Vermont Garden Journal

From tropical climes to your Northeast table setting, the poinsettia is a great indoor house plant. Its leaves, called bracts, look like flower petals. And its those vibrant leaves that attract pollinators in its natural environment. Once potted up in festive foil and in your home for the holidays, here are some tips to keep it looking great all season.

Broadleaf evergreen shrubs — like roses, lavender and thyme — need protection from cold temperatures, snow and wind. Learn how to create a barrier from winter weather, using natural materials like hay and wood chips along with stakes, wire and burlap.

Dahlia blooms grow well in Vermont's climate, but they are too delicate to overwinter in the ground. Now is the time to dig them up and get them cozy for a long winter's nap so you can plant them again for more blooms next spring.

The tiger moth caterpillar, with its black- and rust-colored bands, has long been thought to be a predictor of upcoming winter weather. More likely, the coloring on these caterpillars shows what the previous months' weather and conditions were like.

The warmer temperatures that lingered into early fall means you still have time to get digging in the soil before it freezes. Use this opportunity to plant flowering bulbs soon for a big reward next spring!

Hemerocallis or more commonly known as the daylily often comes in bright yellow and orange. The tall flowers sprout up easily and keep growing in all kinds of challenging conditions, like the recent Vermont floods.

After flood waters recede, home and market gardens can take stock of their gardens and crops and determine what can be saved and how to remediate the soil now for next spring.

Sure, poison ivy causes itchy, red welts on 90% of people who touch its leaves or stems. This native plant also serves as food for birds and insects and even helps in high winds.

Slugs chewing on your lettuces and flower leaves? When the plants grow bigger and the wetter weather moves out, they will, too. In the meantime, try a couple of natural methods to deter them.

Pruning certain flowering shrubs in early July is key to them blooming again next spring.

The good news: these fierce-looking insects do not climb in through your ear, burrow into your brain and lay eggs. They can, however, keep certain garden pests at bay.

Known as a vegetable that grows well and very fast during Vermont summers, zucchini is a great addition to home gardens. This year, plant varieties that a bit different and can grow well in a garden or a container.

Flowering perennials like hardy baptisia and amsonia can bring color to your landscape for many different seasons.

Some parts of Vermont saw temps in the 20s during the overnight hours this month. While many apple orchards, vineyards and berry farms lost crops and income, home gardeners also had fruit trees and newly planted veggies get zapped by frost.

Sometimes when flowering bulbs like daffodils and tulips don't bloom, the answer is underground. By digging up the bulbs and noting their characteristics, you can solve the problem for next year.