Best Perennials for Spring Gardens
If you have a perennial garden, you probably know all too well that coordinating bloom times is a tricky business. I’m quite sure I’ll still be working on it in my next life! But after decades of experimentation, there’s one season I think IRead More
The Chelsea Chop: How and Why to Prune Perennials
Would you trade an hour of pruning in late May for an extra three weeks of flowers in late summer? If so, you may want to try doing the Chelsea Chop! This pruning technique is used to control the growth habitRead More
Creative Ways to Use Hostas in Your Yard and Garden
Hostas are so incredibly tough and easy to grow, that they sometimes don’t get the respect they deserve. More than just problem solvers for shady areas where few other plants will survive, hostas offer gardeners an exciting palette of sizes, colors andRead More
Welcome Spring With Trilliums
Trilliums are one of America’s most beloved wildflowers. In the spring, you can find them blooming in woodlands and hedgerows throughout most of the country. The plants are easy to identify. Each stem has a whorl of three leaves and a single flower with three petalsRead More
6 Tips for Growing Clematis – the Queen of Climbers
Clematis have an important role to play in any flower garden. As they scramble up trellises, climb over arbors and thread themselves through other plants, these perennial vines weave a rich tapestry of color and texture. Read on for six tips that will help you beRead More
How to Use Pink in Your Flower Garden
Gardeners often have a strong opinion about the color pink. In truth, it can be challenging to work with. Read on to learn why that’s true, and get some tips and techniques for using pink in your flower garden. Cultural biases are the first challenge to overcome.Read More
12 Best Companion Plants for Hostas
Hostas have no trouble holding their own in a shady garden. Yet there are many other shade loving perennials that make excellent companions. By adding their own contrasting colors, shapes, heights and textures, these plants accentuate the simple elegance of theRead More
Love Hummingbirds? Grow Some Crocosmia!
Hummingbirds have a weakness for red flowers. So even though it’s not MY favorite color, I always try to have a few red flowers in the garden — just for the hummingbirds. Some years it’s salvias and hibiscus. Others it’s fuschias or geraniums. Always there’s CrocosmiaRead More
Midsummer Maintenance Tips for Perennial Gardens
Part of what makes public gardens like Sissinghurst, Kew or Longwood so impressive, is how well the plants are tended during the growing season. Keeping a perennial garden looking good from May to September is about more than good design and smart plantRead More
Best Ground Covers for Shade
Shade tolerant ground covers solve a multitude of landscaping problems. These plants thrive in cool, moist areas where lawns usually struggle. They hide uneven surfaces and are not fazed by steep, inaccessible slopes. Most are long-lived perennials that get moreRead More
