Plants

With the garden slowing down in anticipation of the winter months and my bulbs firmly in the ground waiting for spring, I’m now turning my attention to propagating ornamental plants …

What if I told you that you could plant something in your garden that’s worth its weight in gold? No, I haven’t yet found the seeds of the mythical money …

Winter is a difficult time to find interest and color in containers. Most plants are either dormant or don’t perform as well in cold climates, making our containers appear dull …

Swaying and dancing in the breeze, ornamental grasses steal the show with their feathery seed heads and autumnal hues. Paying homage to the cascading brilliant fall leaves, the motion of …

There are so many lilies to love. Lilies grow from bulbs and are a beautiful and complicated genus of herbaceous flowering plants. There are spectacular variations in their flower forms. …

When I was growing up, my relatives and acquaintances who had a garden grew red tulips. Maybe yellow. Occasionally white. I would spend hours browsing through gardening catalogs that hardly had …

Create extravagantly lush shady spaces with climbing plants and flowering vines. It is the season for lounging in the shade! Increase your relief by growing shade-loving climbers and blooming vines. …

A flower gardener’s dream! The colorful impact of annual bedding plants with the reliable longevity of perennials. Can it be done? Yes! Pick fast-growing perennials in the fastest seed-to-bloom varieties. …

Summer is the season of alfresco dining, enjoying the heat and the sunshine while sharing a meal with the people you care about. Few things could ruin that wonderful image, …

I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who actually bought irises to plant in their garden, like you would roses or rhododendrons. Come to think of it, every iris grower …

We love Foxgloves for their towers of flowers for weeks on end through late spring and early summer. Spotted, speckled, and dazzling varieties of Foxgloves are naturally biennial. Foxgloves grow …

Plants that share beauty and interest year-round maximize precious garden real estate. Perennials, trees, shrubs, and even annuals that look stunning year-round give the best bang for your gardening buck. …

It’s been sixteen years since Heather Jo Flores published the book Food Not Lawns, and the #nolawn revolution is picking up pace faster than you can say “No Mow May.”  …

Many of us have that one stubborn spot in the garden that refuses to drain well. After the rain, water collects there are just doesn’t seem to dissipate, making it …

The common Hollyhock (Alcea rosea) has skyward stems smothered in giant 5-inch hibiscus-like blossoms that carry a whimsical zeal of times past. Beyond the impressive dramatic height of 5 to …

I’m not in the habit of checking the Guinness World Records website before I write a gardening article, but when my research uncovered that the world of competitive gardening is …

If you’re anything like me, walking into a garden center is a dangerous affair for your bank account. Even though plants aren’t particularly pricey in the larger scheme of things, …

With their deep green glossy leaves and blooms that resemble cotton candy, rhododendrons never fail to add a good dose of curb appeal to gardens and public spaces alike. So …

The secrets to fantastical towers of cascading tubular bell-shaped foxgloves are not as mystical as they may appear. These natives of Europe, Asia, and North Africa are mostly biennials, meaning …

One of the fascinating things about begonias is that once you decide that growing them is a good idea, you’ll start noticing them everywhere. With over two thousand known species …

The first few times I saw real anemones, they were elegantly tucked into bridal bouquets. With their slender stems and marshmallow-like blooms, anemones looked as fragile as they did elegant.  …

Enchanted gardens with phenomenal lilac fragrance in spring. What better way to break the flower fast of winter? Knowing how and when to prune your lilacs will give you brilliant …

When I published this post about fertilizing peonies, I already knew I was going to write about some of the reasons why some peonies don’t bloom. But my decision was …

Hummingbirds are a celebration of environmental stewardship with every iridescent feather. Plants that provide flower nectar, as well as safe perching and nesting spots are surefire ways to attract hummingbirds …