What is Peat Moss? What is it used for?
You might have seen that dark brown fibrous material called “Peat Moss” in your father’s garden or any nursery and garden stores. But did you know that though Peat Moss is very useful…
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Helen Ballard, Queen of the Hellebores
There was once a time when the passing of the seasons was not marked by the return to school or specials on Amazon, but by more traditional activities. Christmas was – and still…
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…
The Mediterranean Garden – is it for me?
The idea of having a Mediterranean garden has become a big deal – Google it and you will get 152 million hits. Issues like hotter and drier summers are on everyone’s mind, and…
How Fast Will My New Plants Grow?
Buying plants for your garden, anything from a load of hedging bushes to a single perennial, always has a little bit of nervousness with it. The newer you are to gardening, the more…
Keep Your Rose Bushes Blooming All Summer
Almost everyone loves roses, and millions are planted each spring by eager gardeners. A lot of them, though, don’t live up to the dream, and after a decent show in spring they sit…
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…
Some Evergreen Trees of Japan – Matsu, the pines
If one image instantly says, ‘Japanese Garden’, it is the twisted pine tree. Dominating most gardens, you could make a garden with just one, and nothing else. Trained to resemble a natural tree…
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…
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…
Butterfly Weed & the Monarch Butterfly – an intimate friendship
There are joys in gardening that go beyond the pleasure we find in the beauty of plants – and in succeeding in the challenges of growing them successfully. A large one is the…
Garden Pinks for American Gardens
Spring is always full of beauty, and as it draws to a close, and summer approaches, we see the blooming of one of the most beautiful groups of plants – garden pinks. These…
Salvia – a Wise Garden Choice
Sage: /seɪdʒ/ noun: an aromatic plant of the genus Salvia, whose greyish-green leaves are used as a culinary herb, native to southern Europe and the Mediterranean. Used in names of aromatic plants of…
Creeping Phlox are Back in Style
If you are an older gardener, you will probably remember the days before 1980, when the range of plants for gardens was incredibly restricted, and especially in colder zones it seemed that every…
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…
Tardiana Hosta and Friends
When confronted with the roughly 10,000 different hosta varieties available, the best way to understand them better, and so be able to choose and use them in your garden better, is to put…
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…
Winter Care of Houseplants
The days are shortening and the clocks have gone back – what does it mean for your houseplants? They are probably at their best right now, after the brighter light of summer. But…
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…
Growing Sedges in Your Garden
Ornamental grasses have been hot in gardening for a long time now, and are an essential part of almost everyone’s planting today. Many people may not realize, though, that among their grasses, or…
Get to Know the Asters
At this time of year, the well-planned garden gets a big boost, with the arrival of the brilliant, jewel colors of asters blooming in garden beds or natural areas. Few garden visions are…
How Big Does That Tree Really Get?
I was talking in a previous post about planting trees with the future in mind, and some thoughts on how to have a better chance the tree you plant today will reach its…
Plant Trees for the Future – Here’s How to Succeed
Economists tell us that the further away a reward is, the less we will pay for it today. Our world, and modern economy, is built on having it now, as soon as possible,…
Everything you need to know about Japanese Cedar – Cryptomeria
Evergreens are among the most important plants in any garden. They bring a look of permanence and structure, with forms that are with us every day of the year. The garden will still…
Get to Know Snake Plants – Sansevieria
If you like having plants around the house, but don’t have the proverbial ‘green thumb’, then it’s time to grow a snake plant or two. Talk about indestructible – these plants should probably…
You Should be Growing Liriope in Your Garden – Here’s Why
The best way to raise your garden to a new level is to get rid of all those patches of bare earth. Not only do they encourage weeds, but they lose more water…
All About Hybrid Philodendrons
In this in-depth look at the important houseplant, Philodendron, we started in an earlier blog post by learning more about their amazing biology – where they come from, and where and how they…
The Exciting World of Philodendrons
In this in-depth look at the important houseplant, Philodendron, we started in an earlier blog post by learning more about their amazing biology – where they come from, and where and how they…
How to Grow Philodendrons
So you bought a Philodendron, or are thinking about buying one, and you want to know how to grow it. The good news is that these houseplants are among the easiest to grow,…
Get To Know Philodendrons
In the world of houseplants, Philodendrons are big. Not just in size, although many are, but in popularity. No wonder – these plants are mostly easy to grow, and come in a wide…
Grow Exciting Prayer Plants – Calathea
In a previous blog post we took a look at the secrets of growing those popular and gorgeous houseplants called Prayer Plants, or Calathea. In this post we are going to take a…
Calathea – The Answer to Your Houseplant Prayers
Once you get growing with houseplants, and have mastered those old indestructibles, like snake plants, Swiss cheese and spider plants, it’s natural to start looking for more. I bet you have often dreamed…
The Pine Trees of America #4
PART 4 – THE 2-NEEDLE PINES OF AMERICA In this series of blogs we are taking a deeper look at our native pine trees, both in the wild and in our gardens. In…
The Pine Trees of America #3
PART 3, THE 3-NEEDLE PINES OF AMERICA In this series of blogs we are taking a deeper look at our native pine trees, both in the wild and in our gardens. In the…
The Pine Trees of America #2
PART 2, THE 5-NEEDLE PINES OF AMERICA In the first part of this look at our native Pines, we talked about how to identify pine trees with a reasonable degree of accuracy. In…
The Pine Trees of America #1
PART 1, IDENTIFICATION Pine Trees are everywhere, in city and country, and their distinctive long needles make them a tree that is almost as widely recognized as maple. As garden trees, pines have…
Get to Know Russian Sage
Never truly Russian, and until recently not a sage either, Russian Sage is that plant you see in a garden and go, “Wow! What is that?” A striking concoction of silver and blue,…
Coral Bells, Foam Flowers and Foamy Bells
Once upon a time, boys and girls, Coral Bells were simple plants with marbled leaves and sprays of tiny bright coral-pink flowers on tall stems that fluttered in the breeze. Sometimes you saw…
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…
Sweet or Sour? What are the different kinds of cherries?
Growing fruit in your own garden is always a thrill, but it does take some effort – more than just picking up a tree at random and planting it. On our site we…
Everything You Need to Know About Gardening – A Guide to Our Blogs
The end of the year is always a time for reflection, and I am reflecting on my writing over 300 blogs on our site. No world-record, but enough to mean finding your way…
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,…
All You Need to Know About Gardening with Ferns
Valuable solutions for shady parts of your garden, ferns offer us an enormous variety of forms. Large or small, bold or lacy, there are fern solutions to most gardening problems, and they add…
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…
Is It Too Late For Fall Planting?
“Am I too late to plant?” Seems like a simple question, so what’s the answer? It’s complicated! Factors like the type of tree, where you live, if the tree is in a container…
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…
Choosing Screening Trees and Shrubs
Most of us want privacy in our gardens, so we can relax and enjoy ourselves, free from the noise and dust of a highway, the curiosity of passersby, or the scrutiny of neighbors….