Vermont Garden Journal

Plan certain garden treatments now to help lessen the effects of Japanese beetles later.

Charlie Nardozzi takes on several listeners' questions about garden pests and plant woes.

Certain peanut varieties can grow and thrive in our clime, provided you find just the right spot.

From pepper plants with pests to hydrangeas that are slow to bloom, you might wonder whether you should keep or toss your plant and start over.

The All Things Gardening inbox is full of listeners' spring gardening conundrums! Charlie aims to answer a few.

Try this hardy iris that blooms a bit later in the season and provides color and movement to your gardens and landscape.

Pick annual weeds after a rain and pluck perennial ones when the weather is sunny and dry.

When you're putting together window boxes, choose some annual flowers that have colorful foliage. Certain coleus varieties can add bright colors and thrive in full sun. Others, like caladiums, grow well in shady areas.

The natural world is full of signals that the soil is warming. And when it warms enough, that means it's time to plant peas. Try planting English podded, sugar snap and snow peas this spring.

From aronias to winterberries, plant native shrubs to feed birds and attract wildlife.

This spring, plant cultivated varieties of some wild greens. Lambsquarters and amaranth grow easily, look attractive in your garden, and taste mild and earthy.

If you have hydrangea bushes in your landscape that flower in late summer or early fall, now is the time to cut them back so they'll produce their best blooms.

It's spring, and bulbs will flower soon. Nourish and protect them now with simple techniques.

Certain types of tomatoes can be harvested and stored for months. Search your local garden center for these seeds and some other unique tomato plants this spring.

It's springtime in some southern locales, where many vibrant flowering vines are in full bloom. New England can get in on the action by growing the annual varieties of these vines this spring and summer. Try the black-eyed Susan vine, mandevilla and more.

Just like the dormant bulbs underneath the snow, your garden senses are awakening! Take in a local garden and flower show to get inspired and excited for spring planting.

The clivia, a Zululand bloom with dark green foliage, was named after a British duchess who brought the plant from its native South Africa to cultivate it in her greenhouse.

Cut flowers are a great way to bring some cheer indoors when it's gloomy outside. This year, try something new that will bloom right up until spring.

Things are slowly unfolding in the garden underneath the snow and ice. And the list of garden chores is getting longer. Begin some winter garden tasks now.

Bold, contrasting petals and leaves make these award-winning houseplants stand out.

Want to fill your home with plants but can't afford to just now? You needn't be green with envy; just enlist a friend with houseplants and ask them to propagate some for you.

With some patience and planning, you can have a source of various vegetables year after year with just one planting.

Philodendron, rubber plants and spiderwort have been popular houseplants for decades. Now, growers are introducing new varieties and colors to liven your environs. Propagate some to grow outdoors in containers this summer, too.

The time for planting seeds in the soil is months away. Still, this is a great time to evaluate your half-used and opened garden seed packets to check if they are still viable for spring planting.

If you receive a plant as a gift this month, you might be able to nurture it for generations to come. Or you might just have to add it to your compost pile once the flowers fade. Learn which plants can thrive for years and which ones you should toss.

Want to give your favorite gardener a gift that will last a lifetime? Try a hand pruner! This is an essential tool for multiple things in the garden or yard.

Balsam fir trees are a traditional choice for holiday decorations. Other types and sizes can look festive, too, like spruce, pine and boxwood.

Choose the correct container and citrus variety, and you could have a mini indoor orangerie this winter.

Treat the birds this winter to seed and suet, as well as dead trees, native berries and wood piles.

Turnips and rutabagas are a common part of traditional American holiday feasts. They are often overlooked at other times of the year. Try planting sweeter varieties of these brassicas and enjoying them cooked or raw year-round.

Charlie Nardozzi answers gardeners' questions and gives advice on how to get their gardens and tools ready for overwintering and storage.

There are several different kinds of holiday cactuses: There's a Thanksgiving cactus, Christmas cactus and an Easter cactus. Holiday cactuses earn their names because they tend to bloom near Christian holidays.

You can plant crocus, daffodils and tulips outdoors now, as the soil is cool enough for them to overwinter and bloom next spring. And you can also plant bulbs in containers indoors. Use a layering technique and they will blossom for a month.

Love to use garlic in cooking? Consider planting your own. You can choose garlic types based on your taste. Then, as long as you've got composted and well-drained soil, you should get a good garlic harvest next summer.

Sometimes blooming up until — and even after — the first frost, flowers like Montauk daisies and stokesia provide a last gasp of late fall color.

If your daffodils and other flowering bulbs didn't grow well this past spring, try planting flowering onions. They are beautiful and fairly trouble-free. Purchase a few when you're getting other spring flowering bulbs ready to plant later this month.

Paw paw trees grow in our region and produce lots of sweet fruits in late summer and early fall. The fruit's insides are soft and custard-like, and the taste can range from banana to mango to vanilla.

If you love seeing spring flowers popping up under trees, across your lawn or in your meadow, start planning how to get that look now. Soon, you can go purchase your favorite bulbs and get them in the ground.

If your peony plants didn't bloom as much this year, perhaps they're getting too much shade. As you prep your gardens for fall and winter, separating and moving your peonies could help them bloom better next year.

This fall as you clean up your garden and raised beds, remove less leaf litter, stems and other garden debris. Leaving these in place can create places for beneficial pollinators to overwinter.

Helenium and boltonia are perennials that grow well in our region. Both come in a range of colors and boast great attributes: pollinators love them, and deer and woodchucks don't.

Apples, pears and Asian pears are almost ready to pick. Charlie Nardozzi reviews how and when to harvest to ensure the best-tasting fruits.

Related to the hardy hibiscus and known for its large blossoms, the Rose of Sharon grows well in full sun and well-drained soil. Add it to your garden or landscape for a tall shrub that brings great color this time of year.

The larva of the sawfly is a small (and hungry!) caterpillar. They tend to eat in groups and can eat all the needles off a pine. Plus, their voracious appetites can create "window-pane”-like damage to the leaves of many plants and vegetables.

Brown beetles landing in your hair when you try to enjoy an evening on your porch? Crows taking just one bite from your ripe tomatoes on the vine? Charlie Nardozzi offers guidance on these questions and more issues that are bugging local home gardeners this summer.

With blossoms that reach 6 to 8 inches in diameter and come in a rainbow of bright colors, hardy hibiscus are a perennial shrub to add to your landscape.