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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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…
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,…
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 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…
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…
Why Do the Same Plants Sometimes Have Different Names?
One of the most confusing things to ordinary gardeners is the names of plants. It can be difficult to choose a plant when you find it listed with different names, making you think…
Get to Know Snake Plants – Sansevieria
If you like having plants around the house, but don’t have the proverbial ‘green thumb’, then it’s time to grow a snake plant or two. Talk about indestructible – these plants should probably…
Mutiny on the Bounty Might Never have Happened – the Astounding Story of Breadfruit
The stories of how so many of our garden and food plants were found, and arrived, might sound like dry, boring history – but it isn’t. the incredible tales of explorers bent on…
What To Do When You Can’t Water Your Garden
With drought and heat everywhere, many gardens are suffering. Towns are restricting or banning watering with hoses or irrigation, and suddenly gardeners find themselves in a new world. It is very likely that…
Grow Your Own Avocados – (but not from a stone)
Once upon a time, avocados were an exotic, rare fruit, perhaps appearing in that Tex-Mex staple, guacamole, as a dip with beer, but otherwise hardly seen at all. How things have changed. Today…
All About Hybrid Philodendrons
In this in-depth look at the important houseplant, Philodendron, we started in an earlier blog post by learning more about their amazing biology – where they come from, and where and how they…
How to Grow Philodendrons
So you bought a Philodendron, or are thinking about buying one, and you want to know how to grow it. The good news is that these houseplants are among the easiest to grow,…