Master Gardener

Snow Is Good For Gardens

Though your aching back may not agree, recent heavy snows actually will be good for your garden and landscape. Snow provides moisture as well as protection from cold and wind. Snow is an excellent insulator against low temperatures and excessive winds. The extent of protection depends on the depth of snow. In addition, the soil […]

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Build A Terrarium In Winter

Constructing a terrarium is easy and inexpensive and can be accomplished on a snowy afternoon. Their care is minimal since they can go for months without water under the proper conditions. In addition, a wide variety of plants can be grown that would typically fail miserably in the dry, drafty environment of the average home.

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Winter Salt Damage to Plants

Deicing salts are essential to winter travel  and provide necessary safety in a landscape setting by melting dangerous ice on precarious steps, sidewalks, entryways, and other areas of frequent foot traffic. However, winter damage from salt can be a major problem in some landscapes by negatively impacting plant health or sometimes outright killing plants from

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Winter Tree Protection

As trees in our urban and suburban landscapes prepare for winter dormancy and cold, theycould use a little extra care from you to ensure a good start in the spring. As the seasons change, trees prepare to overwinter in a dormant state. Dormancy is not death; it is a natural state inwhich trees prepare and

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Leave the Leaves

Leave The Leaves! By Justin Wheeler, Scott Hoffman Black, Deborah Seiler on October 2, 2025  Leaves are habitat, not trash One of the most valuable things you can do to support pollinators and other invertebrates is to provide them with the shelter they need to survive the winter. Thankfully, that’s pretty easy; all you need to do

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Plants NOT to cut back in the Fall

 Coneflower (Echinacea) Coneflowers are a favorite among gardeners for their vibrant, daisy-like flowers and ability to attract pollinators. Leaving them standing in the fall provides a food source for birds, as the seed heads offer a natural snack during the winter months. Why Not to Cut Back: The seed heads feed birds, and the dried

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Plant a Fall Cover Crop

After the fall harvest is a great time to plant a cover crop. What is a cover crop? A cover crop is a plant or plants grown to cover the garden soil, and later may be incorporated into the soil as “green manure.” Cover crops have been used mainly by farmers, but home gardeners are

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Plant a Fall Vegetable Garden

Fall is an excellent time to grow many vegetable crops. During this season the gardener can take advantage of cooler temperatures and more plentiful moisture. Many spring-planted crops such as lettuce and spinach tend to bolt, or produce seed, and become bitterin response to the long, hot summer days. Fall gardening helps extend your gardening

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Plant Spring Bulbs in Fall

Fall is not only a time for pumpkins and mums, but it also time to plant those spring blooming flower bulbs for a much appreciated splash of color in the spring. The ideal time to plant bulbs, especially daffodils, are September to October as they need time for root growth ahead of winter freezes. These

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Saving Seeds from Your Garden

Seeds are one of the most interesting parts of the plant world because packed into what is sometimes just the size of a dust speck is the potential for an entire plant. They are abundant this time of year on many of our garden and landscape plants – in fruits, faded flowers, or pods.  There

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