Jean Iseli – King of the Conifers
The world of conifers is an enormous and diverse one, from the many hedges of Green Giant to the tiniest miniature collector’s tree, and from towering redwoods to flat groundcovers – there is…
Discover Our World
Get all the latest insight into the world of plants, from experts.
Trees and Shrubs for Alkaline Soils – Part 1
The Right Plant in the Right Place is a slogan that you will often hear from professional landscape designers and horticulturists. It’s a simple principle, but one often ignored in the rush to…
The Weeping Willow
In today’s global world we can easily make the mistake of thinking that international trade is something new and exciting, that ‘we’ recently discovered. How wrong we would be! The volume may be…
December in the Garden
As the year winds down – and what a year it has been – this is the time to bring things to an end, and also to make new beginnings. We have said…
Ping Lim – a Rose Breeder for Today
Older generations of gardeners who love roses might know the name Sam McGredy. One of the most famous rose breeders of the last century, Irish-born Sam, who was the fourth breeder in his…
Winter Protection for Roses, Hydrangeas and Other Shrubs
With winter settling in around us we are turning up the heat and bringing out the duvets. Gardeners are casting an anxious eye on those border-line shrubs they planted in the now-distant spring…
Nothing Says ‘Holidays’ like a Citrus Tree
I’m fortunate. I spent years living in zone 3, but today when I look out my window I see golden balls hanging from a green tree in my small yard. No, I haven’t…
5 Hot Plants for Your Xeric Garden
Who can forget the fires in California? Nature is telling us something, and we need to listen. If the future turns out as dry as it looks now, for big parts of the…
November in the Garden
There are two schools of thought among gardeners about November. One group – perhaps the majority – see it as a time to gaze out on a fading landscape, relishing the special beauty…
Mary Gibson Henry – A Great American Gardener
Those who don’t garden can see it as a soft option in life – after all, what could be challenging about ‘playing with plants?’ Yet many gardeners have been adventurous trailblazers, and the…
Plastic Plants are Taking Over
I was in a store recently and spotted a tray of nice-looking cacti over by the window. I was pretty surprised to find, when I checked them out, that they were made of…
October in the Garden
In cooler zones the mosquitoes are gone, trees are ablaze with color, and with luck there will be an Indian summer. In warmer areas the warmth may linger, but nights will be cooling,…
Spacing Hedges – Let’s Get it Right
Hedges are important components in just about every garden. In cities and suburbs they give privacy and a calm background to your garden, screening out neighbors, traffic noise, and unsightly views. In rural…
Why Does My Holly Tree Have No Berries?
There is no doubt that holly bushes are super-popular, not just for their dense, glossy foliage, but especially for their bright red berries, that brighten the holiday season. Yet in garden after garden…
America’s Very Own Holly Tree
Nothing says “Christmas” like holly. Those iconic deep-green spiny leaves and clusters of bright-red berries might be featured on almost every greetings-card, but their beauty never tires. In the garden too they are…
Why are So Many Trees Called ‘Cedar’?
You know how it goes – a quick trip to the garden center, real or online, for a few plants. You get there and ask for what you want. Now sometimes it’s no…
Chilling Hours – What They Are and Why They Matter
Gardening, love of good food, and a desire to protect our own and our family’s health have all come together in the biggest gardening trend of the moment – growing food at home….
White Birch is Back, and It’s Borer Proof
Back in the days when throwing chemicals at your garden was the standard way to deal with any problem, from lawn weeds to tree diseases or pests, you used to see many white…
Aronia – Meet a New Healthy Berry That’s Easy to Grow at Home
If you are out front of the latest health trends you may have heard already about the Aronia, or Chokeberry. These small black berries are being widely promoted for their powerful antioxidant content,…
William Penn Barberry – A Beautiful Little-known Shrub
Sometimes the stories of our garden plants are as interesting as the plants themselves and knowing them adds to the pleasure of growing them. Just like getting to know your neighbors enriches your…
How to Grow Perfect Rhododendrons and Azaleas
Almostall gardeners agree that there is nothing so beautiful as a garden with rhododendrons and azaleas growing in it. But often the first attempts are disappointing, and these plants are often relegated to…
Miniature Roses Come to Town
Most gardeners have some idea of the main groups of rose – hybrid teas, floribunda, climbing roses, and so on – even if with new varieties those old borders have become a little…
June in the Garden
It is not for nothing that ‘June is Bustin’ Out All Over’ was such a hit song. After all the uncertainties of spring, by now the garden is really moving, and in many…
Growing Roses in Planters and Pots
Roses and summer go together perfectly, and the enduring beauty of these bushes makes them always desirable. They are mostly grown out in the garden, but they also make great container plants, to…