Most people who are learning to garden go nuts for anything that blooms, and they fill their garden beds with blooming plants. This is fine for a time but soon one learns that having something blooming all the time is a goal that takes time to accomplish, and may not really be what is most … Read more
All of us need plants which will continue to provide us lovely color and flowers even when it is miserably hot. So if you are trying to find a summer annual with lots of color and toughness, look no further than the lantana. They are part of the verbena family and provide numerous beautiful small … Read more
Every garden deserves to have the big, happy blooms of a hydrangea, they are the celebratory shrub of early summer. They are blooms we have known all our lives, welcoming warm weather and good memories. What you will be happy to know is that hydrangeas are pretty easy to grow which means anyone can enjoy … Read more
When you are trying to establish your landscape the first thing to evaluate is the quality of your soil. This will be one of the essential elements that determines success or failure in your lawn and garden. Soil is a combination of complex parts, decaying pieces of plants, animals and microorganisms, along with minerals and … Read more
If you are like everyone else you are looking for any color you can find in your garden. Except at this time of year in late winter/early spring there is not much to be found, evergreen shrubs and trees are the main colors in our landscapes now.
There are many, many chores to be done in the spring as the perennial plants start to emerge but staking them is one chore you can avoid if you follow some general principles. But first let’s review the definition of a perennial, these are the plants which die back in the fall with first frost … Read more
Spring is almost here! And part of the fun of gardening is that you have the capability of producing things you can use in recipes for a lot of good eating. Herbs are some of the most versatile and easiest plants available to grow as most of them are not too fussy about soil and … Read more
Most of us automatically start pulling plants from their pots when the calendar turns to fall, we discard them or try to find a place to put them in the ground. However this might be wasted effort as there are quite a few plants and shrubs which are happy to stay in a pot for … Read more
As we continue the series about keeping plants in containers during the winter, there are a few more rules to know in order to be successful. Be sure to use a container which can withstand the freezing and thawing cycles during the winter. The rule about soil quality is the same as always for pots, … Read more
Your garden will not be complete in the warmer months without some annuals added each year. An annual is a plant which will only be around for one season, they don’t grow back. But some of them will drop seeds as they dry out at the end of their season and will grow back from … Read more