Growing fruit trees in our own backyards can be lots of fun and nutritionally rewarding. It does, however, take some time and effort to be successful and a willingness to accept less than perfect produce.

If you have any interest in growing your own fruit, then these next two months are prime time to take action.

In this day and age of social distancing, I am inclined to think that the vast majority of us, either consciously or unconsciously, are suffering from a lack of physical contact with our fellow human beings.

Here’s a continuation of last week’s list of late fall chores. Remember what I said… Try to accomplish most of them, but don’t beat yourself up if you can’t get them all done. These are suggestions that will help your plants survive the winter and get off to a healthy spring start. 

The Whistling Gardener shares a few of his thoughts on things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.

I want to introduce you to a few more conifers that I find to be real gems to add to our landscapes. But before launching into some specific varieties of interest, my botanical nerdiness requires me to share what I consider to be truly fascinating facts about this group we refer to as conifers or “cone bearing” plants.

As the perennials melt down, the annuals die, and the deciduous trees and shrubs shed their foliage, the primary group of plants that can give us dependable winter color are the needle-leafed evergreens - which botanically speaking we call conifers.

As we move into the fall season and shift our containers from summer to an autumn and winter theme, one of the major staples to consider is the genus Heuchera.

Commonly known as coral bells, these are incredible foliage plants.

I’m not one to rush into the fall season - our summers are far too short as it is and the longer I can convince myself that September is really late summer, the longer I can enjoy backyard picnics (socially distanced of course) and shorts. And, despite the cool June, this has been a great summer.

Fall is in the air! The days are getting shorter, the nights are getting cooler and the sun is moving farther south, creating longer shadows on the north side of the garden.

These climatological events are triggers for the garden, to let it know that winter is coming, and seasoned gardeners will respond accordingly.

Ever since I was a young kid I have been drawn to ferns. Growing up in Southern California I collected many varieties and had a patio dedicated to them. I grew Australian and New Zealand tree ferns, multiple varieties of Maidenhair and Staghorn ferns, and hanging varieties like Rabbit’s Foot and Polypodium.