I need seed catalog suggestions for my mom. She just bought a few acres in New Mexico and is trying to find a worthwhile activity to occupy her time, so I suggested gardening. She's not online, so I need catalogs from companies from which I can request print catalogs to be sent to her. Personally, I'm interested in obscure/rare, heirloom, and medicinal plants. I need suggestions. Thanks!
posted by theperfectcrime
on Dec 31, 2005 -
20 answers
Ive had some problems with mould killing my house plants so Id like to sterilize the dirt from an old pot before i plant some thing new. Can I just bake the dirt or will that hurt the nutrients/good microbes? Other ways to sterilize dirt?
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posted by Tryptophan-5ht
on Oct 29, 2005 -
9 answers
I'm trying to get rid of some ugly, dying ferns in my backyard. I'm digging them up the best I can, but should I be worried about the coming back and what hints and tips do you have about removing ferns?
posted by my sock puppet account
on Oct 8, 2005 -
8 answers
I find myself responsible for a semi-large, quite varied chunk of landscaping. Shrubs, flowers, trees, you name it. I don't have a clue what I'm doing. Where can I find help?
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posted by pornucopia
on Jul 21, 2005 -
9 answers
GardeningFilter: is there an irrigation system that easily waters plants in containers on a patio?
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posted by quadog
on Jul 12, 2005 -
8 answers
Can anyone give me a good intro to drip irrigation? I'm fairly used to sprinklers, but I've heard good things about drip lines, and I'm wondering whether it's worth trying to switch over.
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posted by sirion
on May 22, 2005 -
11 answers
I'm moving into a new apartment in Chicago on June 1st, and I'm hoping to be able to have window boxes. There's also a ground-floor patio (shared with one other person), and I'm thinking of starting some container-type gardening. Any thoughts?
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posted by bibbit
on May 9, 2005 -
4 answers
We have a gently sloped backyard and we want to put in a patio. We think we can handle the patio thing ourselves (following instructions out of a book) but (being totally urban and having never had a yard before) we have no clue how to level the ground and prepare the garden area.
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posted by izizi
on May 5, 2005 -
12 answers
I'd like to become skilled with gardening and maintaining indoor plants and stuff. What's a good way to develop a green thumb? Book suggestions, websites, personal anecdotes, cost saving tips, good nursuries in Los Angeles, etc are all welcome.
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posted by sirion
on Apr 30, 2005 -
9 answers
sometime in the last week or so, there was a thread on the blue that (i seem to recall) had something to do with growing vegetables... or horticulture... or something. and in the comments i'm nearly sure i saw a link to some sort of software that would let you mess with the pH levels in your soil, lighting levels, etc... like a "sim-'growing things'" kind of software.
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posted by radiosilents
on Apr 26, 2005 -
2 answers
Calling all green-thumbed MeFites on the green: How do I make my new (urban, rooftop) garden grow?
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posted by docgonzo
on Apr 10, 2005 -
12 answers
Any tips on how to make Sensitive Plants (the fern-like ones that close their leaves when you touch them) thrive? I can usually keep them pretty happy for a few months, but they gradually become more and more unresponsive and eventually die. I'm in Southern California and will be moving to a new place with a greenhouse, and am fairly ignorant in the ways of plant-tending. Another question, just for sucking as much possible information out of this as possible: Anyone have any indoor plants they really like? If so, how do you make *those* thrive?
posted by sirion
on Mar 11, 2005 -
10 answers
Where can I buy patchouli seeds right now? I'd like to plant them within the next couple of weeks, and the only online retailer I have found so far that offers them (a nursery in Indiana) had to toss out their batch and won't receive any more for at least a month.
posted by lnicole
on Mar 1, 2005 -
7 answers
Springfield Lemon Tree Filter: I have a
Meyer lemon tree which was subjected to very cold temperatures last month. I was able to get it inside, but it spent almost a week outside, with temperatures in the low twenties (F). All of the leaves have dried up, and most have now fallen off. No new leaves have grown. I've had this tree for about six years, and it was a few years old when I purchased it. I'd very much like to save it.
It is in an extremely oversized pot, which I thought would help shield it from the cold, but apparently it wasn't enough. At the very least, I'd like to be able to save the roots, even if I have to graft another tree to the trunk. Any ideas?
posted by bh
on Jan 17, 2005 -
5 answers
Any Landscape Architects/Designers with advice on design software.
Looking for something aimed specifically towards Garden Design with a pretty intuitive interface, but designed for the professional end of the market
posted by JPD
on Dec 29, 2004 -
1 answer
Leaning Tree Question: A large tree (silver maple...about 20 inch caliper) in my backyard has started to lean towards the house over the last few years. I am afraid that a thunderstorm with strong winds might topple the tree, but it would be a shame to completely cut it down. Anyone have suggestions to straighten it up, or at least make me comfortable that it won't fall?
posted by Benway
on Nov 20, 2004 -
5 answers
Gardening question:
I bought what I thought was a pretty good garden hose and it's already kinking up like there's no tomorrow. What's the best material/best brand?
posted by Kafkaesque
on Nov 18, 2004 -
6 answers
My wife and I are notoriously bad at keeping plants alive. Our best success is an Aloe Vera plant (which we ignore) and a Peace Lilly which tends to behave like a plant in The Sims - colapsing as it dies, and then perking up as soon as we notice.
Accepting that plants feel pain and scream when hurt, are we evil torturing sadists?
posted by twine42
on Oct 1, 2004 -
8 answers
New orchid grower seeks advice as he hunkers down for yet another Canadian winter! Can any mefites recommend good books on growing orchids indoors? Actually, any advice about orchids, grow-lights and other tropicals that might grow well in my urban apartment would be very much appreciated.
posted by gesamtkunstwerk
on Sep 21, 2004 -
4 answers
My neighbor has many mature blueberry and grape plants. Because he's rearranging things on his property, he's offered me some of the plants *if* I dig and move them myself. Is this possible? Is it practical? Is there some mechanized device that I can rent, borrow, or buy to make the job easier? Bonus question: I just chopped down three youngish Locusts, the largest of which had a trunk maybe six inches in diameter. What's the best way to remove the stumps so that I can plant fruit trees in their place?
posted by jdroth
on Aug 24, 2004 -
3 answers
Squashfilter: I am on the verge of harvesting a LOT of zucchini from my garden. Is it possible to pickle it and preserve it in some way? Anyone have any good recipes?
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posted by archimago
on Jul 19, 2004 -
20 answers
A garden defeat: Weeds, 1, Happydaz, 0. Today, I borrowed a friend's Weedwacker. I was happily mowing down the growth in my back yard (some of which had reached three feet in height) when all of a sudden one of the nylon strings disappeared! I stopped the contraption and tried to fix it, but all I ended up doing was making the other string disappear. So now I have a non-functional weedwacker, and 20 % of my yard still un-wacked. Anyone know how to make the string come out?
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posted by Happydaz
on Jun 27, 2004 -
6 answers
Ok folks, show me your whimsical side. My wife is quite a gardener and she's always out there bending down, pulling weeds, digging, etc. I thought it would be fun to occasionally stick things under the plants for her to stumble upon. Star Wars figures having tea, little elves napping, Lego construction crews, small billboards with cute signs, etc. I want to make it look like there's a little community of miniature garden people living in the dirt. I know she'd appreciate the effort. I need more ideas.
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posted by bondcliff
on May 25, 2004 -
36 answers
Help the Black Thumb:
I am terrible at keeping plants alive. The only plants I don't kill are philodendrons, and you pretty much can't kill those things. I was given a gerbera daisy in a pot, but apparently I overwatered it. The plant still seems alive, but the flowers have drooped over. I drained the excess water, but the flowers aren't perking back up. Are they permanently wilted? Should I cut them off and hope the plant flowers again? I googled, but got nothing more useful than "Avoid overwatering".
posted by Shoeburyness
on Apr 14, 2004 -
8 answers
I work in a fairly large, open plan air-conditioned office, next to a window. The window cannot be opened. I want to buy a plant that will sit on my desk, and preferably not die with minimal maintenance. I am not a gardener. :)
I want something leafy and bushy, no flowers, that will stand around half a metre high from base of pot to top of plant, and be almost as "wide", so as to act as something slightly more pleasant to look at instead of my neighbour.
Suggestions?
posted by Mwongozi
on Apr 1, 2004 -
13 answers
