Melanie Mathieson - Gardening Guru

By Melanie Mathieson
The Gardening Guru

Many gardeners often are confused between the terms annuals and perennials, and which plants belong in each category.

By Melanie Mathieson
The Gardening Guru

If you are looking for an evergreen tree to add beauty to your landscape, then consider a spruce.
There are many spruce species that are well-suited for growing well and surviving the winters in our zone.
Spruce trees should be planted in a full sun to partial shade location. They appreciate moist, fertile soil that is on the acidic side.

By Melanie Mathieson
The Gardening Guru

1. Aphids: Plant onions around plants susceptible to aphid infections, especially roses.
2. Attracting bees: To attract bees to your vegetable garden, plant geraniums amongst your vegetables.
Flowering herbs such as bee balm, borage, and lavender also attract bees, plus can be used for their herbal qualities.

By Melanie Mathieson
The Gardening Guru

With the unusual warm weather, all of the snow gone, and the lake ice starting to break up, many people are itching to get outside and start gardening.
I also share the enthusiasm for the extraordinary weather, but you have to be careful not to get ahead of yourself with the garden chores.

By Melanie Mathieson
The Gardening Guru

When people hear the word peony, they most often think back to the garden of their grandmother or great-grandmother.

By Melanie Mathieson
The Gardening Guru

Have you ever thought about adding a vine to your landscape or garden?
Vines—whether annual or perennial—may be just what you need to add a focal point with some height, cover an unsightly object, grow fruit, or just add a special plant to your landscape.

By Melanie Mathieson
The Gardening Guru

Fungus gnats are those little hopping bugs you see when you water your indoor plants.
They are small, with black or gray bodies and clear wings, and look like a cross between a black fly and a fruit fly.
Although not very strong fliers, they do fly around the house but most are often found close to the plant where they originated from the soil.

By Melanie Mathieson
The Gardening Guru

Is the daylily the perfect perennial? They can grow in a wide range of soil and light conditions, have few insect problems, can tolerate drier conditions, and come in hundreds of varieties.

By Melanie Mathieson
The Gardening Guru

The radish is a cool-season, fast-maturing, easy-to-grow vegetable and one of the first crops from the vegetable garden each year.
Radishes grow well in almost any soil that is prepared well, fertilized before planting, and has adequate moisture maintained throughout the growing season.

By Melanie Mathieson
The Gardening Guru

The cyclamenis offered to us as a houseplant often are found in the fall and winter at our local florists.
Because of this, greenhouse-grown cyclamen usually are forced to bloom sometime around the Christmas holiday season and into the late winter.