ArcaMax

Potting Mix

Q: A gardener friend moved and left me with several bags of ingredients for making potting soil. I have never made potting soil before. What proportions should I use? Do these ingredients go bad at some point?

A: First, I want to make a slight distinction between potting soil and potting mix. When you use the word soil, it implies ...Read more

Thirty years ago, I started trialing verbenas as part of the Mississippi Medallion award program for outstanding plants. I’ve been an avid verbena promoter and gardener ever since. I can tell you the Superbena Whiteout verbena is the best white variety I have ever grown.

Superbena Whiteout verbena has been around for about seven years, which ...Read more

Q: I heard from a friend that since I have some shrubs that bloom early in the spring, I can prune some branches early to bring indoors. I thought that spring-blooming shrubs were supposed to be pruned after they bloom. What do you think?

Many spring-blooming shrubs and trees are best pruned by what is called the shrub renewal method of pruning...Read more

As spring approaches at jet speed and you start thinking about planting mixed containers (but perhaps with a little fear of the partnerships) keep in mind three-part harmony. It certainly works in church music, and it is perfect for gardeners too!

In the world of garden color, we call it triadic harmony. Simply put, triadic harmony is three ...Read more

Q: I have seen so many headlines saying that vegetables are contaminated with E. coli bacteria. I grow a lot of my own vegetables, and I am wondering how this happens and how to prevent it. Why do commercial farms that have so many ways to protect their product seem to be the worst at this?

A: I am not sure you are right in your premise that ...Read more

A few months ago I wrote a column called "Let Loose the Chartreuse." This is my go-to color to make all companions or combinations literally "POP WITH PIZZAZZ"! In that column I dabbled here and there with some of my favorites, both new and old selections.

There is one I didn’t mention as it really deserves its own column; it offers a ...Read more

Q: After two years of trying to grow a vegetable garden, I am almost ready to give up. You know -- three strikes and you are out. I have been doing some reading and am now more confused than ever, but it appears that the soil is the problem. The garden is in full sun, and I use a drip hose to keep it watered. There are so many things I could buy...Read more

A garden. Is there a more potent image, carrying as it does such hefty biblical weight?

Certainly British writer Nick Newman would have been hard-pressed to keep the implications out of mind as he put fingers to keyboard to create “The Garden.” Like the one populated by Adam and Eve, two people reside in Newman’s version: sisters Evelyn (...Read more