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 an infinite set of pink tones, into reds and purples,...
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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 angustifolia, settlers called it calico-bush, or spoonwood, because its hard,...
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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 best choices, avoid wasting money, and end up with a...
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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 at all. Their reliability in colder climates and their profuse...
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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 seasons to the year, and a great garden has something...
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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, they might need a little extra TLC, as they face...
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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 what these reasons are, and which plants they apply to,...
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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 to care for, but still vibrant and colorful. Hydrangeas have...
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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 this way, even the ancient Romans grew them, and they...
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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 course thought, “I want that in my garden!” Who wouldn’t?...
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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 gardening trend. You enjoyed them all summer, but with the...
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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 lower the rest of the year. But really, if you...
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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 cheapest thing at a big-box store? In fact, boxwoods are...
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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 regularly, that is surely achievable. But what about this ‘well-drained’...
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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 your choice. What you want it to look like, how...
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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 are small, with just five petals forming a shallow bowl...
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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 energetic push in spring – all these factors mean that...
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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 what this new century brings us and move your rose...
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Pines – big and small – were the subject of a recent blog, and they are beautiful trees that bring a unique look to any garden, with so many to choose from. Pine trees are usually trouble-free, but, like all plants, they can be attacked by insects from time to time. Often these attacks are unsightly, but not fatal, unless the tree is very small,...
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When July rolls around, that first flush of spring flowers is over, and even some of the early summer plants are finished too. If you haven’t planned ahead you may be looking at a lot of green right now, and if that sounds like your garden, now is the time to do something about it. After all, July is often the month you spent more...
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Pines are certainly the most easily recognized evergreen, with their distinctive long and thin needle-like leaves and large cones. For the garden they offer a wide range of trees and shrubs, that fit into many garden styles, and grow well even in poor, sandy soils. With all that diversity available, there is hardly a garden anywhere that can’t be enhanced with a pine tree, so...
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When we think of ‘home grown’, it is usually vegetables, or fruit, that most people think of. Yet there is a valuable food – nuts – that is often overlooked. Yet nut growing is certainly the easiest way to grow edible plants. No elaborate annual bed preparation, seeding and planting, as you do with a vegetable garden. You don’t have to followed detailed pruning methods,...
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Junipers can be confusing plants when you first start gardening. Someone will casually say, “It’s a juniper” when pointing at almost anything from a tall tree or a narrow, upright shrub, to something a few inches tall creeping across the ground. It might have fuzzy or smooth leaves, and it could be green, blue, yellow, gold or any combination of those colors. Naturally this is...
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We all want the best plants in our gardens – healthy bushes covered in flowers that bring color and often perfume for us to enjoy. Yet sometimes we are disappointed. A bush produces a few initial flowers and then stops for the rest of the season, or has a good flowering one year, and then little or nothing the next one. Instead of just being...
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