Astilbe is a gorgeous perennial that is right at home in a shady moist garden. You can grow it alone, but a well designed garden looks better with more than just one type of plant. These astilbe companion plants like the same moisture and light conditions and will make a beautifully coordinated garden bed. Selecting companion…
Begonias are a very popular plant worldwide. They are used as bedding plants and can also be grown as indoor plants. There are lots of different leaf types, colors and flower formations. Growing begonias is a little bit of a challenge but you should do fine as long as you follow a few tips. Tips for…
My husband and I recently spent several days in the mountains of North Carolina with our daughter. The highlight of the trip was a tour of Biltmore Estate. We enjoyed the tour of the estate, for sure, but what really impressed me was the perennial gardens and conservatory. I thought my readers would enjoy reading a…
Garden art can cost an arm and a leg if you purchase it from garden centers. But this does not have to be the case. It is easy to create instant interest in the garden by making use of recycled or common household items and turning them into garden art. I love to make garden…
I love a cottage garden. I am not a rule follower by nature, especially when it comes to gardens, and I love the way a cottage garden throws caution to the wind in the rule department. Do you like lots of flowers, flowing lines and a not so formal look? Then a cottage garden might…
Vegetable gardening normally requires large plots of land in order to get good harvests. But this is not always possible in today’s world. Many homeowners have smaller yards, but would still like to enjoy the benefits of home grown vegetables. For them, raised garden beds may be the answer. Advantages & Disadvantages of Raised…
This post brought to you by Gilmour. The content and opinions expressed below are that of The Gardening Cook. Get A Successful Garden Make Over With 14 Easy Tips. It’s that time again. Time to transform one of my garden beds that just won’t seem to keep to a single design. I call it my…
Last spring, I planted a few different plants in a small square raised planter that surrounds my mail box. But I was never happy with the look and decided I wanted a climbing plant to cover the post and grow up around the mailbox itself. I wanted a perennial that would come back year after…
When my daughter was young she had a swing set, sand box and playhouse on the left side of my garden. She loved playing there, and we chose this area of the garden so that I could see her playing from my kitchen window. All that is left of the set up is the playhouse,…
My husband and I recently attended a wedding on the coast of North Carolina. While we were there, we took the time to visit the Elizabethan Gardens at Manteo on Roanoke Island. The gardens are a fabulous experience. They feature 10 acres of wonderful tree lined and shaded paths with lovely water views. The gardens…
Anyone who has priced hardscaping lately knows how expensive it can be, particularly if you have large areas to cover. I am redoing my whole area that I used last year for veggies. Long story short, the squirrels were a nightmare for me and I don’t plan to go through that experience a second time. …
This year, I changed my vegetable garden into a combined perennial/vegetable border. It’s a long story but basically, the squirrels got the better of my veggies last year and I swore never again. Since I will have flowers and vegetables growing in one space, I wanted some decorative and functional items in it. This DIY…
Japanese Silver Grass – Miscanthus sinensis – is a perennial plant that has variegated green and white striped leaves and huge plumes in the fall that stall well above the top of the plant. I planted a small Japanese Silver Grass plant in my front bed last spring. I knew it would get fairly large so…
