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Now that fall is beginning, this is prime planting season for trees and shrubs. Planted now, rather than in spring, they will establish roots over winter – even in the coldest areas – so when the first warm days arrive they will be ready to go. This maximizes the growing season, and gives you mature […]

It doesn’t matter how much or how little you garden, or how complex or simple your garden is, evergreens are going to be an essential part of it. They provide structure as screens or hedges, and they fill out empty corners with the perfect background. Around the house they give permanence to your foundation planting, […]

Somehow, over recent years, the gardening year got turned around. Today everyone rushes into their garden at the first sign of spring, and immediately starts planning and planting for the best garden ever. This is quite a change from years ago, when spring was a secondary season, ideal for planting some plants, but not the […]

We tend to think of garden flowers as something that happens in spring and summer and having blooms at those times is relatively easy. Too many gardens though, are finished by Labor Day, and yes, there is fall color still to come, but the end of summer shouldn’t mean the end of colorful flowers. There […]

While we enjoy the last balmy days of summer, it is hard to think of the winter to come, but it will come, and our once-green gardens will be a lot barer when it does. You might live in the cold north-east, where the winter garden is mostly seen through windows from the warmth inside, […]

Summer is at its height, but the smart gardener is always thinking ahead. Fall will be with us all too soon, and if you want to continue the garden fun and beauty into that special season, it’s time to take inventory and add some plants that will make it an even better season for you. […]

Boxwood shrubs – as hedges of different sizes, clipped shapes or growing naturally – are the backbone of the structure of many gardens. Boundaries and edgings are the easiest way to bring order to a garden, and make your other plants stand out. Whether its edging a path or driveway, adding accents around your home, […]

As we enter the hot days of August, our gardens can begin to look a bit tired. The heat and drier conditions mean that the flowers of spring and early summer have faded, and often there is little color to be seen. Smart gardeners plan for this, and make sure they grow some plants that […]

There is a big push these days to use less water on our gardens. Periods of drought, limitations on city water supplies, concerns about long-term freshwater availability, and increased costs to home-owners – all these things point in the direction of ‘water-wise’ gardening. There is also much more emphasis on growing trees suited for your […]

Holly is one of the most popular broad-leaf evergreens. It’s deep-green glossy leaves look great in the garden all year round, and the winter bonus of bright red berries really brings color and interest at a low time in the garden. Plus, it’s traditional for the holiday season, so you can make your own wreathes […]

If you have gardened in colder parts of the country for a long time, you will remember the ubiquitous PG Hydrangea, still seen in many gardens. It’s a standard shrub for later flowering – reliable, hardy, but with several faults that make it a long way short of perfect. To begin with, it grows quite […]

Japanese and Asian-themed gardens are amazingly popular – and no wonder. They combine beauty with serenity, and by using just a few carefully chosen plants they create low-maintenance gardens, turning a few plants and rocks into a place of beauty. They are also perfect for smaller spaces, and courtyards, which are becoming increasingly common, especially […]

The single biggest trend in gardening over the last couple of decades has been the growing of native plants. An interest in the environment, concerns about the spread of alien species – these things have made gardeners look again at plants from their own country to decorate their gardens. These are replacing some of the […]

Travel in late summer through the colder states, especially in the north-east, and everywhere – in parks, private gardens, and even cemeteries – you will see a bush with large white flower heads, perhaps beginning to turn pink as the nights cool. It may be a bushy plant, or it may be tree-like, on a […]

Especially in colder parts of the country, it can be a long wait for spring. When the snow begins to melt, and the days lengthen, we can become impatient to see some signs of life in our gardens – but many plants just keep sitting there. They are not stupid, because spring can suddenly turn […]

In some parts of the country the first signs of spring are already showing. In colder places there is some time to go yet, but it is not too soon to start some planning, and even start some work to prepare your garden for its best season yet. In milder areas February is the ideal […]

If you live in warmer parts of the country, where winter is shorter, and days above freezing are common, then your garden doesn’t have to be a blank canvas of twigs and leaves all winter. There are several amazing plants that bloom during the coldest, darkest days of the year, that make winter much more […]

Rhododendrons, and Azaleas too, are loved by everyone for the brilliance and variety of their spring flowers. Nothing rivals the beauty, range of colors, and abundant display of these plants. Among many people they have an undeserved reputation for being difficult to grow, mainly because of their requirement for acid soil. But beyond that they […]

Winter is a time when the garden is quiet. Few shrubs or trees bloom, although in warmer areas there are a number that do – the fascinating Paperbush (Edgeworthia) for one. But for the most part our gardens in winter are a place for gentle reflection on the beauty of twigs, and the soft tones […]

When most people think ‘boxwood’, they picture clipped balls or low hedges. But there is so much more to boxwood. This is an ideal time to plant some, so it’s also the perfect moment to think about other ways of using this versatile and attractive evergreen. Leave Boxwood Unclipped Some gardeners avoid boxwood, thinking it […]

The Butterfly Bush, once a favorite plant with children for the hordes of beautiful butterflies it attracts, has had some bad publicity in the last few years. Beautiful as it is, these plants produce a lot of seed, and this will easily spread and grow just about anywhere. In some parts of the country it […]

Planting shrubs is the best way to create form and structure in your garden, and working with a selection of different ones, both evergreen and deciduous, and large and small, is the way to create variety too. Getting the balance right, between mass planting and individual specimens, using different heights, and with different foliage types, […]

Now that spring is behind us, and summer has officially begun, don’t leave the pruning of your spring-flowering shrubs any longer. Ideally it should be done immediately after they flower, so for next year, make a note. However, ‘better late than never’, so if you didn’t do it yet, bring it to the top of […]

Almost every garden has shade – and even if it begins as sunny, once trees and large shrubs develop, shady areas are almost inevitable. We can treat shade in two ways, as a problem, or as an opportunity. Once we see it as an opportunity to grow plants that prefer or even require shade, a […]