What's new, what's growing, what we're learning. Updates, guides and stories for people who take their garden seriously.
Two exotic nut trees, two very different stories: the pecan needs wine-country heat, the heartnut shrugs off brutal winters. An honest take on who should bother waiting.
The almond is the first fruit tree to flower each year, often as early as February. How to protect it from late frost, which variety suits your garden, and why sweet versus bitter decides between pleasure and danger.
Three rare native wild fruit trees from the Sorbus genus: service tree, wild service tree and rowan. Why they demand patience, how to plant them and what to make from their tart fruit.
The kaki carries its orange fruit into November, long after the garden has gone quiet. How to plant the hardy exotic, overwinter it and ripen it properly so it tastes honey-sweet instead of mouth-puckering.
The nashi looks like an apple, tastes like a pear and stays crisp instead of going soft. Here is how to plant the Asian pear, why you need two varieties and when the best harvest day arrives.
Freshly picked, the medlar is rock hard and bitter. Only bletting makes it sweet. Here is how to harvest, store and use this forgotten autumn fruit the right way.
The Turkish hazel is not just a bigger hazel bush but a sturdy tree: a wind-firm street tree, the classic grafting rootstock for hazelnuts and, come autumn, a handful of nuts as well.
In a pot, the pomegranate is above all a rewarding flowering plant. With the right variety, a sunny spot and a frost-free winter quarter, the bloom almost always succeeds and the fruit becomes a lovely bonus.
The sweet chestnut is not the horse chestnut: it gives you edible marrons, wants acidic, warm soil and needs a second tree for pollination. Here is how to get the site, care and the prickly autumn harvest right.
