this winter to add color and shine to your garden. It makes a big difference in your spirits in winter.
