Skip to Content

This giant hosta variety is called Blue Angel Hosta. This plantain lily is one of the larger mounding varieties that is perfectly happy in the shade. A recent trip around the JR Raulston Arboretum provided me with a chance to look at their magnificent collection of hostas. I have a large collection of hostas in …

Read More about Blue Angel Hosta – Growing Hosta Blue Plantain Lily – Giant Hostas

This variegated hosta is called Hosta Stained Glass. It is a sun tolerant hosta variety that adds a vibrant and dramatic punch to any semi sunny border or garden bed. My husband and I love to tour botanical gardens, such as the JR Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh, North Carolina. This botanical garden features plants that …

Read More about Hosta Stained Glass – Sun Tolerant Variegated Plantain Lily

This slug resistant hosta is called hosta wheee! As the name suggests, the look of this fun plant is whimsical with an extremely ruffled foliage habit. A recent trip around the JR Raulston Arboretum provided me with a magnificent look at their collection of hostas. I have a large varieties of hostas in my shade …

Read More about Hosta Wheee! – Variegated Slug Resistant Hosta Plant

This list of hosta companion plants will help you fill in your shade borders with other plants that like refuge from the sun. Hostas are well known for their delightful foliage that looks wonderful as border plants or in mass plantings.  But what do you grow with them? The answer is easy if you know …

Read More about Hosta Companion Plants – Growing Hostas with Shade Loving Plants

This miniature hosta is called Hosta Cat and Mouse. Its small size makes it the perfect choice for those who don’t have a lot of room to garden. A recent trip around the JR Raulston Arboretum provided me with a magnificent look at their collection of hostas. I have a large collection of hostas in …

Read More about Hosta Cat and Mouse – Miniature Dwarf Hosta – Perfect for Rock Gardens

This quick growing hosta plant is called Hosta ‘Yellow Splash Rim’.  It is easy to see where the common name comes from by looking at the colorful leaf margins of the plant. I recently toured the JR Raulston Arboretum and had a great time looking at their shade garden which included many hosta plants. I …

Read More about Hosta Yellow Splash Rim – Plant this Rapid Grower in Shade Gardens

Hosta Kiyosumiensis is a dappled leaf hosta also known as the Mountain Hosta. It is native to Japan. About Hosta Kiyosumiensis The name of this hosta comes from our version of the name of Mount Kiyosumi-yama, a small mountain in Japan with views of Tokyo Bay. The plant grows on this Mountain. In the northern …

Read More about Hosta Kiyosumiensis – The Mountain Hosta from Japan

Autumn Frost Hosta is one of my favorite hostas.  The leaves have blue green centers and wide yellow margins around the edge.  By summer time, the margins will turn a creamy white. It’s a slug resistant hardy perennial that comes back year after year. Variegated hostas really pop in any shade garden. This variety has …

Read More about Autumn Frost Hosta – Easy to Grow Slug Resistant Variety

These meditation garden ideas show how easy it is to provide a soothing and peaceful setting in your backyard, to include a lovely place to unwind after the stresses of daily life. Many botanic gardens, such as the Los Angeles Botanical Garden and Memphis Botanic Garden, have Japanese themed gardens that incorporate areas for meditation …

Read More about Meditation Garden Ideas – Creating a Backyard Meditation Space

If you are a gardener and are looking for things to do in Montana, be sure to add Tizer Botanic Garden & Arboretum to your trip itinerary. Located in the heart of the Elkhorn Mountains, in Jefferson City, Montana, is a delightful botanic garden with a whimsical feel. The garden is situated on 6 acres …

Read More about Tizer Botanic Garden – Enjoy a Fairy Garden and Other Whimsical Touches

The Memphis Botanic Garden in Memphis, Tennessee gives visitors a chance to connect with nature in a relaxing and enjoyable way. Sculptures, plants and water all coordinate beautifully in this lovely botanical garden. The botanic garden offers lush walking trails with plenty of tall trees to shade visitors from the hot summer sun. The garden …

Read More about The Memphis Botanic Garden – Children’s Garden – Herb Garden & more!

If you like the cottage gardening style, you will likely have a cutting garden. A common question from readers of my blog asks “how to keep cut flowers fresh?” When you purchase a bouquet of flowers from a florist or specialty shop, it will likely have a package of flower food attached. But what about …

Read More about How to Keep Cut Flowers Fresh – 15 Tips for Making Cut Flowers Last

Propagating hydrangeas to get new plants for free can be done in several ways – hydrangea cuttings, tip rooting, air layering and division of the mother plant. Who doesn’t love the look of a lush, green hydrangea bush in their yard, just full of those gorgeous and huge blooms? Some varieties, such as climbing hydrangea …

Read More about Propagating Hydrangeas – Hydrangea Cuttings, Tip Rooting, Layering, Division

If you enjoy walking trails that immerse you in a tranquil lake scene, with 113-acres of lovely themed gardens, the Springfield Botanical Gardens are for you. My husband and I spend the summer touring and writing about botanical gardens around the country.  We recently spent some time in Missouri and discovered this little gem of …

Read More about Springfield Botanical Gardens at Nathanael Greene/Close Memorial Park

There are many types of perennials, from tender types, which need to be grown in the southern part of the USA, to very hardy perennials that keep coming back after a freezing winter outside. Budget conscious gardeners have a very good friend when they turn to growing perennials. What is not to like about a …

Read More about 20 Best Hardy Perennials that Come Back Year after Year – Updated

If you like the idea of a plant that flowers in winter while there is still snow on the ground, try Growing Hellebores. Lenten Rose is another name for helleborus. The blooms come in lots of different shades and shapes. I first heard of Hellebores perennial several years ago when I spent a season trying …

Read More about Growing Hellebores – Lenten Rose – How to Grow Helleborus

These tips for the care of caladium plants will help you get the most out of them. Caladium tubers are one of the stars of a shade garden because of their brightly colored tropical foliage and rare flower appearance. If you have a shady patio location, caladiums can be grown in pots or containers. In …

Read More about Care of Caladium plants – Varieties – Overwintering – Flowers – and More

Join me in saying goodbye to my daughter, as she moves away, with these sunflower quotes and sayings as well as gorgeous photos of sunflowers that will bring a smile to your face. My daughter Jess loves sunflowers.  The first year I started my garden island beds, I made sure to plant them in all …

Read More about Sunflower Quotes – 20 Best Sunflower Sayings with Images

April 14 is National Gardening Day. That means it is time to start thinking about ways to get your garden ready with these spring garden tips. Winter is hard on a garden and spring brings with it a host of tasks that need taking care of. With spring right around the corner and daylight savings soon …

Read More about Get Your Garden Ready for Spring – 25 Early Spring Garden Tips & Checklist

Heuchera is a Native American perennial plant that is found all over the country. It is more commonly known as Coral Bells and comes in many shades of purple, rose, green and variegated varieties.  The plant makes a wonderful display in any shade garden and, although it does flower, it is grown more for the …

Read More about Heuchera Plant Care – Growing Coral Bells for a Shade Garden

Garden arbors and arches are set up as walk through areas in home gardens or public parks where one can welcome guests. There are many styles of arbors to choose from. Some are man made and others formed over time by nature. Trellises are often a part of arbors for the garden, giving some support …

Read More about Garden Arbors and Arches – Types of Gardening Trellises and Walk Through Arbors

Today we will visit Hahn Horticulture Garden in Blacksburg, Virginia. Garden tours are one of my favorite things to do when I am on the road. I love touring Botanical Gardens that I have not previously visited and sharing details and photos of them with my readers.  This Horticulture Gardens are set on 6 acres of …

Read More about Hahn Horticulture Garden – Virginia Tech – Blacksburg, VA

Try growing astilbe for beautiful, showy flowers that do well in a shady garden bed. This perennial has feathery flowers that sit above the fern like foliage in a majestic way. These tips will show you how to grow astilbe and bring color to your shady perennial garden beds. Most shady garden beds are filled …

Read More about Growing Astilbe – False Spirea Plant- How to Grow and Care for Astilbe

What can you do if you don’t have the time or space for composting in the traditional way?  This is where trench composting is your friend. Most organic vegetable gardeners are aware of the benefits of having compost pile.  Even so, one of the most common vegetable garden mistakes is forgetting to add compost to …

Read More about Trench Composting with Kitchen Scraps