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It’s the beginning of not just a new year, but a new decade too, and such moments can bring on episodes of deep reflection. Here at the Tree Center we focus on the practical – how to choose from among that vast array of trees and shrubs out there, how to plan, and how to […]

Of all the months of the year, January is the one which will be very different in your garden, depending on where you live. In colder zones  you can pretty much guarantee it will be a month of deep sleep, buried beneath a blanket of snow. At the other extreme, in Florida or southern California, […]

2019 saw a lot of big stories. But the biggest was the final realization by people (most politicians still have some catching up to do) that we are in danger of leaving our children a planet in a much worse state than the one we inherited. It’s a big fix, calling for action on a […]

Everyone is using colored leaves in the garden these days – colored something other than green that is. Perhaps it is precisely because green is so ubiquitous that there is an eternal fascination with plants that don’t have green leaves, but whatever the reason, colored leaves are always popular. Colored leaves are usually either lighter […]

There are many kinds of roses – Hybrid Tea, Floribunda, Landscape Rose, and many more – but the same rose can come in different ways too. Typically, they are grown to produce stems from ground level, and become a bushy plant. But sometimes we see them on a trunk, which may be one to four […]

Evergreen azaleas are among the most attractive and colorful flowers we can grow in our gardens. It used to be that spring was the season for them, and they brighten our beds and planters as few other plants can. Their rich glowing colors shine out, in a wide range of tones, from pure white, through […]

Across the hills of a large part of eastern North America, carpeting the forest floor beneath trees, growing on slopes, or edging streams, grows the mountain laurel. Found all the way from southern Maine to northern Florida, and abundant in New England, it spreads west into Indiana and down to Louisiana. Called by botanists Kalmia […]

North America is a vast land, and the seasons are very different, depending on what climate zones you are. This seems obvious, but when it comes to gardening, that variation means making different choices from among the often-bewildering range of plants available. For new gardener’s this is especially troublesome, so to help you make the […]

Lilacs hold a special place in gardens, and in the hearts of garden lovers. Praised by poets, they spell ‘home’ to many of us, with their old-fashioned charm and their association with older gardens, perhaps of a grandparent or older relative. That doesn’t mean they don’t have a place in the modern garden – not […]

One of the best features of Japanese Maples is their fall color, but after that there is not so much to see, and during winter many are brown or perhaps green. The idea of making each plant valuable for four seasons is a great guide when choosing plants, so why not add a fourth season […]

Most gardens look their best in spring and early summer. That is when the majority of plants flower, so is easy to have flowers then, and if you don’t plan your planting, you will pretty much automatically end up with a garden blooming in those seasons. But the last time I checked there are four […]

November will soon arrive, and that means increasing cold and shorter days in the garden. Especially in the north, some preparation is needed, although in warmer zones this is also a good month for planting trees and shrubs, especially deciduous ones. If you have plants in your garden that went in earlier in the year, […]

As the days shorten, and the nights turn cold, gardeners in cold zones start to worry about their plants. Will they survive the winter? Will they flower next year? There are lots of reasons why plants don’t survive in winter, or never flower, and when choosing what to grow, and how to grow it, knowing […]

As more and more of us live in towns and cities, gardens get smaller. For many, a balcony or terrace is all the outdoor space we have available to grow plants and get closer to nature. Many traditional garden plants grow too large for these smaller spaces, so we need new plants – smaller, easy […]

Boxwood plants – as hedges or clipped specimens – are a classic. They bring a look of calm, organization and structure to any garden space, and with older homes they give just the right ‘period’ look, while they can look modern and minimalist too, in the right setting. They have been used for centuries in […]

I remember well the first time I saw a red Fringe Flower bush. Even as a pretty knowledgeable gardener I was blown away, so I understand why this plant has become such a hot ‘must have’ for so many gardeners in warmer zones. Maybe you too just saw one for the first time, and of […]

Using shrubs in planters and pots is a great idea, and widely suggested, not just for anyone with limited garden space, but also in larger gardens, to decorate terraces, frame garage doors, or along driveway. They look great, and they really add a whole extra dimension to your garden, so its really is a wonderful […]

Old-time gardeners think of September as the start of the gardening year, not the end of it. This might seem odd if you are a summer gardener who sees their garden as ‘resting’ in winter, and you aren’t alone – plant sales and interest always rockets in spring to a peak and then are much […]

Boxwood bushes are garden standards – evergreen bushes with many uses, from the traditional boxwood hedge to less formal shrubs in modern gardens. Because they have such a well-known name, new gardeners can easily think they are all the same, and that one boxwood is just like any other, so why not just grab the […]

We have all seen it, and some gardeners have even come to dread it – those words in the description of that tree or shrub you are aching to have – ‘Grow in fertile, moist, well-drained soil’. The first two parts are not so bad, after all, if we enrich our soil, and we water […]

For most people, a ‘spruce tree’ is a silvery-blue pyramidal tree on a lawn in front of your house, that is also good for a Christmas tree. Very true, but there is a lot more to this group of evergreens, and if you decide to plant one, it’s worth thinking a little more before making […]

About one billion rose blossoms find their way into florist shops around the world, and in America alone about 30 million are sold on just one day – February 14. These specialized blooms have planted a vision in our minds of what ‘roses’ look like, but they are so much more than that. Wild roses […]

The peak month of summer is also the pivotal month in the gardening year. Although a tradition has developed that puts spring as the time to get your garden going, a far better time is fall. Warm ground, the return of rain, and time for new plants to establish themselves so they can make an […]

Everyone loves roses, and it is impossible to have too many in your garden. Except for the work, right? If you think that way you probably grew roses a while back, because a lot has changed in the rose world since the new century began. As 21st century gardeners, it’s time to take advantage of […]