The early cold has really been with us a long time this year and showing frost burn on the tender plants. But it is also a good thing to provide that dormancy needed for the cold hardy plants. An amazing year with blooms already happening. The camellias are ahead of typical bloom time this year. Wintersweet has been in bloom for a month already. It has been dry and we need the rains, but the good side to all this… Read More »
Now is one of the best times to plant. The soil is warm for good root growth and there is ample top growth. Many things can be planted now and they will be established by spring to take advantage of the growth spurt at that time. Additionally, many nurseries (LIKE MINE) are having a fall sale. Another thing to remember is to order bareroot plants NOW, before they run out. Bareroot is one of the most economical and wise ways… Read More »
As gardeners, we all enjoy finding a new treasure, buying it and bringing it home to plant in our most favored spot in the garden. If you think about the cultural needs of that plant before you buy, or better yet, a master plan (idea) of how you want your landscape to look when finished, you will be very pleased with any purchase and have little worry about it not surviving and doing well with you. Several design factors are… Read More »
Late summer’ s garden still can have surprises to interest even the most experienced gardener. Take for instance the amazingly beautiful and yet delicate appearing bush clover (Lespedeza thunbergii cvs.) These graceful sub shrubs offer arching stems, clothed with dainty, delicate appearing 3 part leaves and towards the ends of those stems are a profusion of small pea shaped flowers. The typical color is magenta, a wonderful surprise for the garden that is showy and eye catching. There are also… Read More »
Hydrangeas are easy care staples of many garden landscapes. Their ease of culture and profusion of summer blooms are reason enough for growing them, but the great array of choices can be overwhelming. Basically these are shrubs for sun or shade. Most commonly grown are cvs. of Hydrangea macrophylla, a shade and moisture loving species. The flower clusters are of two basic types: the lacecap and mophead. Lacecaps have larger steril flowerrs surrounding small central fertile flowers and mopheads have… Read More »
These few recommendations will give you amazingly beautiful containers for your ourdoor areas, patios, garden landscapes. The same principles used to make these containers will also work well for and ‘in the ground landscaping! First think about what kind of effect you are trying to get. (If you are not familiar with this kind of thought process, just look at any gardening magazine and see what pictures you like with container subjects, or plant groupings. Then go and visit a… Read More »
All gardeners like to have color in their gardens. Not all of us are fortuneate enough to have that inherent sense of design and color to make our selections of plants really stand out and be stunning to our garden visitors. Here are a couple tips to help. first of all, concentrate the color. This is a simple technique. Instead of using only one plant for color, use at least a few to make a bolder splash of color. This… Read More »
Most gardeners know the tried and true hydrangea for summer color. blooming for months and suitable for drying. There are, however, hydrangeas which can be planted in sun and will thrive and produce huge amounts of easy care (and low maintenance) blossoms for the garden and vase. These are mostly cvs. of Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora (the pee gee hydrangeas). Ease of culture makes them popular, and hybridists have been busy working with this group to produce a nice array of… Read More »
Summer is a good time to prune plants that have bloomed in spring, especially trees and shrubs, if you have not done so immediately after the blossoming in spring. If you do this now, there is still time for growth to ripen and set buds for next year’s bloom display if done now. Regular pruning of any misplaced branches, dead or otherwise obviously diseased/damaged wood, shold be done as soon as noticed, anytime. A guideline for getting bushy growth on… Read More »
As all good gardeners know, the most memorable plantings are those with outstanding color combinations. These can be made up of flowers, foliage colors and textures. If you plant for a long season of blooms, then your initial investment of time will be well paid for in the long run. You will get a long season(s) of colorful blooms for your efforts. This can be done in the garden with plants planted close to each other, or also in containers,… Read More »
