Search results for: jeff rugg
A Greener View: Amaryllis time – Bigger bulbs, more flowers – Jeff Rugg
by Jeff Rugg, contributing writer Q: I have tried growing amaryllis bulbs, and they seem to grow smaller each year. I buy a big bulb that has two or even three flower stalks with four or five flowers on each one. Then the next year, it will grow only one flower stalk and two or…
Read MoreA Greener View: Ready for the Thanksgiving Cactus – Jeff Rugg
by Jeff Rugg, contributing writer You will see poinsettias soon popping up everywhere this time of year, and if you are tired of them you might want to try the easy-to-grow Thanksgiving cactus. You probably have heard them be called Christmas cacti. There are three species of similar tropical cacti. One blooms in the fall,…
Read MoreA Greener View: Cures for Lumpy Lawns – Jeff Rugg
by Jeff Rugg, contributing writer Q: My lawn is getting lumpy, for lack of a better word. It is mostly shady, but I don’t think it is tree roots. There are grass plants and bare spots plus little worm dirt piles. What would be a good way to smooth it out? It is getting hard…
Read MoreA Greener View: Fall vegetable garden questions – Jeff Rugg
by Jeffrey Rugg, contributing writer Q: Help! I planted my tomato plants late, and then we had a lot of hot, dry weather, so there were no tomatoes. Now there are dozens of green tomatoes, but our average first fall frost is coming soon, so I think that many of the tomatoes are still going…
Read MoreA Greener View: Fall Bird Feeders and Bulbs – Jeff Rugg
by Jeff Rugg, contributing writer Q: For the past month, we have had several hummingbirds using our feeder. It hangs in front of my office window, and I notice them all day long. Yesterday, there was only one. I assume they are leaving for migration. How long should I leave the feeder up? I don’t…
Read MoreA Greener View: Flowering Bulbs – plan now for a pretty spring around your home – Jeff Rugg
by Jeff Rugg, contributing writer Q: I am moving some perennials and I found some daffodil bulbs in the ground. They have some brown sticky sap on the sides of the bulbs. Is this normal? Should I be concerned about the other bulbs in the flower bed that I haven’t dug up? A: When buying…
Read MoreA Greener View: Tropical houseplant care for fall and winter – Jeff Rugg
by Jeff Rugg, contributing writer Q: I bought several beautiful tropical hibiscus plants in the spring. They are thriving. However, they were outside all summer, and they are now too tall for my kitchen garden window. I don’t have room for plants that large, so I wonder if and how I can cut them back…
Read MoreA Greener View: All-America Selections (AAS) 2024 winners, Vegetables and Flowers – Jeff Rugg
by Jeff Rugg, contributing writer One way that I know a plant could work well in my garden is that I look for the red, white and blue logo of All-America Selections on seed packets, on bedding plant tags or in catalogs. Even AAS winners from several years ago are more likely to prove successful…
Read MoreA Greener View: Using the right lawn weedkiller – Jeff Rugg
lawn weedkillers
Read MoreA Greener View: Can trees be male or female – Jeff Rugg
by Jeff Rugg, contributing writer Q: A coworker said that her allergies were acting up because there were so many male trees blooming. I didn’t think there were male and female trees. I don’t remember what I learned in botany class. Are there male and female trees? A: There are some tree species with separate…
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