Lora Gauss

I first encountered carnivorous plants in the 1960s when Venus flytraps were all the rage and being sold by mail order. For a mere dollar you could “amaze people […]

It’s easy to love herbs. All those romanticized portrayals of them spell allure, whether it’s in kitchen gardens surrounded by white picket fences glimpsed through back doors, standing at attention […]

Today’s gardening needs have changed dramatically. Where once families may have lived in suburban lots with outdoor space for generous vegetable and flower gardens, today they might be living in […]

“The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another.” Henry Van Dyke The name for the fourth month, April, derives from the Greek […]

There are times when “patient labor and attention” are not enough. Sometimes, practical research-based knowledge is necessary to solve a gardening problem or answer a question.  That’s where the Penn […]

CENTRE HALL — To prune or not to prune is a continuing dilemma that gardening enthusiasts from professionals to home gardeners have to deal with every growing season. From […]

Please use Lora’s standing header The Avid Gardener: Escaping winter with spring planning  “In a way Winter is the real Spring — the time when the inner things happen, […]

“As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.” — Franz Kafka, “The Metamorphosis” Sometimes, just the thought of […]