Are the Pests & Diseases on My Plants Serious?
We live in an time when life has become medicalized. Despite living longer and more healthy lives than any human beings who came before us, we are intensely focused on the dangers of…
Discover Our World
Get all the latest insight into the world of plants, from experts.
How the Annabelle Hydrangea Turned Pink
If you live in mild and warmer parts of the country, your go-to hydrangea is probably the mophead, with its flowers of blue or pink. If you live in colder areas, though, where…
The Mediterranean Garden – Styling and Layout
In this sporadic series on designing gardens we have looked at a variety of different looks or styles you can give your garden. The word ‘style’ tells us that although your garden might…
In Search of Blue Rhododendrons
When a gardener’s mind turns to rhododendrons, they are most likely to picture a shrub with pink, or perhaps red, flowers. That’s because most species and varieties do indeed have flowers in that…
Where Did the Mophead Hydrangea Come From?
The mophead hydrangea is such a constant feature in gardens of warmer climates, and it has been around for so long, you probably never asked where it first came from. It’s iconic colors…
Growing a Rose from a Cutting
Growing a new rose from a stem of an older one was the traditional way people passed on loved roses to family and friends. It isn’t hard to do, and works for many…
How Are Roses Propagated?
When you first start growing plants in your garden, how they are produced is often of no concern – getting them to grow is always the first priority. It doesn’t take long, though,…
Panicle Hydrangea – the hydrangea for colder zones
If you are new to gardening, hydrangeas can be confusing. Most people recognize the large round heads, usually in pink or blue, or the mophead hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla), so widely seen in summer-gardens…
The Beauty of the Double Hydrangeas of Ryoji Iroe
Hydrangeas are among the most widely-grown shrubs, and no wonder. Their lavish blooms are long-lasting, and with some shade tolerance these are relatively easy, reliable and tough plants to grow. It is the…
Growing Heathers and Heaths is Easy
There are about 25 million Americans whose ancestors came from Scotland For another 32 million, including the President, their ancestry can be traced back to Ireland. That’s about 1 person in six. Both…
Diervilla, a Neglected Native Shrub – neglected no more
With so many plants in the world, it is inevitable that some good garden plants get overlooked. This is especially a problem in America, because our gardening is built on a foundation of…
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…
Choose the Right Lavender for Your Garden
The beautiful blue-purple flower spikes of lavender are one of the highlights of summer, and this plant is one of the most loved, and one that has a nostalgic charm. Perhaps it’s the…
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,…
Thinking Hydrangeas? Think Native!
Once you have been gardening for a bit, a treasure chest opens up. Suddenly you realize that there are WAY more beautiful plants in the world that you ever thought possible. Tens of…
Growing Clematis – large-flowered hybrids
Few sights are as glorious as a well-grown clematis in full bloom. It’s a delight in any garden. Although there are around 300 wild species, and the range grown in gardens has expanded…
10 Fragrant Flowers and Plants to Fill Your Garden with Perfume
10 Fragrant Flowers that Should be in Your Garden Bee Balm – Monarda The whole plant smells of citrus and something else mysterious, while the red flowers brighten summer. Grows well in wet…
Grow Your Best Roses Ever – it’s Easy
Ah, roses. Perhaps the most popular group of flowering plants, and yet a source of frustration for so many gardeners. Nothing makes a garden look the way roses do, and it’s a look…
The Yin and Yang of Viburnums
Some plants are so packed with charisma that they can become cult items, admired and coveted by every gardener who encounters them. To achieve this status usually requires two things – at least…
How To Prune Panicle Hydrangeas – Hydrangea paniculata
Hydrangeas are among the very best of shrubs for late blooming. Not only do they flower when most other shrubs have finished for the season, but they stay in bloom for weeks and…
Tired of Boring Hedges? – here are some great ideas.
Most gardeners love hedges – formal or informal, they make the perfect background to a garden, defining it’s space, giving privacy and showing off your plants against a neutral background. But why is…
Winter Protection for Rose Trees
Almost everyone loves roses, and with today’s easy-care modern varieties, it’s easy to care for the things you love. Besides the huge number of different varieties, divided into different types – landscape roses,…
Dwarf Crape Myrtles Fit in Every Garden
There is no question that crape myrtles are among the most colorful of summer-blooming plants – that’s something that has been agreed on for 250 years, since the first plants arrived in Charleston,…
Five Great and Different Fast-growing Privacy Shrubs
When it comes to privacy, it’s a shame that a small handful of plants have taken over, so most gardens use the same old plants, and we all end up looking the same….
5 New Plants For Your Garden
There is nothing so much fun as planting something new in your garden. The planning and thinking about it’s suitability; the waiting for its arrival; unpacking that box; choosing the perfect spot for…
Arborvitae Privacy Trees – Pick the Right Tree
Privacy trees are almost always at the top of list for gardeners moving into a new home, or when new buildings go up around you. We all want to feel our house and…
Shrubs Beside Water (or in Wet Soil)
One of the most common instructions we find ourselves giving is to grow a certain plant in ‘well-drained soil’. That is fine, but what if you don’t have soil like that, perhaps because…
Beyond the Mop-Head Hydrangea – Other Types and Species of Hydrangea Plants
Say “Hydrangea”, and most people think of those big, floppy heads of flowers in summer, in pink, white, or blue. That is the big-leaf hydrangea, Hydrangea macrophylla, that came to us from Japan….
Lavandin or Lavender – What’s the Difference?
So you want to grow some lavender, but when you Google for some more information you start seeing this word ‘Lavandin’. Ah, you think, maybe it’s the French name for it? Hm, nice…
The special Story of a Special Plant, the Pillar Hibiscus
The Hardy Hibiscus, or Rose of Sharon, is a shrub that’s familiar to many gardeners. It was once wildly popular but then fell from favor, returning recently with many new varieties. For long-blooming…
How to Succeed with Winterberry Bushes
‘Winter’ and ‘Berries’ definitely go together. The traditional Christmas holly may dominate the Christmas card market, but as many gardeners soon discover, if you live in areas that are too cold or too…
Let’s Sort Out Jasmines and their Friends
There is nothing new or unique about botanists and ordinary folk having different names for plants. If you look at the plants gardeners call ‘cypress’ you find a whole host of very different…
Meet the Viburnums – Some Of Our Best Flowering Shrubs
If you want to know the secret to creating an attractive garden, there is a one-word answer – ‘structure’. I don’t mean pergolas and gazebos, but structure from shrubs and small tree. A…
Mophead or Lacecap? – Two Beautiful Kinds of Hydrangea
Everyone loves Hydrangeas – they are a classic summer shrub for partially-shade parts of the garden, and their long-lasting blooms make a real impact for weeks and weeks – probably longer than any…
Shrubs for Exciting Ground Cover
Every garden has spaces beneath the plants where the earth can be seen. These areas attract weeds, and they lose water to the air, drying out your plants faster. They also look boring,…
Kathleen Meserve – the Holly Lady
Plant breeding is one of the few areas where amateur, hobby gardeners have made at least as much of a contribution to the plants we grow as professionals – and sometimes even more….
Victor Lemoine – the Lilac Man
Especially for gardeners in colder zones, lilacs are classic flowering shrubs no-one would want to be without. Their large heads of fragrant flowers are a delight, and available in a wide range of…
Trees and Shrubs for Alkaline Soils – Part 2
A couple of weeks back we started this two-parter on choosing plants that will grow well for you if you have alkaline soil. If you are looking for some suitable trees, or are…
5 Ways to Make a Beautiful Garden with White-flowering Shrubs
It doesn’t take long, once you start gardening, to start thinking about color. Yes, it is very important to arrange your beds using interesting shapes – a blend of vertical, rounded and horizontal…
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…
Get to Know the Quince
If you haven’t smelled the fruit of the quince, you have missed out on something beautiful. These strange hard fruits are renowned for their perfume, and were first used in the Middle East…
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…
The Hardiest Rhododendrons of All – PJM
I am writing this as the days shorten, in late fall, with winter round the corner. If you live in colder zones, and love Rhododendrons, this could be the time when you start…
The Perfect Substitute for Boxwood – New Hollies
Boxwood is definitely one of the most iconic garden plants there is. Most people recognize it straight away, and those clipped hedges are a symbol of the organize, formal look for gardens. Start…
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…
Bushel & Berry® – a Fantastic New Way for Everyone to Grow Berries
Nothing beats a bowl of berries – fresh, juicy, tangy and sweet – delicious! If you are a berry lover, nothing truly beats the taste of berries fresh from the bush, perhaps still…
August In the Garden
On the calendar, December is the end of the year. In the garden, in many ways, the year ends in August. A new cycle begins with the cooler weather of September, an ideal…
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…