Navel or Valencia – Which Orange for Me?
Everyone loves oranges, for that summer in the mouth feeling you get popping a juicy segment, or drinking a glass of freshly-squeezed juice. When it comes from your own tree, then nothing beats…
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Camellia – Winter Rose of the South
Camellias are the aristocrats of the garden. They stand majestic, wrapped in rich green and glossy leaves all summer, and then when winter comes they burst into bloom, bringing exotic forms and rich…
Roses as Landscape Plants
Let’s be honest, roses have a reputation for being difficult. While most people love those big blooms, especially from the flower shop, growing them in gardens has faded from a high-point reached perhaps…
Colorful Hedges for Any Garden
Hedges are important garden features, for privacy, shelter and appearance. Evergreen hedges are always the most popular, since they give protection 365 days a year, and often the need is greatest in the…
What Shrubs Should be Pruned in Spring?
As the warmer weather arrives, and our plants start to show signs of waking from their winter sleep, we start to wonder how to get the best from them in the coming season….
Deer Resistant Trees and Shrubs
As winter turns to spring, many gardeners are out inspecting their gardens, and all too often they are finding plants damaged by winter. Cold and ice is one thing, but when animal damage…
American Wisteria
With the first hints of spring already arriving in the warmer states, before long the wisteria will be in bloom. These plants must surely be among the most spectacular of all climbing plants,…
Growing Plants on Walls
Finding enough room in your garden for all the plants you want to grow can be a challenge. As well, many gardens have large blank walls of wood, brick or stone, or fences…
Flowering Trees and Shrubs for Early Spring
Spring is the great highlight of the gardening year, always with a profusion of color, scent and interest from all kinds of flowering plants. Just when exactly that great moment arrives depends on…
Best Plants for the Coast
Gardening in sight of the sea presents special challenges. Most plants are sensitive to salt, which draws water from the leaves and roots by the process of osmosis. However, as the saying goes,…
Privet – the Good, the Bad and the Beautiful
Let’s face it – Privet has a bad reputation. Mention it to the average gardener and they picture a big, boring plant with green leaves that must be constantly battled with to stop…
Thuja Green Giant Guide
Introduction There are many evergreen trees to choose from for the garden, but one of the most useful is the Arborvitae, or Thuja. These soft-leaved, upright trees grow in a wide range of…
The Fiddle Leaf Fig – the Latest Indoor Hit
Flip through the pages of any interior décor magazine these days, and the chances are you will see a tall plant, with large leaves, being used as an accessory to the latest furniture…
Choosing the Right Boxwood for Your Garden
Boxwood is undoubtedly the most functional plant in garden history, as well as being attractive and easy to grow in sun or shade, and in a range of soil types. It has endless…
Plant in Winter for Summer Flowers
In winter, most gardeners put up their feet and dream of the coming year. Experienced gardeners do more than dream. They plan ahead so that when the glorious seasons of spring and summer…
Growing Citrus Trees in Pots
Citrus fruits are among the healthiest and most popular fruits around. Besides being great to eat, naturally or juiced, they have all sorts of uses in the kitchen, from salads and desserts to…
Some Unusual Evergreens for Your Garden
Evergreen trees make the structure of most gardens, giving permanence to what designers call the ‘bones’ of your garden, while flowering plants come and go through the seasons. Many are used for neutral…
Get to Know the Hollies
There are a handful of trees and shrubs that most people – even non-gardeners – feel they know immediately. Holly, that popular plant for the festive season, is probably one of them. Everyone…
Welcome Back to the American Chestnut
We hear a lot today about the loss of species, and mass extinctions. Yet less than a hundred years ago there was a mass extinction on a huge scale right here in North…
Planting for Winter Interest and Color
When summer is in full swing, and even in the excitement of fall, it is easy to forget about winter. This may be a long or a shorter season for you, depending on…
Protecting Your Hedges In Winter
If you live in colder parts of the country, where winter is a time of snow and ice, fall and early winter are good times to be thinking about protecting your hedges from…
Best Deer Resistant Plants and Shrubs For Your Area
Deer pose a pesky nuisance for gardeners. Though they may be enjoyable to look at, deer will nibble on many types of popular landscaping trees. The damage deer cause can lead to trees…
Meyer Lemon Tree Guide
Dwarf Meyer Lemon Tree Lemonade, lemon chicken, salmon, blueberry coffee cake, oysters, any dish garnish, lemon squares, lemon cakes, key ingredient, and so much more – lemons are an intrinsic part of our…
Crape Myrtle Varieties and Guide
Choosing The Right Crape Myrtle Tree Crape Myrtles are shrubs and small trees that have long been associated with gardening in the South. Their resistance to drought and heat and their brilliant summer…