'); } -->
JEFF LOWENFELS
I always dislike those columns where the authors review what is new for the season. Usually, it turns out, these are nothing more than a rehash of the press releases from the seed companies. Countless dollars are spent trying to get people to write about plants and seeds being introduced.
TALK DIRT TO ME
Red wigglers enrich composting experience
There were no frowns or disapproving looks among this group of people, no squeals of disgust or moves to empty out the stacked containers full of worms into the dust bin.
JEFF LOWENFELS
Readers send in favorite Web sites about gardening
We are at the end of a month of catalogs and Web sites. I have so far listed some of my favorites, but I did get quite a bit of e-mail suggesting others' favorite catalogs and Web offerings as well.
TALK DIRT TO ME
Alaskans share their sources of inspiration
I can just feel my mood lightening with the increase in daylight and the seed catalogs are pouring in, so it must be time to think about planting already.
JEFF LOWENFELS
Catalogs offer fascinating garden tools
Some gardeners really get into gardening tools and gadgets. It shouldn't come as any surprise to the rest of us that there are catalogs and Web-o-logs that specialize in gardening tools. These are really winter reading material. Not only will you be amazed by what is available, a good tool catalog can stimulate gardening thoughts in the middle of winter.
TALK DIRT TO ME
Upcoming events for horticulturalists
Heads Up! Take note and mark your calendars for these upcoming spring events, conferences and workshops of interest to Alaska gardeners. Check the Talk Dirt blog for links to Web sites, more info and online registration as they becomes available.
JEFF LOWENFELS
Homer nursery's gardening catalog among Web's best
Let's face it. There is a reason we all eventually fall under the spell of perennials. They are the easiest plants to grow and maintain, sure, but they are also the ones that produce the most beautiful flowers. This latter trait translates into really beautiful catalogs and Web-o-logs.
TALK DIRT TO ME
Vole presents dilemma for gardener
During final desperation cleanup this fall -- the kind of deal-with-God gardening where you promise not to ask for one more gardening thing before spring in exchange for six hours before freeze-up -- a Disney mouse came rocketing down the side of the house.
JEFF LOWENFELS
Check catalogs for Alaska-hardy tomatoes
You can learn a lot from seed catalogs. Let me start the month of catalog columns with tomatoes. Let's face it, growing tomatoes is one of the main reasons people get into gardening. Unfortunately, it isn't the easiest thing to grow in Southcentral.
JEFF LOWENFELS
It is finally that time of winter to start thinking about spring and summer gardening catalogs and their electronic counterparts, web-o-logs. Many of these are great vehicles for increasing your garden knowledge because they not only sell seeds, plants and equipment, but -- if they are any good -- contain all sorts of wonderful pictures and lots of useful cultural information about how to grow what they offer.
JEFF LOWENFELS
What's Christmas without a few plants?
'Twas the night before Christmas in our house. The plants were all in their places. All was well.
Here you go, last-day shoppers: Great gifts for gardners
Did you wait until the last minute to shop? Stumped for gifts for your favorite gardener? Here are some ideas to help you out that should be easy to find in town.
TALK DIRT TO ME
Enjoying the winter wonderland
Every winter I grudgingly give in to admiration as snow blankets the landscape. I hate it when it first begins to snow, but once it's landed, it works it's way into my heart.
JEFF LOWENFELS
Magazine gift ideas for gardeners
OK, It is getting awfully close to the end, but for those who are still looking for a suitable gift to please a gardener or three on the list, let's start with some great publications I get myself and think you and your giftees will enjoy as much as I do. You could order these and simply make a nice card indicating the first copy is on its way.
TALK DIRT TO ME
Rhubarb's roots in Alaska run deep into history
In a Talk Dirt interview with Jill Shepherd, the master gardener and writer discusses the history of rhubarb in Alaska.
TALK DIRT TO ME
Tough love is needed to get rid of those pest pigeons
The first one arrived in my backyard on Friday and by Monday there were four of them. Pigeons. They've been called everything from rats with wings to war heroes. A pure white one is the icon for peace and the Holy Spirit.
JEFF LOWENFELS
Christmas gift ideas for the gardeners on your list
Ah, it is the time of year when non-gardeners spend time trying to think of what gifts to give the gardeners in their lives. Choosing the right gift is difficult, of course, because each gardener has his or her own tastes.
JEFF LOWENFELS
Make the most of poinsettias during holiday
Poinsettias, of course, are always the biggest source of questions this time of year. No wonder. Almost 70 million of them are going to be sold this season. There is a very good chance that you will have at least one in your home or office. Even though most people do not keep holiday poinsettias much longer than the holiday season, it does make sense to know how to care for them. Sooner or later, you will own one.
TALK DIRT TO ME
An easy-to-tend garden must start with planning
When Valerie Easton's husband of 30 years threw down the shovel and quit as her yard boy to have more time to do the things HE liked to do, Valerie realized just how weary she was of tending her quarter-acre yarden. Soon after her youngest graduated, Valerie and husband downsized to a smaller home and a MUCH smaller yard.
JEFF LOWENFELS
Today's a great day to give thanks for gardeners
I know that there are different claims as to who held the first Thanksgiving. There was apparently, for example, a Spanish Mass followed by a bean soup meal with Native Americans more than half a century before the Pilgrims broke bread, or whatever, with the good Squanto and his Wampanoag friends. There are others. Almost all of these are harvest celebrations.
Plants, tips, clubs, meetings
EVENT
Bringing more than 20 years of pop culture motion picture icons to the Anchorage Museum, the display "Where Science Meets Imagination" will in town from Feb. 10 to April 25.
PHOTOS
Ketchikan artist Ray Troll and volunteer created a 12 foot by 30 foot mural in the new Imaginarium space in the Anchorage Museum of History and Art.
SECTION
See local photos, videos, pets available for adoption, lost-animal listings, and events for the animal lover on our new pets portal.
PHOTOS
46 teams from around the state of Alaska competed in the FIRST LEGO League Robot Competition Jan. 16.
STORY
Roy and Marcia Zahrobsky met when he walked into her dad's grocery store in Hampton, Iowa, back in the '30s to get some lunch.
VIDEO
The Bayshore Elementary School Holiday Choir performs at the Ted Stevens International Airport.
BLOG
Check out our art blog for fast postings of Daily News reviews, local art happenings and reader feedback.
Alaska gardeners on what did and didn't work
For an interesting houseplant, gather ye moss
Don't be too quick to lament the snow
Hydroponics is easier (and cheaper) than ever
Options to consider to keep garden moose-free
Time to turn your thoughts to house plants
Chase the winter gloom with holiday blooms
Alaska plant pioneers receive lifetime award
Lighting up is a must if you want to be a winter gardener
Finish yard preparations before Old Man Winter arrives
Plant garlic now for spring flowers and an August crop
Time to get ready for long winter nap
College students, volunteers harvest fruits of their labor
Fall means berries, bright leaves and garden chores
Tell your spouse it's better to not to rake
'Pagoda' a nice addition to Alaska-hardy bulbs
Mystery mushrooms make a rare appearance
Now is the time to prepare plants for winter
Weeds present peril to local ecology
Citizen Weed Warriors ever vigilant
Make sure to go easy on the lawn fertilizer
There is a fungus among us in Nikiski