Garden Bite with Teri Knight

Trends can be fun. Trends can also be wolves in sheep's clothing. One of the latest trends plays on our desire to help pollinators. Bee hotels. While there is one good thing, they can help introduce kids to caring for our bees, they can also injure those said bees. I know, it seems like every time we try to do something good, research shows us to be more careful. Listen to my podcast and check out today's Garden Bite website to learn more.

A look at some darling shrubs for containers on today's Garden Bite. These are zone 4 shrubs and a bonus zone 5 butterfly bush. Perfect for small space landscapes, you can plant them in containers, move them around or plant them in your landscape.

Rain barrels can save about 1300 gallons of water a year for homeowners! Learn more and my journey of a frozen barrel on today's Garden Bite as well as a look at what I want to build for a compost bin!

I am so excited to share this new book with you. I received a copy from the publisher to review and, I have to say, I am more than happy to report “A Northern Gardener’s Guide to Native Plants and Pollinators, creating habitat in the Northeast, Great Lakes and Upper Midwest” by Lorraine Johnson and Sheila Colla, is even better than I anticipated. Check out my website for photos and more information!

Sunday is Easter and there's no plant more associated with the Christian holiday than the Easter lily. On today's Garden Bite I share how to choose your Easter lily and the best way to care for it to prolong it's life. Also you'll find out how to plant it outdoors!

I read a statement from a reputable website that stated information regarding mulch. It's wrong IMHO. Today's Garden Bite is about what NOT to use and the best types of mulch for your landscape. One type in particular for pest resistance and another that's renewable! Check it out. PS, I haven't used the particular website that I won't mention after seeing several missteps. Again, it's my opinion after gathering a lot more information and my own experience.

Winter's been rough and although it WAS mostly over in my area, we just got dumped on again. On today's Garden Bite I share information on critter damage, how to tell what animal is doing the damage and what you can and cannot do.

In spite of the weather (snow) I started my tomato and pepper seeds. Learn more on today's Garden Bite and some tips to keep your costs down. There's really no need for a fancy grow light. Check it out and see what varieties I've planted on my website!

I’ve seen the buzz lately in trade magazines and websites discussing the fact that our climate zones are NOT absolute. This isn’t really NEW news but it IS news that backyard weed warriors or weekend gardeners don’t really think about. Again, it's about microclimates but I go a little deeper on today's Garden Bite.