The mission of In the Garden Online is to foster a love of gardening and to provide practical, earth-friendly information for Michigan gardeners.
Starting Your Own Plants from Seed
There are many advantages to starting your own plants from seed. First of all, it is so much cheaper to buy the supplies for seed starting than to buy transplants, especially if you need a lot of them. Secondly, you can get unique varieties of both flowers and vegetables that your local nursery just isn't able to carry. Thirdly, and, I think, most importantly, when you start your own plants from seed, you become intimately involved in the growth of those plants. You learn to pay attention and attend to their needs. This, in turn, makes you a better gardener all around. Besides, it's fun. [continue]
Setting Up a Seed-Starting Station
All serious gardeners eventually find that they need to start their own plants from seed. Maybe their gardening ideas are bigger than their budgets, or maybe they want varieties that their local garden centers don't offer. For some of us, the challenge is the fun part. Whatever your reason, once you decide to start your own seeds, you'll need a place to do it. If you are only starting a few plants, a sunny windowsill will do nicely. If you are starting many plants for beds or containers, read on. [continue]
Checking Seed Viability
If you have older seeds lying around, it is entirely possible that they have lost some of their viability. As seed ages, the likelihood that it will actually germinate decreases. Sometimes, this isn't such a big deal-just plant more seed than you normally would to be sure that enough germinates to suit your needs. But if you don't have many seeds left, or know for a fact that you need a fairly large amount to germinate, you will want to test your seeds to check their germination rate. There is a simple, cheap way to do this. [continue]
Shrubs for Winter Interest
When the growing season is over, the winter landscape can often look desolate. Shrubs are the answer to any gardener's winter interest wishes. By mixing different shrubs, your winter landscape can look almost as pretty as your summer landscape. This article focuses on attributes of each shrub that make it great for the winter garden, but be assured that every one of them are beautiful in spring and summer as well. [continue]
Landscaping for Wildlife: Water
If you want to attract wildlife to your yard, just add water. Birds, insects, mammals, and amphibians are all attracted to water sources. Even those creatures that ignore your feeders completely can be lured by the promise of fresh water. And by providing this essential element in specific ways, you can attract the kinds of wildlife that you are most interested in. Water is especially important for birds. In fact, birds will only live within flying distance of a water source. [continue]