Susan Albert
It all began with a sunroom that looked out onto a yard of dirt and weeds. No shrubs, flowers, birds, or butterflies. Whoever heard of a sunroom with nothing to watch outside? Susan immediately went to the library (Internet was not in use yet) to look up how to attract butterflies. That was 25 years ago and she’s progressed into an all-out gardening fanatic, obsessed with annuals, perennials, trees, and shrubs. A plant “collector” and garden photographer, she can always find room for one more flower in her garden, especially if it attracts wildlife.Before writing articles for Gardening Know How, Susan held a career in communications and, as a freelancer, wrote garden articles for magazines and authored a newspaper gardening column for many years. She also contributed South-Central regional gardening columns for four years to Lowes.com. While living in Oklahoma She served as a master gardener for 17 years. She now lives in Gardner, Kansas, where she’s semi-retired, establishing new garden roots.
Latest articles by Susan Albert
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Is My Compost Finished: How Long Does Compost Take To Mature
Composting is one way many gardeners recycle garden waste. While seasoned composters know from experience when their compost is ready for use, newcomers to composting may need some direction. Click this article for help in learning “when is compost done?”.
By Susan Albert
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Identifying Snakes In Southern Regions – Common Snakes In South Central States
Learning to identify snakes in your area can prevent undue fear and unnecessary eradication of environmentally beneficial snakes. Click this article to learn about some of the more commonly seen southern snake varieties in and around the home landscape.
By Susan Albert
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South Central Pollinators: Native Pollinators In Texas And Surrounding States
All bees are threatened by pesticide use, loss of habitat, and disease. Local gardeners can help by incorporating pollen and nectar-producing trees, shrubs, annuals, and perennials into their gardens. Learn about native pollinators in Texas and surrounding states in this article.
By Susan Albert
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Wintry Terrarium Ideas: How To Make A Mini Holiday Terrarium
A winter scene terrarium or Christmas terrarium ornaments with live plants make pleasing, long-lasting gifts, especially if a gardener is on your list. Read on for more.
By Susan Albert
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Blue Lips Plant Info: Tips For Growing Blue Lips Plants
Looking for something attractive, yet low maintenance for partially shaded areas of the landscape or container garden? You can’t go wrong with planting blue lips flowers. Once you see them in full bloom, you’ll quickly become a fan. Click here to learn more.
By Susan Albert
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Heat Tolerant Tomato Plants – Tomato Growing Tips For South Central States
Vegetable gardeners in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana are quick to share tomato growing tips they learned from the School of Hard Knocks. Click on the following article to learn more about tomato growing in southern regions like this.
By Susan Albert
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Bilko Chinese Cabbage: Tips For Growing Bilko Cabbages
Napa cabbage is the best-known variety of the Chinese cabbages with large, full-size heads and good disease resistance. The oblong heads have pale green, crinkly outer leaves with creamy yellow inside. The Bilko cabbage variety is a good type of Napa to grow. Learn more here.
By Susan Albert
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Greek And Roman Gardens: How To Grow An Ancient Inspired Garden
With the hectic pace of today’s world, thinking about the ancient Greek and Roman gardens instantly brings about a soothing, relaxing feeling. Elements of classical garden design can be easily incorporated into anyone’s garden. Click here for some ideas.
By Susan Albert
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What Is A Food Forest Hedge – How To Grow An Edible Hedge
Are you planning to add a privacy screen or row of hedges to your home landscape? Why not throw tradition out the window? Instead of a row of clipped boxwoods or tall arborvitae, try a sustainable, edible hedge. Click this article for more information.
By Susan Albert
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Winter In South Central States: Winter Gardening Tips For South Central Region
Winter may be a time for plants to take a rest, but not so for gardeners. There are plenty of winter chores to do beginning in the fall. And if you live in the South Central region in winter, there may be even more you can do. Click here for more information.
By Susan Albert
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Gardening In The South: Top Plants For South Central Gardens
Gardening in the south can be a challenge where the summers are exceptionally warm, such as in South Central U.S. Add to that humidity or excessive dryness and plants may suffer. However, many plants can withstand heat, humidity, and drought. Learn more here.
By Susan Albert
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Southern Pollinator Garden - Growing A Pollinator Garden In The South
Listed here are some of the best pollinator-attracting plants, and tips to create a welcome habitat in a Southern pollinator garden.
By Susan Albert
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Gladioli Mosaic Virus – Managing Symptoms Of Gladiolus Mosaic
Gladiolus blooms are featured in many cutting gardens for mid-summer bouquets. When issues like mosaic occur, this can naturally be alarming. Good cultural control can help prevent mosaic virus in gladiolus. Learn more in this article.
By Susan Albert
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Ornamental Cabbage Care – How To Grow Ornamental Cabbage Plants
Nothing signals fall like brightly colored ornamental cabbage nestled among other autumn staples such as chrysanthemums, pansies, violas and flowering kale. The cool season annual is easy to grow. Just click this article to get started.
By Susan Albert
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Can You Use Old Garden Products – Shelf Life For Pesticides And Herbicides
While it might be tempting to go ahead and use up those old containers of pesticides, experts say if garden products are more than two years old, they might do more harm than good, or just be ineffective. Learn about the shelf life for pesticides here.
By Susan Albert
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Mosquito Plant Pruning: How To Cut Back Citronella Geranium Plants
Although not as effective as commercially prepared repellents, the mosquito plant is a popular choice for backyard gardens. While this is just one aspect of growing these plants, pruning mosquito geraniums is another. Learn more in this article.
By Susan Albert
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Fall Garden Centerpieces – DIY Fall Décor Centerpiece Ideas
As the summer garden winds down, it’s time to start collecting elements for a DIY fall centerpiece. Here are some ideas to get started.
By Susan Albert
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Koi Fish And Plants – Choosing Plants Koi Won’t Bother
First-time koi pond enthusiasts may have learned the hard way that koi love to browse the plants and roots of pond vegetation. What’s a pond owner to do? Click on the following article to learn more about how to keep plants safe from koi fish.
By Susan Albert