care

As the days get hotter and drier, keep a watchful eye on your vegetable garden. Careful attention to a few details will help your garden produce a bountiful harvest all summer.
 
Water Management

Focus your attention on water management first. Most gardens need at least 1 inch of water per week.

So you didn't get your vegetable garden planted this spring because you were busy or the ground was too wet? And you still want some fresh, tasty vegetables. Well, it's not too late to plant a fall garden.
 

In most cases, choose early-maturing vegetables. Lettuce, radishes, spinach, turnips and peas can be started from seed. Lettuce and radish can be seeded about every two weeks.

Determine where in your home you will display your tree so that you will know at the tree lot what size and shape you need.
Do a freshness test. Hold a branch about 6 inches from the tip. Pull your hand toward the tip, allowing the branch to slip through your fingers. Very few green needles should come off in your hand if the tree is fresh.

Live Holiday gift plants require care to bloom and maintain health.
 
Poinsettias need a daytime temperature of 65 to70 degrees Fahrenheit. Reduce this to low 60's at night. Put poinsettias in bright light but never in full sun. Select areas where the plant will not dry out. If placed in a window, remove it at night so it will not get too cold.

Beautiful houseplants can add color and charm to any household. But providing the optimum growing conditions can often be a challenge for even the best of gardeners.
 

The Christmas season is over and gone for another year. Unfortunately, so are the flowers on your poinsettias. Does this means it's time to toss them and your other holiday plants out? Why not keep them and grow them to rebloom later this year?
 
Amaryllis
After your amaryllis has bloomed, the first step is to cut off the old flower stalk or stalks.

The poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is the most popular flowering plant sold in the United States with more than 70 million sold nationwide each year. When South Carolinian Joel Poinsett, the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico, introduced the poinsettia to the U.S. in 1825, it’s doubtful he had any idea how popular this plant would become.
 

There are three distinct aspects of turfgrass establishment. The first, soil preparation, is probably the most important. The second, planting, may involve seeding, sprigging or sodding. The final step is the care and maintenance for two to four weeks after planting. 

Care after Planting

Water is a precious resource that has long been taken for granted. However, the recent droughts and our rapid population growth has helped focus the need for better resource management. 

Often overlooked, our landscapes can help reduce the environmental impact of urbanization. Plants reduce soil erosion, cool the environment, improve air quality, decrease water run-off, filter impurities from the water and enhance community character.

Determine where in your home you will display your tree so you will know at the tree lot what size and shape you need.

Do a freshness test. Hold a branch about 6 inches from the tip. Pull your hand toward the tip, allowing the branch to slip through your fingers. Very few green needles should come off in your hand if the tree is fresh.