Cindy Hill

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Garden Guides uses a knowledgeable team of editors, writers, and experts to create all our content. We dive deep into the ever-evolving conversations surrounding gardening and landscaping, striving to deliver the most current and helpful tips, strengthened by expert insight and tutorials from our talented team.

As we cover many fields of expertise, we make it a priority to ensure every beat remains fresh and comprehensive. Additional information on our editorial process available here.

Stories By Cindy Hill

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    Trees
    Trees By Cindy Hill November 4th, 2022

    Dwarf Flowering Crabapple Trees

    Dwarf Flowering Crabapple Trees. Crabapple trees are close relatives of the common table apple, differentiated only by the size of their fruit. Horticulturalists define crabapples as varieties of the Malus species with fruit less than 2 inches in diameter. Crabapples bloom white or pink in early spring, and dwarf varieties remain small enough to plant under power lines, in landscaping beds, as specimen trees or as a background planting to accent spring perennials and flowering bulbs.

    By Cindy Hill November 4th, 2022 Read More
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    Flowers
    Flowers By Cindy Hill November 4th, 2022

    Flowers That Look Like Dandelions

    Flowers That Look Like Dandelions. The common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) is a perennial plant--most would say a weed--with long, deeply toothed green leaves growing in a low rosette around tall, hollow milky stems which bear a shaggy, cheery yellow flower head. Dandelion flowers must be popular in the plant kingdom, as the flowers of numerous other plant species strive their best to look just like dandelions, even turning into a white puff of drifting seed heads at maturity.

    By Cindy Hill November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Produce
    Produce By Cindy Hill November 4th, 2022

    How To Grow Poppies In New England

    How to Grow Poppies in New England. Garden poppies include a large number of annual and perennial flowering plants in the family Papaver. Their large, showy blossoms resemble festive paper flowers dancing in a light breeze. Winter hardiness varies for different poppy species, but most popular perennial types grow even in the harshest northern environment. Alpine poppies are hardy to Zone 5, and thrive in southern New England rock gardens, while Oriental poppies overwinter through Zone 4 and possibly northwards with protection. Iceland poppies return each year even in Zone 2, and are suitable for even the highest mountain reaches of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.

    By Cindy Hill November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Trees
    Trees By Cindy Hill November 4th, 2022

    Plants That Walnut Trees Kill

    Plants That Walnut Trees Kill. Black walnut (scientific name Juglans nigra) produces the chemical juglone, which is toxic to many other plants. Juglone does not travel far, so toxicity is limited to about 50 feet from the outer perimeter of the tree crown. Black walnut shells, bark and wood chips should not be used as mulch or compost. Plants killed by their proximity to black walnut trees or wood products include common garden vegetables, flowers, trees and shrubs.

    By Cindy Hill November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Produce
    Produce By Cindy Hill November 4th, 2022

    Chemicals For Quicker Composting

    Chemicals for Quicker Composting. Compost is organic matter that has decomposed and is invaluable for adding tilth and nutrients to garden soil. A mixture of carbon-based and nitrogen-rich compost materials, kept moist and turned frequently, will usually break down in six months to two years. If your summer season is short, or you need compost quick, consider additives like blood or bone meal, inoculants, or even dishwashing detergent for a quick compost kick-start.

    By Cindy Hill November 4th, 2022 Read More
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    Produce
    Produce By Cindy Hill November 4th, 2022

    Caterpillars That Eat Tomato Plants

    Caterpillars That Eat Tomato Plants. Tomatoes are the queen of the garden, but nothing ruins a tomato crop faster than a caterpillar attack. Tomatoes are susceptible to a number of different kinds of worm infestations. Most of these can be controlled if you properly identify the type of caterpillar that is feeding on your tomato crop.

    By Cindy Hill November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Produce
    Produce By Cindy Hill November 4th, 2022

    The Disadvantages Of Growing Your Own Vegetables

    The Disadvantages of Growing Your Own Vegetables. Gardening is not all perfect roses and red ripe tomatoes; it has its distinct disadvantages, as well. While gardening magazines tout the health benefits of home-grown produce and the exercise advantages of fresh air, sunshine and double-digging garden beds, there are also sunburn, poison ivy and raspberry thorns to contend with. Most importantly, if you don't love gardening, the time and work it requires will not be worth the trouble.

    By Cindy Hill November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Flowers
    Flowers By Cindy Hill November 4th, 2022

    How To Take Care Of A Overgrown Russian Sage

    How to Take Care of a Overgrown Russian Sage. Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia) is a hardy, drought-resistant member of the mint family, though it grows with a slightly woody, shrub-like habit not unlike garden sage (Salvia officinalis). Russian sage plants can reach three feet high and just as wide, with an open, airy habit, gray-green foliage and modest blue-purple floral spikes that give an impression of a colorful mist. The plant is highly aromatic, which deters deer and rabbits from munching on it. Overgrown Russian sage can get straggly looking, but the plants can be revived with timely pruning and division.

    By Cindy Hill November 4th, 2022 Read More
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    Lawn Care
    Lawn Care By Cindy Hill November 4th, 2022

    Landscaping Ideas For Riverfront Property

    Landscaping Ideas for Riverfront Property. Riverfront can be an aesthetic asset, but may also run risks of hazards such as flooding and ice damage. Landscaping a riverfront property should take into account both visual and physical access to the river, the potential for erosion, protection of ecologically significant riverine habitat, as well as the viewshed from the river looking back at the property.

    By Cindy Hill November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Produce
    Produce By Cindy Hill November 4th, 2022

    The Best Organic Nitrogen Fertilizer

    The Best Organic Nitrogen Fertilizer. Chemical fertilizers can supply the nitrogen necessary for quick plant growth, but the best organic nitrogen fertilizers add micronutrients and organic matter to the soil in addition to nitrogen, with less chance of nitrogen 'burn' or the problem of excess nitrogen leaching into water bodies. Seed meal, fish emulsion, and composted manure are each excellent organic nitrogen fertilizers for use in different applications.

    By Cindy Hill November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Produce
    Produce By Cindy Hill November 4th, 2022

    How To Grow Vegetables In Artificial Light

    How to Grow Vegetables in Artificial Light. Many garden vegetables require six to eight hours of full sun each day to thrive, flower and set fruit. Reproducing the effect of this amount of sunlight with artificial light sufficient to grow tomatoes, peppers or eggplants is nearly impossible--and prohibitively expensive. Leafy green vegetables like lettuce, spinach, microgreens and mesclun mixes grow in less than full sun, as do smaller, swiftly-grown root crops like radishes and baby beets or turnips. These lower-light vegetable crops can all be grown under artificial lights under the right conditions.

    By Cindy Hill November 4th, 2022 Read More
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    Lawn Care
    Lawn Care By Cindy Hill November 4th, 2022

    Fairway Grass Types

    Fairway Grass Types. Golfers ask a lot of their fairway grasses. They must endure heavy foot traffic in any kind of weather yet maintain an even, springy, smooth-textured surface atop grass blades mowed no longer than 1 inch high. They must spread quickly to fill in divots and resist invasion by weed species. The best choice of fairway grass depends on the climate and soil type at any particular golf course.

    By Cindy Hill November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Trees
    Trees By Cindy Hill November 4th, 2022

    How To Winterize A Potted Fig Tree

    How to Winterize a Potted Fig Tree. Fresh figs are delectable, sweet, sticky fruits, first glorified by the ancient Greeks, then spread throughout the world. In warm climates, fig trees planted outdoors can grow to enormous size and yield bushels of fruit each year unless kept constantly pruned back. Growing figs in pots helps keep the trees to a manageable size, and in colder areas, container-growing allows the fig trees to be brought indoors for protection from low temperatures. Protect your fig from winter weather whenever temperatures get close to freezing.

    By Cindy Hill November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Produce
    Produce By Cindy Hill November 4th, 2022

    How To Grow Button Mushrooms

    How to Grow Button Mushrooms. Button mushrooms are the young, emergent stage of a number of mushroom varieties, but the term is most often applied to the white button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus), which is the most common variety of supermarket culinary mushroom. Small quantities of button mushrooms can be grown from ready-made kits, but these are expensive for the quantity of mushrooms they produce. You can grow your own button mushrooms from mushroom spawn and compost for a fraction of the price of store-bought mushrooms.

    By Cindy Hill November 4th, 2022 Read More
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    Trees
    Trees By Cindy Hill November 4th, 2022

    The Best Varieties Of The Pomegranate Tree

    The Best Varieties of the Pomegranate Tree. Pomegranate trees (Punica granatum) are native to the Middle East, and are now grown in warm, relatively dry climates around the globe. Dwarf varieties make it possible to grow pomegranates even in colder climates, bringing them indoors in winter. Pomegranates are experiencing a resurgence in popularity due to the finding that their fruit is rich in antioxidants. The best pomegranate varieties vary depending on your growing conditions.

    By Cindy Hill November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Produce
    Produce By Cindy Hill November 3rd, 2022

    Indoor Plants That Grow In Full Sun & Southern Exposure

    Indoor Plants That Grow in Full Sun & Southern Exposure. A sunny, southern-exposure window provides the perfect indoor environment for growing flowering houseplants, herbs, fruits and vegetables. Home gardeners with southern indoor growing spaces need to pay special attention to watering these plants, as the sun has a tendency to bake moisture out of container plantings, especially in a dry winter climate. Other than the need to attend to water needs, a sunny southern window holds a host of indoor gardening potential.

    By Cindy Hill November 3rd, 2022 Read More
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    Produce
    Produce By Cindy Hill September 6th, 2022

    Sevin Dust Uses For Tomato Plants

    Sevin Dust Uses for Tomato Plants. Sevin is the brand name of a series of carbaryl insecticide products manufactured by Bayer Cropscience. Sevin is available in different strengths for different applications; each of these applications is labeled for use on fruiting vegetables such as tomatoes. Sevin dust can be applied as a powder or mixed with water in a hose-end or pump garden sprayer for easy use on home tomato crops.

    By Cindy Hill September 6th, 2022 Read More
  • Trees
    Trees By Cindy Hill September 6th, 2022

    Mushrooms That Grow On Conifers

    Mushrooms That Grow on Conifers. Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of fungal life forms. Often the fungi is a large, spreading mass growing underground or through the wood of a tree, stump or fallen log. The mushroom is simply device the fungal life form sends forth to distribute its spores to propagate new fungal bodies. Most mushrooms grow in conjunction with specific forest conditions; some grow on and around deciduous trees, others on and around conifers, and others require mixed forests.

    By Cindy Hill September 6th, 2022 Read More
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    Trees
    Trees By Cindy Hill September 6th, 2022

    The Advantages Of Plant Grafting

    The Advantages of Plant Grafting. Plant grafting is a propagation technique by which a scion or whip (thin branch or shoot) of one plant is attached to the root stock, and often trunk or main stem, of another plant. Usually the receiving plant is notched or split at the graft site, and the plant being grafted is inserted into that cut; the join is then wrapped with tape or coated with wax or asphalt grafting compound to hold it in place until the two grow together. Fruit trees, heirloom vegetables, and ornamental trees and shrubs may all be grafted.

    By Cindy Hill September 6th, 2022 Read More
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    Flowers
    Flowers By Cindy Hill September 6th, 2022

    Herbs To Grow In Zone 5

    Herbs to Grow in Zone 5. Herbs are plants used for culinary and other home uses such as sachets or safe household insect repellents. Several popular perennial herbs will thrive and overwinter in USDA hardiness zone 5---those regions of the United States where the average coldest winter temperature is between -20 and -10 degrees F. Certain tender perennials can also grow in zone 5 as container plants, and brought indoors in winter.

    By Cindy Hill September 6th, 2022 Read More
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    Trees
    Trees By Cindy Hill September 6th, 2022

    Trees In Raised Beds

    Trees in Raised Beds. All the advantages of raised beds in the vegetable garden--improved drainage, ease of adding organic matter to the soil, lack of soil compaction--can also apply to trees. In areas with poorly drained soil, raised beds may be the best option for growing landscape or productive fruit trees. Trees in raised beds can also be an attractive landscape accent, effectively providing a pedestal to feature a specimen tree or grouping.

    By Cindy Hill September 6th, 2022 Read More
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    Trees
    Trees By Cindy Hill September 6th, 2022

    List Of Evergreens

    List of Evergreens. Evergreens are plants that retain their green foliage all year round. Conifer trees--with needles and cones--are the most common evergreens, but many scale-leaved and broad-leaved trees also stay green all winter. Evergreen shrubs are also a valuable landscape addition, providing windbreaks and privacy screening when planted in hedges, or an attractive individual accent planting.

    By Cindy Hill September 6th, 2022 Read More
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    Trees
    Trees By Cindy Hill September 6th, 2022

    Landscaping Ideas For Wooded Areas

    Landscaping Ideas for Wooded Areas. Majestic trees and cool summer shade are just some of the benefits of a wooded area near the home, but a landscape in the trees also has its challenges. Diminished sunlight and competition with tree roots limits your planting options to those plants that work with the natural woodland. Fortunately, native and well-adapted forest flowers, small plants, shrubs and trees are abundant, presenting many landscape style options for an attractive wooded setting.

    By Cindy Hill September 6th, 2022 Read More
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    Produce
    Produce By Cindy Hill September 6th, 2022

    What Are Good Vegetables To Grow On Hillsides?

    What Are Good Vegetables to Grow on Hillsides?. Hillside gardening presents many challenges. Rain washes valuable topsoil and nutrients down the slope. Top-heavy vegetables such as tomatoes are likely to topple over. North-facing slopes can be shady and cool, while south-facing hillsides can bake in the summer sun. Select vegetables that are well suited to your particular hillside growing environment to ensure that your vegetable garden thrives.

    By Cindy Hill September 6th, 2022 Read More
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    Produce
    Produce By Cindy Hill September 6th, 2022

    Names Of Plants That Live By Ponds

    Names of Plants That Live by Ponds. Ponds are often productive ecosystems, with an abundance of plant life thriving on the pond edges. The specific plants which grow around ponds depend in good part on the pond environment. Plants which thrive on the banks of a California pond in a populous location may not survive on a remote, sandy strand by a pond edge in the harsh growing conditions of New England.

    By Cindy Hill September 6th, 2022 Read More
  • Produce
    Produce By Cindy Hill September 6th, 2022

    How To Grow Vegetables In Winter In Zone 6

    How to Grow Vegetables in Winter in Zone 6. USDA hardiness zone 6 traverses the United States from coastal Massachusetts and New Jersey inland through Pennsylvania and West Virginia, across the central states through the Four Corners and up to cover most of eastern Oregon and Washington. Hardy vegetables can grow throughout the winter in these regions with little to no protection, and slightly less hardy varieties can thrive with simple cold frame or hoop house cover, producing garden vegetables fresh for the picking year-round.

    By Cindy Hill September 6th, 2022 Read More
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    Lawn Care
    Lawn Care By Cindy Hill September 6th, 2022

    What Types Of Trees Kill Out The Grass?

    What Types of Trees Kill Out the Grass?. Trees and lawn are two fundamental features of the home landscape, yet many trees are not compatible with growing turf grasses nearby. Some types of trees kill off nearby grass chemically, due to toxins in their bark and leaves. Other trees may have dense networks of shallow roots, which compete with grass for water and nutrients. Any tree that casts heavy shade will also spell doom for most lawn grass.

    By Cindy Hill September 6th, 2022 Read More