Vermont Garden Journal

From blue-green blades low to the ground and mounding like spiky hairdos to eight-foot-tall, feathery quills swaying in the breeze, find ornamental grasses to add to your gardens.

From blue-green blades low to the ground and mounding like spiky hairdos to eight-foot-tall, feathery quills swaying in the breeze, find ornamental grasses to add to your gardens.

Capture and conserve storm water from heavy rains in gardens planted with water-loving flowers or catch it in a rain barrel.

Dead trees, water features and tasty berries can make your address the one to stop at for local birds seeking food and shelter.

Brussels sprouts grow well in our region as they like cool weather and full sun. Best practice is to start them from seed under grow lights indoors now, as they take all season long to grow. Then replant them in early to mid-May in your garden.

Brussels sprouts grow well in our region as they like cool weather and full sun. Best practice is to start them from seed under grow lights indoors now, as they take all season long to grow. Then replant them in early to mid-May in your garden.

Looking to add height, color and fragrance to your flower gardens? Lily varieties pack a visual and fragrant punch. Though these flowers grow well in Vermont, they will need your help to keep the red lily leaf beetle at bay.

In the right conditions, you can grow some green moss to bring an idyllic look to your landscape. You can purchase all kinds of mosses to grow or encourage more growth with a "moss milkshake!"

Padrón or Herbón peppers hail from the Padrón region in northwestern Spain. These snack-sized peppers, along with Shishito peppers from Japan, can range from mild to spicy and are great when charred or grilled and eaten as an appetizer.

Many beloved veggies are inclined to climb vertically already - like beans, squashes, cukes and zukes. Those plants tend to grow very large and can take over garden spaces. If you have a small garden, try growing certain plant varieties in containers or grow vertically instead.

Try planting new and sturdier flowering shrubs that grow better in our region, like Blue Enchantress, this spring.

Gather up all the things you'll need - germinating soil, small containers, seeds and a grow light. Then, come late March or early April, get your tomato starts planted indoors.

Some plants eat meat! These carnivorous plants tend to grow in wet areas and bogs but certain types will grow well indoors, with proper watering and feeding techniques.

Local gardening expert Charlie Nardozzi has been talking about no-dig gardening techniques for awhile. He compares his practices to those of another gardening "Charlie," Charles Dowding from England, who has been no-dig gardening for decades.

Two fun Valentine's gift ideas will last well beyond the holiday and make gardeners swoon: The sweetheart hoya has heart-shaped leaves and the moth orchid is a beautiful houseplant.