There are several ways to keep weeds out. In Paris, people leave the dirt bare and pull weeds continually. Many people in this country tend to spread mulch in the vacant spaces between plants.  Another option is to place low, spreading plants referred to as "ground-cover" in between the feature plants or shrubs. These rambunctious growers reduce or eliminate the need for mulch and help keep out weeds. Commonly used greens are myrtle and pachysandra. However, using slightly more exciting specimens can perform the job sufficiently and increase garden interest. The following plants can begin …

Forcing bulbs to grow indoors during the winter is an uplifting garden tradition. The sight and smell of freshly blooming hyacinth, daffodils and tulips tides us over until spring arrives outside. You can buy greenhouse forced bulbs at nurseries and grocery stores. Or you can do it yourself with the bulbs in the cold garage or storage shed that you never got around to planting last fall. Chances are they are sprouting in the bag already like the forgotten tulips I just found. I have forced bulbs two ways; in soil and suspended above water. Place flowers grown using either method in a sunny …

The wide variance in weather this winter has confused some plants. While people know it's January, despite the frequent sun and balmy temperatures in which many of us took a New Year's Day walk, plants can't read a calendar. While plants are reported to calculate their calendar by length of day, many are still fooled by 50-60 degree temperatures in January, only to be harshly punished for pulling out their summer attire by a nasty 10 degree reality check. The end result: bulbs such as daffodils and tulips that prematurely push through the soil and grow during the unusually warm winter days …

This article was originally published on Patch on Dec. 22, 2010, but it was just too great not to share again for this year's holiday season: I'm perennially behind. I never finished my fall clean-up this year and I haven't decorated the outside of the house for Christmas yet. The good news is that I can combine neatening up the yard with creating natural Christmas decorations with one trip to my backyard. It's cheap, it's green, and I don't have to travel far or fight crowds. My favorite reason to go to the garden for décor is that natural holiday arrangements bring the outdoors in, keeping …

Despite a particularly premature snow storm, conditions are ripe to divide and transplant iris. Recent sunny days melted the snow pack moistening and warming the soil, making hospitable beds for transplant patients. The current weather forecast shows plenty of time for new roots to establish. The Bearded Iris is very common in Connecticut gardens. They bloom in the spring after many daffodil and tulip varieties are spent. This large-blossom variety of iris come a range of colors, from solid to streaked. Its contrast of spiky leaves and feathery blooms is a community-building catalyst. It is …

Our October skies brought lots of rain this year, which kept our fall gardens healthy and vigorous. However cold is coming and it’s time to split. I wish I meant moving south or west to warmer climates for the winter, but I don’t. I’m referring to making more plants from the established ones in our Northeast gardens. Now is a good time to make our own beds bigger or share our abundance with friends. Late fall is a great time to turn one plant into many. Just get it done several weeks before the ground freezes so that plants have time to settle in and establish roots before defending …