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The Natural Gardener

The Natural Gardener

The circular gravel terrace in Nancy Goldman's front garden is simple in shape and materials, garnished with woven steel chairs. 'Black Knight' sweet peas and 'Sunset' runner beans climb the metal screen (above).
NANCY GOLDMAN
Friday, May 17
Scaling down brings garden's beauty, and joy, into focus

Garden designer Lucy Hardiman has helped shape and reshape her good friend's Portland property over the years. "It's definitely less busy now, and there's more definition to the spaces," says Hardiman after the latest round of renovation.

Friday, May 10

New garden books to plant by, cook by and simply enjoy

One of the new books goes into great detail on how to successfully grow vegetables right here.

Friday, May 3

Spring clean those weeds: How to whack back and attack

Please don't use chemicals, urges Natural Gardener columnist Valerie Easton. Herbicides leave their nasty residue in the soil far longer than we thought.

Friday, April 26

Annuals are the 'ta-daa!' of the garden; here are new additions

If you plant annuals in early May, water and douse them with fertilizer, most will perform in flower and leaf until October. Which is when we're outside to enjoy them.

Friday, April 19

The new edibles are nutritious, delicious and gorgeous

If you choose varieties well-suited to our climate, you'll be rewarded by fresh taste and the peace of mind that comes with growing your own.

Friday, April 12

These new perennials bring color and drama, year after year

No other kind of plant is so satisfying. Perennials define seasonality, dying down in autumn and poking back up again each spring.

Friday, April 5

New garden delights: this week it's trees and shrubs

Remember, no one has grown these new trees and shrubs long enough to know how they'll fare over the long haul.

Friday, March 29

Nurseries evolve to survive and thrive

Digital technology has changed how people pursue plants and gardening information.

Friday, March 22

David Perry knows the tricks of the digital-photography trade

"The iPhone is everything you want to do right in the palm of your hand."

Friday, March 15

Confessions of a fritillaria addict

Some are expensive, others finicky. Valerie Easton knows because she's killed so many off. And, yet, love persists.

Friday, March 8

Ephemerals bring early light to the drear and shade

They offer hope for a fresh season.