Smoke Trees for Smaller Gardens
Tough, vigorous and beautiful, the Smoke Tree – Cotinus coggygria – has been a reliable garden shrub for a very long time. Whether you go for the original green-leaf version, or the very…
Discover Our World
Get all the latest insight into the world of plants, from experts.
Meet the Maidens – Supremely Beautiful Grasses for All Gardens
Ornamental grasses are hugely popular, but also avoided by some gardeners, who probably have memories of one invasive grass or another that they planted – and came to regret. It is true that…
May in the Garden
Wow, spring is really here! In warmer zones it’s almost summer, but everywhere there are flowers to enjoy, and it’s a great time to be outside, before the full heat of summer arrives….
Understanding Organic Material
In the extended and detailed descriptions of our plants, which make the Tree Center unique, we provide more background information and accurate advice than any other on-line nursery. In there you will often…
Fairy Tale Lilacs make Garden Dreams Come True
Plant breeders are dreamers – they dream of plants that will be closer to our ideals, and they want to give us beautiful plants to fill our own garden dreams. Northern gardeners dream…
Double-Acts – Flowering Shrubs with Good Fall Color
Creating a rich and fulfilling garden can be tricky and it takes some thought and planning. There is a basic principle, though, that can really help you build a garden that is interesting…
April in the Garden
By April, wherever in the country you live, spring has arrived in some form. In the north it is still tentative, and there may even be persistent patches of snow lying in deep,…
Buying Garden Plants Online – a How-to Guide
Wow have things changed, and in ways we never could have imagined. We don’t know when it is going to change back – or if it ever will be the same again. Preserving…
March in the Garden
What happens in your garden in March depends on where you live. In colder zones the answer will probably be, “Broken promises,” with warmer, sunny days that turn cold at night and then…
Should I Remove That Tree?
Everyone loves trees, and we love even more older trees, because we know how long it takes for a tree to grow to maturity. That makes it difficult for us to take down…
Using Ornamental Grasses in Your Garden
Older gardeners will remember a time when ‘grass’ was just that green stuff you had to mow every week, but for today’s gardens it means so much more. With their unique look, their…
How to Choose a Flowering Dogwood Tree
Flowering Dogwood Trees are among the most spectacular flowering trees there are, and they are top choices for any garden. Grown as a lawn specimen, planted as background trees for your garden, or…
Montezuma Cypress – a Gift from the Aztecs
If asked what the largest living thing on the planet is, most people will answer, “Whales.” The more adventurous might talk about the enormous soil fungi that cover acres of woodland, as wispy…
How to Choose a Tree Surgeon
Over the last couple of weeks, we have been looking at tree care. Winter is a good season for this, because the lack of leaves makes it easier to see what needs doing,…
The Basics of Tree Trimming
In our previous blog, Should I Trim My Trees? we talked about how to look at a mature tree and decide if the time has come for some trimming. On a larger tree…
Why Garden?
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…
January in Your Garden
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…
Plant a Tree – Your Gift to the Future
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…
Dark Foliage in the Garden – Use it Effectively
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…
Rebloom or Encore Azaleas – Which Should I Grow?
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…
The Taming of the Mountain Laurel
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…
The Story of Lilacs
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…
Trees and Shrubs for Winter Bloom and Berries
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…
8 Fall Cleanup Tips for a Better Spring Garden
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…