Give a tree a hug and celebrate Arbor Day on the last Friday in April.

The answer to your tree problem may lie just below the surface, of the bark that is.

You decided to save money or perhaps try something new and ordered bare root plants from a catalog or through the internet. Now you are wondering what to do with them once they arrive.

So what do you do when those bare root perennials, shrubs, roses, or fruit plants you ordered arrive before you and your garden are ready or the weather is suitable for planting? Don’t despair you can preserve your investment with minimal effort.

Reduce maintenance and improve your plants’ health by creating large planting beds around trees and shrubs.

Early planting and unseasonably cool wet springs can cause bean and corn seeds to fail to sprout or fully develop. These seeds either rotted or were damaged by corn seed maggot.

Add a little extra color and beauty to your fall landscape.

Creating a beautiful flower garden can be overwhelming, but understanding a few key concepts can make it much easier.

Make this the year you finally start and keep a gardening journal. Keeping records of your successes, failures, pest problems and weather will help you grow a healthy, beautiful and productive garden in a more eco-friendly manner.

Like many of you I try to squeeze way too much into one day. In order to accomplish many of my goals I try to look for ways to double, even triple the benefits of everything I do. This is why I combine my gardening activities and fitness program.

June 12th is National Get Outdoors Day. So gather the family and head out to the garden.

A tangle of carrots, ill-formed beets, and non-existent radish roots mean it’s time to add thinning to your gardening list.

Boost your garden’s productivity and harvest garden-fresh vegetables all season long.

Help small children handle the anticipation and adults deal with the stress of the holidays while creating a few homegrown gifts.

Parsley is not just a garnish for your meals. This Vitamin rich herb is a great addition to your garden and recipes.

Reduce your grocery bill this summer by growing a few of your favorite vegetables. And the good news, you don’t need much space to produce enough fresh vegetables for you and your family to enjoy.

Nothing beats fresh-from-the -garden corn on the cob. But this is one vegetable that takes up a lot of space for a small harvest.

Apples are the perfect fat free fruit for your diet and garden. Plant just a couple trees or a small orchard so you can harvest an apple-a-day right from your own backyard.

Picture this - Your guest reaches over and plucks a sprig of mint from a planter to add to their iced tea or Mojito. Nothing beats the fresh-from-the-garden flavor or fun of ingredients right from your own garden.

Many of us are looking for ways to rid our body of toxins, while improving our eating habits. Asparagus is nature’s own detoxifier and one of the most nutritionally balanced vegetables.

Add a bit of fiber to your garden and diet. Consider growing edible soybeans in this year’s garden.

Make homegrown onions part of your diet. Their flavor is guaranteed to add zest to your meals and their health benefits include lowering the risk of many cancers.

I have a quiz for you - What is white, red or yellow, can be eaten fresh, fried or even raw and is one of the most important staples of the human diet. If you guessed potato, you are right.

Add a bit of color and nutrition to your meals with home grown sweet potatoes.

Grow a few healthy snacks for you and your family to enjoy. Carrots have the crunch of chips and crackers without the fat and calories.

Give garden transplants a helping hand as they move from the warm humid greenhouse or inside your home to the harsh outdoors.

Sweeten those fall days with a handful of fresh raspberries. And maximize the flavor and bounty with proper harvesting and care.

It’s time to start reaping the benefits of your spring plantings. So break out the garden fork and get busy harvesting.

Growing your own grapes for jam, jelly, and of course wine can be fun. Get the most flavor and productivity with proper harvesting and a bit of bird protection.

Enjoy your garden’s beauty year round. Harvest and dry a few flowers to use in flower arrangements, craft project or as gifts for friends and family.

Get the best flavor and longest storage life from your homegrown garlic with proper harvesting and curing.

Break out the garden fork and get ready to start harvesting onions and potatoes.

Dills, sweet or slicers all start as cucumbers. It’s the timing at harvest that makes the difference.

All your hard work and effort is paying off with a bountiful harvest.

Don’t let going gluten-free get you down. Include some fresh-from-the-garden vegetables to add flavor to your gluten-free meals.

Heat up your meals and improve your health by adding a few hot peppers to your garden and meal plan.

Whether you garden with your own children or those of family and friends consider making a portion of your landscape kid friendly.

Have a bit of fun and stretch your gardening muscles with kitchen scrap gardening.

Get the most flavor and nutritional value from your garden-fresh vegetables with proper harvesting, storage and preparation.

Take advantage of weekends, holidays and school vacations to get the children in your life involved with vegetable gardening.

Get a jump on the growing season by using a cold frame. Build your own and be kind to the environment and your budget by using reclaimed wood and old window sashes or storm doors.

Memorial Day is a traditional planting weekend for many of us. Whether you are just getting started, changing out your seasonal displays or finishing up, consider adding sunflowers to your landscape.

Tired of fighting moss in your lawn and garden? It may be time to embrace it and grow a moss garden.

Join the National Gardening Association and celebrate the joys and benefits of gardening this month – National Garden Month.

Whether you are sharing a piece of a favorite plant, a bit of family history, or a shared memory, pass-along plants have long been a part of the gardening tradition.

One of the biggest plant investments you make for your landscape is your trees. Help insure their longevity by planting them right.

Start with a call to 811 at least three days before digging in. This free service will mark the location of all underground wires. This one call can save you money and even your life.

Double your harvest without increasing your garden space. Try planting short season vegetables like lettuce, radishes and beets between long season vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, okra, cabbage, and broccoli. When the short season veggies are ready to harvest, the longer season larger vegetables will need the space.

Don’t let cold soil and late spring frost delay the start to your garden season.

The soil has finally warmed and it is time to get pumpkins, melons, squash and cucumbers in the ground.

Tulips, daffodils and hyacinths are sure signs of spring. Get busy now planting a bit of beauty and color for next spring’s garden.

Lower your blood pressure and cholesterol, fight heart disease, boost your immune system, and add a bit of flavor to your meals by growing your own garlic.

Use shrubs in the landscape for extra color, a bit of privacy and year round beauty.

Are you like me and always squeeze in that extra tomato plant, another row of beans or that one left over pepper plant? It seemed like a good idea at the time. But now you have more produce than you need.

Preserve the flavor and nutrition of asparagus to enjoy year round.

Try a bit of preventative care in this year’s garden. You’ll increase your landscape’s beauty and productivity with less work on your part.

Increase your harvest with proper pruning.

Don’t throw away or recycle those fast food containers just yet. Reuse them when gardening indoors and out.

Be a part of history and save money when planting next year’s garden. Collect and save the seeds from your favorite heirloom tomatoes this fall.

Be a part of history and save money when planting next year’s garden. Collect and save the seeds from your favorite heirloom tomatoes this fall.

Whether you are trying to start plants from seeds, get your African violets to bloom, or keeping your indoor plants alive, a bit of extra light can help.

Do you have trouble properly spacing the small seeds of carrots, radishes or lettuce? It's easy to end up with half the package in one short row. This is a waste of seed and time spent thinning.

Don’t panic if your garden plans are bigger than the available planting space. I have some space saving techniques that can help you get the most out of your landscape.

You can start your summer garden months before the traditional planting date. Start cannas, dahlias or other non-hardy bulbs indoors for bigger transplants and earlier bloom in the garden.

Keep your green thumbs busy starting new plants from kitchen scraps.

Save money and your plants from disease by growing in pathogen-free potting mix.

Don’t let the calendar stop you from gardening. There is still time to plant vegetables for you and your family to enjoy.

Add a bit of nutrition and beauty to your patio, deck, or balcony with a pot of strawberries. It’s a great way to keep a nutritional snack close at hand.

Don’t let gardening become a painful experience. Warm up your muscles before you dig into gardening.

Fall has many of us scrambling to protect plants from frost, move tropicals indoors or finish harvesting our vegetables. Be sure you collect a few green tomatoes to ripen indoors.

You waited all season for that first red ripe tomato only to discover less-than-perfect fruit. But don’t worry, you can still have a great harvest and improve things for next season.

Moving trees and shrubs can be tricky and heavy work. Make the move in spring before growth begins or in fall as the plants go dormant for greatest success.

Save energy, care for new trees, and conserve water in one easy step.

Save time, energy, and conserve water while caring for your new trees.