Ruth

Hi, everyone. Frugal and practical soul that I am, I've been recycling pruned branches for eons, mostly to stake tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant and to build trellises for beans, etc. You can use pretty much anything: maple saplings, hedge prunings, even red-twig dogwood shoots for a touch of color. Typically the wood lasts for a couple of years, and eventually it turns into row markers, or kindling.

trashywoman62: Plant IDs for this photo are not available online, only in the print 2012 calendar. Amazingly, this calendar is still for sale at http://store.finegardening.com/2012-calendar-ideas-041039.html. We do have plant IDs of some photos from other articles, which you can access from this page: http://www.finegardening.com/design/interactive-graphics.aspx

Pokeweed easy to pull out? When it is young it is easy to pull out, but it has a deep taproot that in my experience breaks off before it releases. The flowers form berries, and it reseeds freely. If this is pokeweed, let the gardener beware.

There are varieties of eggplant that don't look like the eggplant, so to speak. Could it be http://rareseeds.com/turkish-orange-eggplant.html, http://www.seedsavers.org/Details.aspx?itemNo=1405, or some other type?

A friend at work gave me a few forget-me-nots many years ago, and now they are taking over the lawn in lovely, blue swathes. I just mow after flowering and seed set, so they will return next spring in all their glory.

I asked the same question three years ago, and the answer turned out to be dame's rocket (see http://www.finegardening.com/item/9092/can-anyone-tell-me-what-this-is). See also http://www.finegardening.com/plantguide/hesperis-matronalis-sweet-rocket.aspx for a botanical description).

I'm in! It's rampant here in Connecticut, and I pull them like mad. I drive my dog crazy. He thinks he's out for a walk, not for a "park and pull". Now if I could only convince the neighbors...

Sorry, lbveas, but at present you can't add this content to your favorites. I suggest you either bookmark it or drag its icon into your links toolbar for easy reference.

I've got an oak that's in bad shape, too. I think oaks got hit hard partly because they don't drop their leaves until very late.

littleloiee, cut us some slack, please. We're in Connecticut,and many of us have been coping with power outages and downed trees. Without power, we can't even turn on our computers, much less post. I'm just getting online now for the first time since Saturday. My yard looks like a war zone, too. As for your specific questions, I hope others will weigh in as well, but I'd advise doing nothing right now with the redbud. You can certainly plant your bulbs, but I would wait until spring for putting down grass seed. That is, I would wait in Connecticut; I'm not sure if it's significantly warmer where you live in New Jersey.

atthetimberline: you need first to click on one of the little photos. When you do that, it becomes the large photo on the top of the page. Then click on it again to enlarge it. Give it a try.

Peaceofpie, you can view all the Garden Photos of the Day to date by clicking on the banner at the top of this page or by using this link: http://www.finegardening.com/blog/garden-photo

Sorry, ppinc, but we can't allow links in comments. If we did, we'd have spammers posting links to unrelated commercial sites and worse, and I'd spend big chunks of my day cleaning up the mess. Instead of retyping links you'd like to visit, just highlight them and copy them into your browser windo, then hit "enter." That's a lot faster than tedious typing.

Lassivius, you'll find lots and lots of tomato-growing info on FineGardening.com's sister site, VegetableGardener.com. Start here and follow the links: http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/8879/all-about-tomatoes

Chrisbosa, we have a Garden Design Gallery, where site visitors can post photos and ask for design advice. We'd be delighted if you and others would mosey over and help out.
http://www.finegardening.com/contest/garden-design-help

It would be helpful to know where you live. I'm guessing that this vine is an invasive you might not want to keep.

Sorry to say that I don't know the tree species. In the third photo, you see a #4 by the tree. That's a stop on the Stony Man Interpretive Trail, and if you ever hike there, It think you can get a guide for $1 at the southern end, near Skyland. I was hiking north to south on the Appalachian Trail, so I didn't pick up a guide.

We did post the picture some time ago. Here's a link to the post: http://www.finegardening.com/item/19717/announcing-the-winner-of-the-spring-awakenings-photo-challenge

Cute photo, Liz. Rocky picked the perfect place to lurk.

Stay tuned. We will be making the announcement in the next few days.

The cinder blocks are gradually sinking into the earth. Maybe I'll try edging the sink with nasturtiums this year.

Paul, your post is very timely. My 'Zephirine Drouhin' could really use a trim.

sasc913, I see that you've posted your question on the Lenten rose page (http://www.finegardening.com/item/18938/lentin-rose), where lbister is most likely to see it. I hope he/she responds soon.

Your beautiful photos speak for themselves, nadwa. Welcome to FineGardening.com.

Multiple entries (up to 10 per person) are permitted.

ESkyscape, we tried to lengthen the window, but our software and the quiz software don't see eye to eye, and this was the best we could do. Jeandabbles and susan 749, you are right. For most gardeners, this isn't a tough quiz. But stay tuned. Future quizzes might take a turn for the diabolical.

This looks like 'Grandpa Ott' morning glory, and if it is, "prolifically" is a vast understatement. It grows along my veggie garden fence (in Connecticut), reseeds without fail starting late spring and right up 'til frost. I have to rip out huge quantities just to keep it from strangling my food crops. But it is beautiful!

No sound, just images and captions.

Biochar, we had a technical glitch yesterday afternoon that we fixed, and we do have an entry from you.
http://www.finegardening.com/item/17016/racing-the-frost
If you wanted to enter something else, please email me today at rdobsevage@taunton.com. Send me your title, what you want to say, and attach the photo, and I'll see that it's included in the judging.

For more about this garden (the winning entry in our photo challenge), see http://www.finegardening.com/item/15933/lavender-garden-wins-backyard-garden-spaces-contest

Very timely video for me, Paul. I've got a Rosa rubra that's being engulfed by other plants. I'm going to take advantage of the wet weather we're having now to move it to a better spot.

Persicaria?

To enlarge a photo (on a pc), right-click, choose "properties", and copy the url into a new browser window. You should see a photo the same size as the one you copied. Then in the url, change what immediately precedes the ".jpg" to _xl.

example:

change
http://www.finegardening.com/assets/uploads/posts/15757/Small_Garden_Sm_Three_copy_lg.jpg
to
http://www.finegardening.com/assets/uploads/posts/15757/Small_Garden_Sm_Three_copy_xl.jpg

It's tedious, but it is a way to see a larger version of an image.

I'm in southwestern Connecticut. Before Blue the husky, there was Chinook malamute and before her, Yukon malalamute. I agree, they are great dogs.

Blue the husky (http://www.finegardening.com/item/5902/am-i-blue) loves the outdoors but isn't really into the formalities of garden design. As long as there's something to pee on and roll in, he's a happy boy. He's especially pleased when he can nibble the ripening blackberries and blueberries.

In the interest of full disclosure, www.socalrubbermulch.com is the "exclusive Southern California distributor of PermaLife rubber mulch and playground safety products". This is not to say that the information SoCalRubberMulch presents is invalid (or valid, for that matter).

bruinjon, the video is here; just click on the screen, and it should start to play. I see it fine using Internet Explorer; what browser are you using?

Sorry about the bad link. I was on vacation and didn't see these comments until now. I've fixed the link. You can enter the contest here: www.finegardening.com/contest/backyard-garden-spaces

DevonCat, I entered your post http://www.finegardening.com/item/15474/my-long-narrow-backyard in the contest for you. Again, apologies to all for the goof.

gem514, sorry to tell you that this giveaway was in 2009.

Plant something low maintenance, like herbs or flowering tobacco (Nicotiana).

It looks like something in the Brassica family, maybe kale. Kale often reseeds from year to year in my garden, as do many other veggies.

If it's corn, it won't need staking, just some hilling. Mound the soil to a height of around 4-6 inches as the plant grows. For a lot more info on growing veggies, check out Fine Gardening's sister site, www.vegetablegardener.com. A few searches over there should answer most of your questions.

1. if the leaves are smooth and shiny, pepper; if a a tad furry, tomato. it will be easier to say when the next sets of leaves (the "true" leaves) appear. 2. looks awfully thin for corn, but I don't know what other veggie it could be. 3. definitely a cucurbit: squash, melon, cuke, pumpkin...

Welcome to the site, kwangsub. Your photos are beautiful. Please post more about Korean gardening.

The issue is going to press shortly, so we ended the survey.

I just replied to you via email, miss415. It's easier to do that than to try to explain here.

I would think you could but stalks sparingly in a couple of months, depending on how the plant looks. It it grows robustly, yes, cut a little; if not, leave it along for a full season.

Wow, that's practically a blank slate. We look forward to following your activities as you develop the site.

Wow. Spring in 06891 isn't anything like this.

salsaman, if you're looking for black lashing cord for trellises, you can purchase it here: http://www.gardeners.com/Black-Lashing-Cord/VegetableGardening_Accessories,31-494,default,cp.html?SC=ALTRT666

kwangsub, thank you for showing your photos. They are beautiful. It's always nice to see gardening from other parts of the world.

So many tomatoes, so little space. Sun Gold is a mainstay at my place, too. It's generally the first to ripen and it continues to produce well into fall. Other favorites are Amish Paste, Linguisa, Jaune Flammée, Juliet, and Black Prince (just to name a few).

Thanks, PlayinDirt. I guess I've seen this as a roadside plant as well, now that I think about it. Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) is apparently invasive (thanks, Google), so I'll keep tabs on it. But for now, I love it right where it is.

I've had a malamute and two huskies that love to nibble blueberries, blackberries and raspberries right off the plant. It it only the Northern dogs that do that, I wonder?

I wouldn't know. Once they escape, they are almost impossible to catch.