Gardening Resources to Help Boost Your Blooms

Spring is here! In the Northeast, many of us just can’t wait to get our hands in the dirt and play in the garden. Whether you’re the kind of gardener who starts with seeds or you just dabble in the occasional potted plant, we’ve got great gardening resources to help you cultivate your green thumb this spring.

Websites

One of my best virtual gardening friends is www.gardeners.com, the website for the Vermont-based Gardener’s Supply Company. The site is packed with tons of articles about organic gardening, controlling pests naturally, composting and planning a garden. Have a burning question? Just enter it on the site and someone will get back to you with an answer, usually within 24 hours.

Connecticut-based White Flower Farm (www.whiteflowerfarm.com) is another great resource. Sign up for a free catalog and you’ll be tempted year-round. The site sells and gives advice on perennials, annuals, flowering shrubs – including more than 40 varieties of hydrangeas – roses, bulbs and vegetables.

Apps

Is there a beautiful tree in your neighborhood that you’d love to see on your lawn, but you don’t know what kind it is? Leafsnap will help. Just take a picture of a tree’s leaves, bark or flowers, and the app will identify it. The free app focuses on tree varieties in the Northeastern U.S. and Canada, and is available for the iPhone and iPad.

Want to record your garden’s growth for posterity? The Life app (free for the iPhone and iPad) is a journal where you can record everything about your garden, from when you first planted seedlings to when you last fertilized those beefsteak tomatoes.