Remembering Jim Zampini and the Art and Joy of Growing Crab Apples

Nurseryman Jim Zampini

“If you want to plant a mini-orchard of Crabapple trees, space the saplings 6 to 15 feet apart. Group them on the closer end of that range if you are planting dwarf or more upright varieties.” April 14, 2017 On this day, the Beijing Crabapple Conference began.   Visitors toured the Crabapple Garden during the…

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January 29, 2021 Eight Steps to Create a Stunning Winter Garden, Olga Owens Huckins, Larry McGraw, How Often Should You Prune Your Willows, Botanicals: 100 Postcards, and a Winter Joy: Scented Houseplants

20200101 The Daily Gardener Album Cover

Today we celebrate a woman who helped change the way pesticides were used in the United States. We’ll also learn about the man who taught thousands of people how to prune and graft fruit trees and also founded the Home Orchard Society. We’ll hear about how to prune Willow (Salix) trees with one of my…

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How to Wassail Apple Trees on the 12th Night of Christmas

Apple Candle

“Wassail means “good health,” by wassailing the apple trees, you wish for good tree health, fertility, and productivity.” In England, tonight, there’s an ancient custom – an old pagan ritual – that involves waking up the apple cider trees with wassailing on the 12th night of Christmas. The written folklore around wassailing says that if…

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Founder of the Home Orchard Society: Pomologist Larry McGraw

Larry L. McGraw

“One day, Larry discovered an envelope that contained apple seeds that were a hundred years old. The letter inside the envelope referenced Marcus Whitman and his orchard.” January 29, 2005  On this day, the founder of the Home Orchard Society, Larry L. McGraw, died. His obituary stated that pomology was his passion for more than…

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