A Greener View: Fall Bird Feeders and Bulbs – Jeff Rugg

European robin perched on wood.

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…

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Green Animals Topiary Garden sets its annual plant sale

Gardener holding potted pink flowers.

Green Animals welcomes spring with their annual plant sale. Annuals, perennials, lilies, dahlia tubers, geranium standards, hanging baskets and a variety of vegetables, herbs and specialty plants will be available for purchase. Green Animals Topiary Garden is located at 380 Corys Lane, in Portsmouth. The sale will take place each day before Green Animals opens…

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A Greener View: Hawk Migration – Jeff Rugg

A close up of a red tailed hawk.

by Jeff Rugg, contributing writer For gardeners in the northern two-thirds of the country, the fall is a time to clean up the leaves, plant a few bulbs and pack things up for the winter. Even in the south, the fall is a good time to reflect on how things looked over the summer and…

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A Greener View: Fall Gardening – Jeff Rugg

A woman's hands holding dirt on a white background.

by Jeff Rugg, contributing writer Normally, August weather is hot and dry all across the country. In spite of that, it is still a good month to do many gardening and landscaping tasks. Many vegetable crops produce more and have higher-quality fruit in cool weather, when the plant is not stressed. During the first half…

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A Greener View: Herbicides – Jeff Rugg

A person is watering a garden with an orange hose.

By Jeff Rugg, contributing writer Q: My neighbor and I share a fence line. Many weeds and small trees are growing between the two fences. My neighbor doesn’t like “chemicals” and wants to use a homemade concoction that to me is just a bunch of chemicals. I bought a weedkiller that says it works in…

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A Greener View: Herb Gardening – Jeff Rugg

A sprinkler watering flowers in a garden.

by Jeff Rugg, contributing writer Question: I have never tried planting herbs in my garden, so I don’t know what to do or how to get the seasonings from them. Is an herb garden too complicated for an ordinary gardener like me? Answer: You may have heard of herb gardens or kitchen gardens, or even…

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A Greener View: Vegetable Garden Questions – Jeff Rugg

A group of green and brown tomatoes growing in a field.

by Jeff Rugg, contributing writer Q: We planted a new vegetable garden with a lot of different vegetable seeds. We killed the existing lawn grass by scraping the plants off, and we did some digging to loosen the soil. We covered the garden with 2 to 4 inches of bark mulch from the city to…

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A Greener View: Trees for wet-then-dry soil – Jeff Rugg

A sprinkler is spraying water on a green lawn.

By Jeff Rugg, contributing writer Q: There is a surface storm drain in the back corner of our property. Water comes from several neighbors’ yards, so this area near the drain gets flooded and the soil is soggy. Later in summer, the same area will be dried out and cracked. A willow tree planted at…

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Annual Plant Sale Saturday at Warwick’s Westbay Farm

A man in a hat standing in front of a barn.

Photo: Steve Stycos, Westbay Farm The Westbay Farm, run by Steve Stycos, will hold its annual plant sale Saturday, May 28 from 10 AM to 1 PM at the farm: 1351 Centerville Road, Warwick, RI 02886 They have a wide variety of tomatoes, plus cucumbers, eggplants, and other vegetable starts for sale. They also have a selection of perennial…

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