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Nutritious Blue Berries You Can Grow Here

by Jan Cashman 9/19/19 Ever hear of “Haskaps”? I hadn’t but I found out they are shrubs with berries that are in the honeysuckle genus (Lonicera) also called Honeyberry, Yezberry or Blue Honeysuckle. Dr. Mac Burgess from the Montana State University Plant Sciences department is doing research on them along with other fruiting shrubs that

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11 GARDENING RESOLUTIONS FOR 2019

Entering the new year for many of us means making resolutions to do better by exercising more, losing weight, volunteering with a favorite charity, etc. We all have ideas of how we could be better gardeners. Why not make a gardening resolution? Here are 11 possibilities. You could adopt one or two of these for

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HOUSEPLANTS ARE BACK

by Jan Cashman Houseplants are back. After years of homes with dust-collecting artificial plants or no houseplants at all, we are seeing a resurgence of living plants decorating our homes. Houseplants give us the satisfaction of caring for something real and living. They purify the air in our homes by absorbing carbon dioxide and neutralizing

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Interesting Facts About Poinsettias-The Christmas Plant

From the 17th Century, Franciscan friars in Mexico have used poinsettias in Christmas celebrations. The star-shaped leaves symbolize the Star of Bethlehem and the red color the sacrificial blood of Jesus. Poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima) are a member of the spurge family. They are indigenous to Mexico. The first US ambassador to Mexico, Joel Roberts Poinsett,

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The 2018 Gardening Year

How our gardens grow in a given year is dependent on the weather. A quick recap of this year’s weather: We had above-average precipitation for the year, but precipitation in June, July, and August was below average. Ample early precipitation meant the ground had good water reserves. Temperatures in June, July, and August ran 2

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Preparing Your Yard For Winter

By Jan Cashman The first fall that At Home was published, the year 2000, I wrote about how to prepare your yard for winter. The information still applies, so here is the article, revised, with added information on winterizing your perennial flowers: It’s fall. Freezing weather is here. It’s time to ‘put the garden to

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