If you have a mostly or completely sunny bare wall or fence thatneeds some late-season pizzazz, vines of Sweet Autumn Clematis (Clematis paniculata) could be the perennial to dress up the spot. Leaves begin to show on the woody vines during late spring. As summer progresses, vines encircle up adjacent structures or mound over a stone wall or stump. A bit of gardener-guidance points vine growth in a chosen direction and, by late summer, flower buds form. White, sweetly-fragrant star-like blossoms, each about an inch across, begin opening in September. By mid-month Connecticut-grown Sweet …

With daylight shortening and nights cooling, any houseplants you moved outside need to come back indoors. No so for any pests that might be hiding on their leaves and stems. Thoroughly inspect each plant and give leaf tops and undersides a good hosing with a strong, but not damaging stream of water. This dislodges larger caterpillars or spiders and often takes care of harder-to-see pests like aphids. If there's signs of pests—mottled or sticky leaves, tiny webs—or tiny insects moving about, consider spraying all leaf and stem surfaces with an organic pesticide (I like Safer). Do this in a …

September is a good time for gardeners in Connecticut's zones 5 and 6 to replant houseplants. Doing so gives indoor greenery fresh nutrients from which to draw during the low light, dry heat that's so common indoors during autumn and winter. Your local garden center will carry the supplies you'll need: lightweight potting mix, clean pots a size larger than those plants are currently in and granulated slow-release fertilizer. Choose a cloudy day or a shady outdoor spot in which to work. Gently tap each houseplant out of its current pot. Loosen plant roots and clean away old soil. Place stones…

Imagine morning glory flowers on steroids and in the purest white. You're visualizing moonflowers; big, round late-summer blossoms. It's akin to growing full moons on a vine. In Connecticut, moonflowers (Ipomea alba), like their morning glory siblings, are spring-planted tender annuals that twist up a supporting structure. To enjoy moonflowers now, start seeds indoors during spring, about two weeks before it's safe to plant tender annuals outside. Moonflowers don't like temperatures in the 40's or colder. I grow them up a bamboo teepee placed securely in a largepot in full sun and safe from …

During August, Connecticut gardens can come down with thefew-flowers blues. Many annuals have worn-out, mid-summer perennials begin to fade, and season-long blooming perennials go into a flowering lull. But gardens containing one of the varieties of perennialanemones (Anemone hupehensis or Anemone x hybrida) don't get the August blues. Vigorous-growing anemone flourish in part-shade to full sun when given ample moisture until established. In spring and early summer, dark green leaves form a mounding mass 18- to 24-inches tall and up to four feet wide. As summer progresses, the mounds sprout …

If you haven't investigated coneflower (Echinacea) selections at your local garden center lately, you're in for a surprise. Varieties of this mid- to late-blooming perennial have broadened well beyond the common single-petal, dark pink blooms. Flower styles range from standard daisy-type to double pom-poms to zinnia-like. Petal colors glow in hues of peach, coral and fiery orange, pure white, envious green, a green-pink combo, yellow and gold, and pale pink to deep magenta. Don't shy from Echinacea because of their usual three or four foot height. Plant breeding created shorter, front-of-the-…

When mid-summer veggies start maturing in Connecticut gardens, keep them producing by picking often. Pick tomatoes when they've reached full color and arestill firm. If vines are heavy with fruit and near breaking, pick the tomatoes showing some color, then ripen them on a kitchen counter or windowsill. Pole and bush beans are most tender before seeds begin tobulge in their pods. Pick summer squash and cucumbers when smaller in size. Largersummer squash and cucumbers are often drier and seed-filled. Peppers are tasty at about any size but will be sweeter—andmore fiery if a hot variety—when …

If you visit one of your mature tomato plants to findmany leaves munched down to mere stems, look carefully at the undersides of the intact leaves and stems for hornworms. Both tomato and tobacco hornworms (they have differentmarkings) are actually caterpillars of moths commonly known as sphinx, hummingbird, or hawk moths. Hornworms, no matter the type, voraciously feed on leaves of nightshades—tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, petunia, tobacco and other plants in the Solanaceae family. Small leaf holes are the first sign. As hornworms feedand grow to a mature length of three to four inches, they …

Annual flowers—also called bedding plants—take centerstage between the striking, but brief, flower shows of individual perennials likeiris, peony and day lily. As spring turns to summer, show-stopping annuals suchas impatiens, begonias, marigolds, lantana, verbena, petunias, calibrachoa, salvia,snapdragons, zinnia, and ageratum, among others, can be picked up at bargainprices. These bargain plants may be root-bound after growing in smallnursery pots, but a bit of transplant love will help them grow into garden spotlights. Tease open crowded root balls and set into a soil-loosenedplanting hole…

When you plant the perfect container-grown perennials, or larger balled-and-burlapped shrubs and trees, you may inadvertently introduce unwelcome hitchhikers into your landscape. Weeds or weed seeds may be hiding in the soil of your new greenery. A two-year undertaking in Alaska resulted in 50-plus weeds being incubated from soils imported into the state from outside plant suppliers. Only three of the incubations were native to Alaska. Nurseries in colder climates frequently obtain vegetables, herbs, perennials and woody shrubs and trees from suppliers across the country. To prevent any ride-…

Edibles grow well in containers from 10- to 20-inches in diameter exposed to at least 6 hours of sun a day. Smaller containers suit salad greens (direct sown seeds or purchased transplants). Sow bush bean seeds; young pepper, Swiss chard, kale or strawberry plants; or bred-for-container tomato or eggplant starter plants in mid-size pots. Use larger pots to sow summer squash seeds or, when outfitted with tomato cages or bamboo-pole teepee supports, to grow full-sized or cherry tomato transplants or seeds of cucumbers or pole beans. Water when the top inch of soil is dry, feed weekly with …

Plant potted nursery-grown chives or a divided clump from a gardening friend and be charmed by chives' ease of growth and lavender-pink flowers. Planted in full to partial sun in a well-drained container or planting bed, the slender stalks of common chives (Allium schoenoprasum) peek from the ground in early spring to form 12-18 inch tall clumps. During mid-spring, these deer-resistant perennials display globe-shaped blossoms that complement other seasonal blooms like iris and peony. In the kitchen, the mild-oniony taste of chives traditionally top baked potatoes. But diced chives, and whole …

Don't be too eager to plant tender annuals like tomatoes, eggplant, sweet or hot peppers, impatiens, petunias, begonias, coleus and the like in the ground outside. Though May 1 - 10 is the average last frost period for East Haddam and Haddam (plantmaps.com lists frost dates by zip code), plant-killing frosts and cold nights can visit into late May. Soil remains chilly and damp in cool, wet springs, such as this one; the very conditions young tender annuals dislike. Allow soil to warm a bit before transplanting tomatoes and the like—until night temperatures remain above 55 degrees Fahrenheit. …

If you're a lucky Mom admiring a potted azalea, hydrangea or other flowering plant, enjoy these beauties on a covered porch for a while before planting them outside. Often these plants have been forced into early bloom in warm greenhouses. Unless you're sure your plant lived in outside conditions before it came to live with you, give it a chance to adjust to unfiltered sun and outside weather. A week on a covered porch or other protected spot receiving bright light, but not direct sunlight, is usually enough to harden-off spring plant purchases as long as you also water them when the top inch…

While enjoying your daffodils, narcissi and other spring bulbs grab some digital shots or draw a quick diagram of their location. Use these to guide new bulb purchases. Many suppliers discount bulbs during spring and very early summer. So place your order early to save some green and get a jump on autumn gardening tasks. Then, before current bulb foliage browns and disappears, mark each group's location with a stone circle, short bamboo pieces, or other object. Check new bulbs when they arrive in time for autumn planting and refer back to your notes and photos to remind you how spring looked…

Spring makes gardeners anxious to add plants to containers and color to their outdoor spaces. Local nurseries are bursting with traditional plants as well as many new and exciting annual, perennial, tropical and edible offerings. Edibles continue to be A-list plants. A Garden Writers Association survey found 53 percent of U.S. households with a lawn or garden grew vegetables in 2010. The National Gardening Association claims 41 million American households grew some of their own food in 2010, up by 5 million over 2009. Tomatoes, the favorite home-grown edible, come in abundant varieties from …

You may see dandelions as nothing but a nuisance weed, and lilacs only as a familiar spring-blooming shrub while phenologists, those who study plant and animal lifecycles, analyze growth phases of these and other common plants as indicators of climate change. But this type of research requires LOTS of plant observations—more than scientists could possibly collect themselves—so they're seeking help from parents, kids, grandparents, teachers, gardeners and nature enthusiasts. They ask anyone interested in expanding a child's or their own budding curiosity in plants to join Project BudBurst, or …

Ignore the MOUNDS of snow piled outside the windows and get lost in springtime thoughts. February is the time to scrutinize seed and plant catalogues, and Connecticut has a few gems guaranteed to captivate. Whether looking for heirloom tomatoes, unusual lettuce or bean varieties, Connecticut's own Red Wethersfield onions, flower and herb seeds that grow well here, or tropical plants, you'll find plenty of Constitution State resources. Kitchen Garden Seeds, in Bantam, offers hundreds of varieties of vegetable, herb and flower seeds plus onion sets and potato tubers. Their Purple Queen bush …

The next time you water the potted ivy gracing your living room's side table or walk by the large dracaena surviving the temperature fluctuations and low humidity of the office foyer, say, "thanks." These and other houseplants work every day to make your indoor air a little cleaner. Paints, plastics, dyes, adhesives, carpet backing and other products used in home and office equipment, furniture and building construction off-gas potentially harmful compounds — think benzene, trichloroethylene and formaldehyde. Ironically, the same insulation and weather-stripping used to stop air from getting …

'Tis days after Christmas and still in the houseStands a tree in the corner that no longer sprouts.Stockings unhung, now the chimney is bareAnd the tree needs undecorating and disposal, but where? The children are busy outside with their sleds,Or elsewhere with I-Tunes blaring through their heads,While parents reach gently, avoiding tree sap,To store each ornament for its long summer's nap. The blizzard has passed, the winds have diminishedAnd outside there's still snow shoveling to finish.Yet the tree must come down, its lights cease to flash,But what can one do besides throw it in the trash…