Margaret Lauterbach: Gardening

Lauterbach: Delphiniums need to be planted in full sun, sheltered from wind

To grow delphiniums the seed must be fresh and collected from first-year crosses to ensure health and vigor.

To a fan of delphiniums, a gap or two in a spike of flowers is as unforgiveable as a missing button on a new shirt. When spikes grow short or frowsy, even a devoted fan may lose interest in that flower.

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Archive by category ''Margaret Lauterbach: Gardening

GARDENING

Lauterbach: Yellow leaves? Add some iron

Treasure Valley gardeners know our soil is alkaline, too alkaline for some plants to grow. Nationally published magazines and references routinely advise adding lime or wood ashes to soil because they're expecting soil to be acidic, not alkaline, but we can't add those items without causing ourselves...
GARDENING

Lauterbach: Betcha can't see just one - thrips, that is.

Thrips are so tiny you really can't see just the one unless you have a magnifying glass in hand and know what you're looking for. They're less than one- twentieth of an inch long, slender and have long fringes on the edges of their narrow wings if they're adults. Nymphs look nearly the same, but...
MARGARET LAUTERBACH: GARDENING

Lauterbach: Comely collards are hardy, nutritious and tasty

If you're looking for a different nutritious vegetable to grow and serve, consider collard greens or collards.
MARGARET LAUTERBACH: GARDENING

Lauterbach: Seeds, like fashion, can go in and out of style

What if you've found the perfect variety of vegetable to grow for your family, but now you can't find seeds for it? Varieties come and go, depending on sales volume.
MARGARET LAUTERBACH: GARDENING

Cane blight claimingroses in the Treasure Valley

If you have rose shrubs in your yard, inspect them carefully. Rose cane bacterial blight is back and has killed a number of roses.
MARGARET LAUTERBACH: GARDENING

Lauterbach: Cane blight is claiming roses in the Treasure Valley

If you have rose shrubs in your yard, inspect them carefully. Rose cane bacterial blight is back and has killed a number of roses.
MARGARET LAUTERBACH: GARDENING

Lauterbach: Nuanced burdock is much more than a nuisance

It grows wild; seed pods catch at our clothing or pets' fur, and most of us regard the plant as a nuisance weed. We see its roots in some grocery stores and walk on by, but we should reconsider.
MARGARET LAUTERBACH: GARDENING

Lauterbach: A phlox upon your flowerbed for color from April to September

When you're planning or renewing a bed of ornamentals, take a good look at phlox, an American native, that is treasured in many forms in public gardens around the world.
MARGARET LAUTERBACH: GARDENING

Propagating shrubs is fun and economical

Most of us think of planting seeds to grow plants, but there are other ways, and spring is the best time to start.
MARGARET LAUTERBACH: GARDENING

Lauterbach: Why we should be wary of genetically engineered food

Garden centers and bloggers have been flooded with queries about genetically engineered or modified organisms (GMOs). I've tried to explain the problem in the past, but many still think GMOs are just hybrids, and wonder "what's the beef?"