Garden Maintenance Archives - White Flower Farm's blog

Antsy About Ants on Your Peonies? Have No Fear

Erica Anderson
July 17, 2023
Peonies

“The Ant King Palace opens its carmine door: Peony in bloom.” ~Yosa Buson (1716-1784)* It doesn’t take a scholar of 18th-century Japanese haiku to know that Peonies and ants often go together. Some of us encountered ants crawling on the rounded buds of Peonies when we were little, when bugs were “cool.” (In fact, this plant-critter connection was so fascinating to one precocious youngster that she became an entomologist.**) More of us, alas, approach the subject having experienced struggles removing the insects from our kitchen countertops. The idea of ants inhabiting one of the showiest of all garden flowers may,…

It’s Cleanup Time!

Here in northwestern Connecticut, the fall foliage show is nearing its peak, and in some places, the leaves have begun to fall. They rustle at our feet as we go about our rounds. This is Nature’s way of telling us…

It’s June: What Can Be Done in the Garden?

It’s June in the garden. What are some of the things you could be doing? For starters, with spring’s unsettled weather finally yielding to the more predictable warmth of summer, it’s time to consider giving your houseplants a summer vacation…

In Drought Conditions, Water Until the Ground Freezes Hard

It’s no secret to any gardener based in New England that the region is experiencing a significant rainfall deficit. In Connecticut, where we’re located, assessments provided by NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, for September 2016, indicate that all…

What’s That Weed? 10 Common North American Weeds

While many of you undoubtedly spent summer engrossed in the latest New York Times bestselling beach reads, around here, the books we can’t put down are Weeds of the Northeast by Richard H. Uva, Joseph C. Neal and Joseph M.…

Visit Someone Else’s Garden for Inspiration

By Margret Delves Broughton, Public Relations I find it ironic that every year, by the time it’s mid-summer, I am kind of over gardening. Isn’t this the very moment I’ve been waiting for? After all, there shouldn’t be too many…

The Best Way to Water Your Plants

With summer heat baking much of the nation, it’s a good time to review some of the basics of watering. Our horticultural advisors have lately received a number of contacts about issues pertaining to plants that are being either under-watered…

What’s Up?

It’s an exciting time in the garden. April’s below-average temperatures may have given all of us cause for concern, but it’s caused surprisingly few ill effects in the beds and borders. Plants of all types are shaking off their winter…

Is There Anything to Do About a Late Freeze?

Large portions of the northeastern United States have experienced a difficult turn in which the normal weather patterns for March and April have been roughly reversed, with a series of soft, warm spring days in March followed by the recent…