Perry's Perennial Pages

Flower and Gardening Articles 

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The following articles include those on perennials, flowers, and many other gardening topics.  New articles (5) are added monthly, and are arranged below by season. Articles appropriate any season are arranged further by topics.Author names are listed for contact purposes, as some of the articles have been adapted from other sources.

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Articles are provided for educational purposes and may be reprinted unaltered without prior permission, provided credit is given to the authors and "University of Vermont Extension" as the source.  Notice of their use and publication, however, would be appreciated and can be sent to leonard.perry@uvm.edu.  You are advised to check here also to make sure the information in the article is still current and accurate. The most recent articles are listed nearest the top of each category heading.

Articles are listed below by season appropriate to Vermont and similar regions in USDA hardiness zone 4 (don't know your zone? check the Links page for zone finders). For each hardiness zone warmer add a couple weeks in fall, and subtract a couple weeks in spring for approximate dates. In other words, activities for late September in zone 4 might be done 4 weeks later in zone 6, and activities for early May in zone 4 might be done 4 weeks sooner in zone 6. Time of season, such as early or late, are indicated next to article names where appropriate.
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July 2009 releases

Staking Dahlias and other July Gardening Tips


Plant Breeding for Gardeners

Toward a "Greener" Lawn

Caring for Raspberries

Hydrangeas



June 2009 releases

Pruning Suckers and other June
Gardening Tips

Bellflowers

Peony Questions

Northern Grape Growing

Harvesting Early Season Vegetables


Winter
Pruning and other March Gardening Tips

Starting Leeks and other February Gardening Tips

Surviving a Long Winter Indoors

Pruning Dormant Plants

Cleaning Bird Feeders and other January Gardening Tips

Outdoor Winter Gardening Questions

Gardening Resolutions 2009

2009 All-America Winners

Cary Award Winners for 2009

Gift Baskets and other December Gardening Tips

Top Tips for 2008

Holiday Plant Toxicity

Overwintering Tender Perennials Indoors

Facts about Christmas Trees

Checking Plant Lights and other February Gardening Tips

2008 All-America Winners

Patrolling for Pests and other January Gardening Tips

Green Resolutions for the New Year

Top Tips for 2007

Watching for Mites and other December Gardening Tips

Plants of the Winter Solstice

Choosing a Christmas Tree

All-America Selections 2007 Winners

Sowing Leeks and other February Gardening Tips

Proper Snowblowing and other January Gardening Tips

January Gardening Tips

Indoor Winter Gardening Questions

Starting Herbs and other December Gardening Tips

Top Gardening Tips for 2006

Protecting Trees and Shrubs from Cold

Mistletoe Myths and Medicines (holidays)

Checking Stored Bulbs and other January Gardening Tips

New Flowers for 2006

New Vegetables for 2006

Checking Stored Produce and other January Gardening Tips

Deicing Walks and other December Gardening Tips

Questions You May Ask in December

Holiday Greens and Their Traditions (holiday)

Keeping in Shape and other February Gardening Tips

Roses and More for Your Valentine

All-America Selections Vegetable Winners for 2005

Gardening Questions You May Ask in February

Testing Seeds and other January Gardening Tips

All-America Flower Selections for 2005

Gardening Questions You May Ask in January

Watching for Spider Mites and other December Gardening Tips

Holiday Garden Gifts for All

Why do We Have Poinsettias?

Checking Bulbs and other February Gardening Tips

Birdscaping

Checking Seeds and other January Gardening Tips

New All-America Vegetable Selections for 2004

New All-America Flower Selections for 2004

Shopping for Plants and Seeds

Gift Ideas and other December Gardening Tips

Christmas Tree Choices

Designing a Landscape Plan and other March Gardening Tips

Houseplants need Humidity

Indoor Water Gardens

Chinese Evergreens

For Now and Ever After (everlastings)

Armchair Travel and other February Gardening Tips

Top Perennial Picks for 2003

Coping with Winter and other January Gardening Tips

All America Selections Flower Award Winners for 2003

New Year's Resolutions

Sunflowers in Winter

Holiday Shopping and other December Gardening Tips

Holiday Greens

Making Maple Syrup and other March Gardening Tips

Secrets of Cut Tulips

Permaculture: An Earth Friendly Alternative

Interpreting the Seed Packet

Growing Citrus as Houseplants

Protecting Plants and other February Gardening Tips

Planning the Spring Garden and other January Gardening Tips

All America Flower Selections for 2002

All America Vegetable Selections for 2002

Winter Learning Opportunities for Gardeners

Patriotic Perennials

Holiday Safety and other December Gardening Tips

Fun Facts about Poinsettias (December holidays)

Send Your Christmas Tree Back to the Future (December holidays)

Flowers for a Winter Wedding

Saving the Environment and other March Gardening Tips

2001 All America Selections Winners

Consider Carnations

Fighting Cabin Fever and other February Garden Tips

Ordering Seeds and other January Gardening Tips

Plants for Purer Air

Perennials for Winter

Capturing Winter with Potpourri

2000 Holiday Gift Ideas (December Holidays)

Trendy Holiday Gift Ideas(December Holidays, 2000)

Caring for Your Poinsettia Year Round (December Holidays)

Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly (December Holidays)

Tending Houseplants and Other December Gardening Tips

Winter Gardening Activities for Kids

Flowers for Your Valentine

Inventorying Supplies and other March Gardening Tips

Living Ecologically and other January Gardening Tips

Mid-winter chores and other February Gardening Tips

For Now and Ever After(everlastings)

The 2000 All-America Flower Selections

Make Your Own Holiday Decorations

Decorating and Other December Gardening Tips

Cineraria, Calceolaria and Cyclamen

Amaryllis as an Alternative

Forcing Flowering Branches

Herbs with a Holiday History (December holidays)

A Live Tree Keeps Christmas Alive (December holidays)

Poinsettias for the Holidays (December holidays)

Window Sill Herb Gardening (Early Winter)

Growing Cacti as Houseplants

Protecting Landscape Plants from Snow and Ice Injury

December Tips

Greening Indoor Space and other February Gardening Tips

Indoor Bulbs and other February Gardening Tips

February Flowers and other Gardening Tips

Gardening on Paper and other January Gardening Tips

Edible Flowers

New Life for Old Plants (airlayering propagation of houseplants)

Shrubs with Red Berries (December holidays)

Consider Cyclamens

Orchids for your Valentine

Growing Orchids 101

Growing Orchids 201

All-America Flower Selections for 1999--part 1

All-America Flower Selections for 1999--part 2

Salt Damage to Plants

Salt Tolerance of Plants

Garden Tools of the Trade

Armchair Gardening (garden catalogs)

Flowers: the Universal Language of Love (Valentine's)

Care of Holiday Plants (December holidays)

Recycling your Kitchen Garbage (children gardening indoors)

Spring

Feeding Hummingbirds other May Gardening Tips

Memorial Gardens

Leafy Greens


Ornamental Flowering Tobacco

Spraying Dormant Oil  other April Gardening Tips

Crabgrass Control

Transplanting Trees and Shrubs

Frosts in the Garden

Feeding Hummingbirds and other May Gardening Tips

Avoid Lyme Disease While Gardening

Spring Bulbs After Bloom

Testing your Soil and other April Gardening Tips

Growing Eggplants

Removing Suckers and other March Gardening Tips

Vegetables like Coffee

Hardening Seedlings and other April Gardening Tips

Interesting Cool Crops (cabbage, kale)

More Than Just Lilac (lilacs)

Checking Viburnums and other April Gardening Tips

Common Tree Fruit Pests

Spring Tips for the Vegetable Garden

Versatile Violas

Sowing Cole Crops and other March Gardening Tips

Spring Tips for the Fruit Garden

Hardening Seedlings and other May Gardening Tips

Pruning Evergreens in the Landscape

Origins of the Dutch Bulb Industry

Potting Dahlias and other April Gardening Tips

Easter Lilies

Pruning Fruit Trees and other March Gardening Tips

Choice Perennials for 2006

Maple Syrup

Hardening Transplants and other May Gardening Tips

Gardening Questions You May Ask in May

Proper Mulching

Staking Your Flowers

Dividing Rhubarb and other April Gardening Tips

Gardening Questions You May Ask in April

Phosphorus and Lawns

Creative Container Combinations

Spring in the Perennial Garden

Sowing Wisely and other March Gardening Tips

Gardening Questions You May Ask in March

Dividing Perennials and other May Gardening Tips

Buying Trees and Shrubs

The Beauty of Food

Contain your Vegetables

Dividing Rhubarb and other April Gardening Tips

Garden Shopping Savvy

Seed Sowing and other March Gardening Tips

Year of the Pea

Landscaping and other May Gardening Tips

Three Spring Bulbs and Their Stories

Creating a Memorial Garden

Tuberous Begonias

Those Hummingbirds in Your Garden

Planting Peas and other April Gardening Tips

Get a Headstart on the Summer Flower Garden

Viburnums for Variety

Have Your Water and Garden, Too (drought gardening)

Gardening in a Drought

Northern Drought-resistant Plants

Plant An Instant Flower Garden (bedding plants, annuals)

Planting Fruit Trees and other May Gardening Tips

Tilling the Garden and other April Gardening Tips

Spring Lawn Care

The Midas Touch (flowers with gold foliage, flowers)

Tool Time (some favorite garden tools)

Contain Yourself(container gardening)

The Many Uses of Basil

Accessible Gardening for the Physically Challenged

Spring Cleaning the Water Garden

Nasturtium: A Favorite Old-fashioned Flower

Honoring Mom and other May Gardening Tips

Building a Raised Bed

Hang It Up! (hanging plants, baskets)

Creating a Cutting Garden

A Garden for Cats

The Tale of the Tulip

Ten Ways to Get from March until May

Celebrating Earth Day and other April Garden Tips

Grandmother's Garden

Landscaping with Ornamental Grasses

Designing an English Garden

Singing the Blues (blue flowers and beds)

Growing Roses in Vermont

Wedding Flowers

Perennial Sages

Reseeding the Lawn and other May Gardening Tips

Landscaping with Ground Covers

Geraniums, A Flower with Flair

Exterior Color Decorating

The Versatile Clematis

Keeping Cats out of the Garden

Tips for Buying Bedding Plants

Applying Dormant Oils and other April Gardening Tips

Shamrocks for St. Patrick's Day

The Year of the Zinnia

Try These Native Groundcovers

Resolve to Avoid These Invaders (Invasive plants)

Native Ferns

Native Perennials Add Color to the Flower Garden

Native Trees for the Landscape

Try Native Shrubs in Your Landscape

Planting the Garden and other May Garden Tips

Wild and Cultivated Flowers You Can Eat

Plant a Tree for Arborday

Preseason Preparation and Other April Tips

A Basket of Easter Flowers (flowers, care and origins including Easter Lily)

Starting Seeds and other March Gardening Tips

Impatiens

Begonias

A Hummingbird Garden

Attracting Birds to the Yard or Garden

Planting a Butterfly Garden

Those Lovely Lilacs

Fertilizing Lawns

Selecting Lawn Grasses

Preparing a Lawn Site

Hostas for the Home Landscape

Jumpstart Your Summer Garden

Using Perennials in the Home Landscape

Petunias for the Patio, Porch and Garden Plot
 
 

Summer

Staking Dahlias and other July Gardening Tips

Plant Breeding for Gardeners

Toward a "Greener" Lawn

Caring for Raspberries

Hydrangeas

Pruning Suckers and other June Gardening Tips

Peony Questions

Harvesting Early Season Vegetables

Storing Fruits and Vegetables

Taking Cuttings and other August Gardening Tips

Fountains for Landscapes

Roses and Their Fragrance

Water Gardening

Freezing Vegetables

Proper Pruning and other July Gardening Tips

Rozanne Perennial Geranium

Choosing Perennials Ecologically


Coneflowers have Changed

Harvesting Vegetables

Supporting Plants and other June Gardening Tips

Cabbage and Kale Not Look Right?

Freezing Berries and other August Gardening Tips

Growing Cabbage and Kale

Controlling Invasive Plants

Meadow Rues

Saving Seeds

Proper Mowing and other July Gardening Tips

Preserve Your Summer Flowers

Compost Happens, or Does It?

Gardening and Lightning Safety

Moving Bulbs and other June Gardening Tips

Summer Tips for the Vegetable Garden

Summer Tips for the Fruit Garden

Harvesting Onions and other August Gardening Tips

A Feast of Weeds

Seed or Sod?

Growing Daylilies

Common Flower Diseases

Repelling Slugs and other July Gardening Tips

Fuel-efficient Lawns and Landscapes

Coping with Heat in the Garden

Dazzling Daylilies

Common Vegetable Diseases

Moving Spring Bulbs and other June Gardening Tips

Visiting Gardens and other August Gardening Tips

Gardening Questions You May Ask in August

How to Garden with Weeds

Fire-safe Landscapes

Harvesting and other July Gardening Tips

Let Your Weeds Be Your Guide

Gardening Questions You May Ask in July

A Dozen Design Tips for Butterflies

So You Want a Wildflower Meadow?

Checking Strawberries and other June Gardening Tips

Gardening Questions You May Ask in June

Insect Bites and Stings

Summer Color from Trees and Shrubs

Summer in the Perennial Garden

Entering the Fair and other August Gardening Tips

Yes, You Can Plant Now

Flowers for the Fair

Yellowjackets

Home Landscape Security

Staking and other July Gardening Tips

Annuals, Cut and Dried

Feeding Your Butterflies

Which Hoe to Use?

Proper Mulching and other June Gardening Tips

Choosing Perennials, Ecologically

Grow Vertical Vegetables

Creating Attractive Butterfly Habitats

Canadian Explorer Roses

Pruning Flowers and other July Gardening Tips

Perennial Plant feature-- Lady's Mantle

Favorite Culinary Herbs

First Aid for Gardener's Skin

Lions, and Tigers, and Bears, Oh My! (plants with animal names)

Caring for Roses and other June Gardening Tips

Keep your Hummingbirds Happy and Healthy

Have Fun in the Sun (skin care while gardening)

Gardening for Strong Bones

Creating an Energy-saving Landscape

Sidedressing Crops and other July Gardening Tips

Garden Mazes and Labyrinths

Creating a Garden Maze or Labyrinth

Tips to Prevent Garden Allergies

Minimizing Garden Allergies

Extreme Perennials--early season

Extreme Perennials--late season

Planting Dahlias and other June Gardening Tips

Visiting Perennial Gardens and other August Gardening Tips

The Midas Touch (flowers with gold foliage, flowers)

What Gardener's Want to Know (FAQs)

Tool Time (some favorite garden tools)

Homegrown Teas

Watering, Weeding and other July Gardening Tips

Contain Yourself(container gardening)

Exhibiting Flowers at the Fair

The Many Uses of Basil

Controlling Animal Pests in the Flower Garden

Remembering Dad and other June Garden Tips

Delightful Dahlias

Furnishing Your Outdoor Living Space

Nasturtium: A Favorite Old-fashioned Flower

Low-maintenance Gardening

Accessible Gardening for the Physically Challenged

Hang It Up! (hanging plants, baskets)

Creating a Cutting Garden

A Garden for Cats

Grandmother's Garden

Landscaping with Ornamental Grasses

Singing the Blues(blue flowers and beds)

Designing an English Garden

Three Cheers for the Red, White and Blue (bedding plants for July 4)

Caring for Container Gardens

Relaxing in the Garden and Other July Tips

Moonlight in Vermont (moonlight, night gardens)

Re-engineering Your Garden (renovating overgrown gardens, redesigning the landscape)

Keeping Kids Safe in the Flower Garden(safe structures, poisonous plants to avoid)

Wedding Flowers

Growing Roses in Vermont

To Stake or Not to Stake

Perennial Sages

Avoiding and Controlling Rose Diseases

Mulching and other June Gardening Tips

Hardy Roses

Landscaping with Ground Covers

Geraniums, A Flower with Flair

Exterior Color Decorating

Using Color in the Garden

The Versatile Clematis

Keeping Cats out of the Garden

Assessing the Garden and other August Gardening Tips

Try These Native Groundcovers

Resolve to Avoid These Invaders (invasive plants)

Native Ferns

Native Perennials Add Color to the Flower Garden

Native Trees for the Landscape

Try Native Shrubs in Your Landscape

Maintaining the Garden and other June Tips

Vacation-Proofing the Garden and other July Tips

Harvesting the Garden and other August Tips

Watering Trees and Shrubs

Watering Ornamental Plants

Herbal Harvest

Water Gardening

Wild and Cultivated Flowers You Can Eat

Plants for Water Gardens

Grazing Your Garden Perennials(edible flowers)

Attracting Birds to the Yard or Garden

Preserving Summer Flowers

Mid-Summer Care of Ornamental Plantings

Fertilizing Lawns

Selecting Lawn Grasses

Preparing a Lawn Site

Summer Bulbs for the Garden

Hostas for the Home Landscape

A Hummingbird Garden

Growing Perennials Without Pesticides

Rose Hips

Preserving Summer Flowers

Purple Loosestrife is Not for Gardens

Think Before You Pitch (Invasive Plants)

Using Perennials in the Home Landscape

Fall

Storing Pots and other November Gardening Tips

Autumn Decorations from the Garden

Cleaning Tools and other October Gardening Tips

Putting Your Lawn (and Mower) to Bed

Starting New Gardens

Battlings Slugs and other September Gardening Tips

Miniature Spring Bulbs (minor bulbs)

Storing Fruits and Vegetables

Frosts in the Garden

Winterizing Roses and other November Gardening Tips

Protecting Landscape Plants from Salt

Preparing Gardens for Winter

Lady in Black

Preparing New Beds and other October Gardening Tips

Tree Fruit Diseases

Alternatives to the Burning Bush

Introducing Children to Fall Gardening Fun

Salt Tolerant Perennials

Dividing Iris and other September Gardening Tips

Fall Planting of Trees

Vegetable Storage at Home

Protecting Evergreens and other October Gardening Tips

Preparing Roses for Winter

Compost, Don't Burn

Saving Dahlias and other October Gardening Tips

Fall Planting for Spring Flowers

Autumn Perennial Garden Questions

Mulching Bulbs and other September Gardening Tips

Growing Fall Asters

Perennial Care-- Five Tips for Fall

Harvesting Root Vegetables and other November Gardening Tips

Gardening Questions You May Ask in November

Cleaning Bird Feeders and other October Gardening Tips

Gardening Questions You May Ask in October

Forcing Spring Bulbs

Taking Cuttings and other September Gardening Tips

Gardening Questions You May Ask in September

Fall in the Perennial Garden

Consider Fritillaries for Fall

Cleaning Bird Feeders and other November Gardening Tips

Planting Garlic and other October Gardening Tips

Digging Peonies and other September Gardening Tips

Fall Lawn Care

Daffodils for All Gardens

Create New Gardens and other November Gardening Tips

Overwintering Garden Mums

Fall Care of Roses

Harvesting and other October Gardening Tips

Trees Need Feeding

Getting Ready for Winter and other November Gardening Tips

Mulch to Prevent Winter Injury

Four Great Perennials to Grow

Celebrating Halloween and other October Gardening Tips

Winter Care for Summer Bulbs

Planting Mums and other September Gardening Tips

Pest-proofing the Garden and other November Gardening Tips

Crafty Holiday Gift Ideas

Harvesting Pumpkins and other October Gardening Tips

Halloween Horticulture

A Garden of Ghoulish Delights

The After Effects of Drought

Bringing Houseplants Indoors for the Winter

Autumn Decorations

Extending the Season and Other September Gardening Tips

Garden Cleanup and other October Gardening Tips

Cranberries for Thanksgiving

Paperwhites for Winter Bloom

Pruning Raspberries and other November Gardening Tips

Holiday Preparations and other October Gardening Tips

Gardening 101 (houseplants for dorm rooms)

Origins of Fall Flowers (gladiolus, everlastings, mums, asters)

Fall Planting of Trees (early fall)

Winter Protection and other November Gardening Tips

Sowing Wildflowers and other September Gardening Tips

Plants for Wildlife

Soil Testing and other September Gardening Tips

Origins of the Dutch Bulb Industry

Gardening 365 Days a Year (North Country Garden Calendar)

How Plants Prepare for Winter (early fall)

Tulips (early fall)

Sowing Wildflowers (early fall)

Combating the Elements(winter weather damage, prevention)

Fall Color in Your Backyard

Preparing Roses for Winter

Begin Bulbs for Winter Bloom (Forcing)

Asters and Goldenrod, Mythology

Controlling Lawn Thatch

A Fall Perennial Checklist

Recycling your Kitchen Garbage (children gardening indoors)

Overwintering Garden Mums (late fall)

Winterize Your Garden (late fall)

For suggestions of articles, comments or corrections contact leonard.perry@uvm.edu. Appreciation is expressed to Lisa Halvorsen for editorial assistance. Distribution of these releases is made possible by New England Grows-- a conference providing education for industry professionals and support for Extension's outreach efforts in ornamental horticulture.

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