Plants

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 …

A lavender tree is pure magic, seemingly straight out of a fairy tale! Lavender, being a woody perennial, can be pruned and shaped into a tree. This is known as …

Pruning is one of those tasks that put fear into many gardeners. But with knowledge of how to do it (and more importantly, when), it doesn’t have to be difficult. …

Do you have a delightful dream of slipping away a sunny afternoon in your very own rose room? It is easier than you may think to surround yourself with a …

This North American native flowering herb is a must-have in the wildlife garden, cottage garden, herb garden, and veggie garden. For full summer splendor, Bee Balm loves rich, moist soil …

In a gardening class I once took, the instructor compared the pruning of plants to cutting our hair. You can’t just let your hair grow forever, and at some point, …

When asked whether she loved or hated peonies, one of my gardening friends (who had been growing peonies for a couple of decades) replied simply “yes.” And it made perfect …

There is nothing better than walking into your garden and seeing bright yellow blooms displayed across the landscape. Yellow flowers are akin to looking at sunlight in a garden as …

A blooming hydrangea is one of the joys of a summer garden. Since it’s the thing gardeners look forward to most, it stands to reason that you want to get …

Hydrangeas are grown for their big luscious leaves, their usefulness in growing in shady areas and mostly, for their big mophead blooms. Getting bigger and better blooms is the ultimate …

Extravagant in bountiful blossoms, Echinacea is an herbaceous perennial prized for being strong and beautiful. An easy-going, bee and butterfly magnet, Echinacea is on the must-grow list of gorgeous native …