Joan Swenson
Joan Swenson: Enjoy your own private Vermont with these colorful trees
Can a pear tree blush?
Joan Swenson: Vibrant fall color as close as the nearest chrysanthemum
From a block away, I can see a neighbor’s chrysanthemums, brilliantly bright yellow, contrasted in the same bed with rust-red mums.
Joan Swenson: Fall a good time of year to wander the yard and reassess
Fall officially arrived when I stuck my foot into my gardening clog after a rainy evening and my toes touched something damp and unfamiliar: a snail, about the size of a nickel.
Joan Swenson: Readers swap secrets on sweet peas
Readers have some comments and questions:
Joan Swenson: In pruning season, be careful where you cut
It is tree pruning time in Bakersfield, a time when the ripping and tearing sounds of chain saws digging into tree branches just about breaks my heart.
Joan Swenson: A pocketful of rye seeds make the winter lawn beautiful
Summer fades and so does the deep green of Bermuda lawns, which can be remedied with the application of rye grass seed.
Joan Swenson: You won't find me tiptoeing through tulips, but most bulbs work well
I don’t believe I’ve ever planted a tulip. Or a hyacinth.
Joan Swenson: Cal State is the hot spot for growers with scorching peppers
So you think you’ve got hot peppers?
Joan Swenson: Cool-season plants ready for action
My Minnesota relatives are putting on their jackets already because Labor Day up north really means the end of the summer.
Joan Swenson: Surviving August means garden break is over
It’s clean-up time at our house.
Joan Swenson: Readers share tricks on caterpillars and cats
Readers are writing, about caterpillars and cats.
Joan Swenson: Sweet peas are sure to please, and they do most of the work
I’m late and the guilt is killing me.
Joan Swenson: Voracious caterpillar has appetite for destruction
Gregg Knowles’ redbud tree has been attacked twice this summer by redhumped caterpillars. One or two more attacks may be coming, too, before the hot weather is over.
Joan Swenson: And the winning flowers and vegetables are ...
All America Selections has announced its 2009 Flower and Vegetable Award Winners.
Joan Swenson: Fruit trees won't live forever
A couple of years ago I was set to remove our Flavor Queen pluot because one large scaffold had died and throughout the tree it looked as if large branches had sprung leaks from which large, slow-moving flows of thick brown sap oozed.
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