Garden Pinks for American Gardens
Spring is always full of beauty, and as it draws to a close, and summer approaches, we see the blooming of one of the most beautiful groups of plants – garden pinks. These…
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Ernst Pagels – Dedicated to Perennials
It is a lucky person who finds there calling in life, and is able to spend a fulfilling and satisfying life doing what they love. Although his name is not widely-known, Ernst Pagels…
Salvia – a Wise Garden Choice
Sage: /seɪdʒ/ noun: an aromatic plant of the genus Salvia, whose greyish-green leaves are used as a culinary herb, native to southern Europe and the Mediterranean. Used in names of aromatic plants of…
Karl Foerster and The Roots of Perennial Gardening
It’s hard to image a garden without perennial flowers, but once that was how gardens were. With some exceptions, mostly in England in the decades before World War I, gardens were shrubs and…
4 New Year Resolutions for Your Garden
The end of the year is a traditional time to review where you are in your life, and make resolutions for doing better in the coming year. Yes, I know, that diet and…
Creeping Phlox are Back in Style
If you are an older gardener, you will probably remember the days before 1980, when the range of plants for gardens was incredibly restricted, and especially in colder zones it seemed that every…
Choose the Right Lavender for Your Garden
The beautiful blue-purple flower spikes of lavender are one of the highlights of summer, and this plant is one of the most loved, and one that has a nostalgic charm. Perhaps it’s the…
Tardiana Hosta and Friends
When confronted with the roughly 10,000 different hosta varieties available, the best way to understand them better, and so be able to choose and use them in your garden better, is to put…
Florence Shaw and Hosta Secrets
The world of gardening is always portrayed as wonderfully calm and ‘natural’, away from the rush, bustle and competition of life. For those who simply grow their garden, that may largely be true,…
Get the Most Out of Hosta – and have outstanding shade gardens
Every gardener will recognize a Hosta plant, be it blue, green, yellow or green and white. It is certainly the most popular of all shade plants, and given that almost every garden has…
Keeping Shrubs & Trees in Planters Alive Through the Winter
Many gardeners think no further than annual flowers when they think about planting containers. Others see it as a great way to grow shrubs and trees, especially if you have a courtyard garden,…
Thinking Hydrangeas? Think Native!
Once you have been gardening for a bit, a treasure chest opens up. Suddenly you realize that there are WAY more beautiful plants in the world that you ever thought possible. Tens of…
Winter Care of Houseplants
The days are shortening and the clocks have gone back – what does it mean for your houseplants? They are probably at their best right now, after the brighter light of summer. But…
What is Wintergreen?
Once found in every medicine cabinet, wintergreen is also an attractive garden plant, with a variety of uses, both decorative and practical. Preparing a description for it, I thought some further background information…
What are Tetraploid Daylilies?
Daylilies are among the most beautiful of summer perennials, and what makes them so fascinating is the endless number of different colors, sizes and flower forms they come in. Starting with just a…
Growing Clematis – large-flowered hybrids
Few sights are as glorious as a well-grown clematis in full bloom. It’s a delight in any garden. Although there are around 300 wild species, and the range grown in gardens has expanded…
Growing Sedges in Your Garden
Ornamental grasses have been hot in gardening for a long time now, and are an essential part of almost everyone’s planting today. Many people may not realize, though, that among their grasses, or…
Get to Know the Asters
At this time of year, the well-planned garden gets a big boost, with the arrival of the brilliant, jewel colors of asters blooming in garden beds or natural areas. Few garden visions are…
Why Isn’t My Garden Growing?
You are new to gardening, or recently moved into a new home. You invested money and time into setting up what you pictured as a little paradise, but it isn’t working. The plants…
How Big Does That Tree Really Get?
I was talking in a previous post about planting trees with the future in mind, and some thoughts on how to have a better chance the tree you plant today will reach its…
Plant Trees for the Future – Here’s How to Succeed
Economists tell us that the further away a reward is, the less we will pay for it today. Our world, and modern economy, is built on having it now, as soon as possible,…
The Chinese Money Plant – Pass it On
Most of us tend to hang on to our money, but when it comes to plants, we’re different. People love to pass on plants a friend admires, and that is how the popular…
Soil Basics for Gardeners
If you are new to gardening, it won’t take long looking at how to grow plants before you meet soil. Perhaps you have already been into your new garden and tried to dig…
Everything you need to know about Japanese Cedar – Cryptomeria
Evergreens are among the most important plants in any garden. They bring a look of permanence and structure, with forms that are with us every day of the year. The garden will still…