It’s time to get your spook on – with creepy flowers, Halloween plants and all sorts of growing things that are sure to make you feel a Halloween mood. Traditional Halloween decorating is done with just a few plants and colors. This time of the year is cold and plants in most areas of the…
The common name of this pretty perennial says it all – candy corn plant has blooms that look quite similar to the popular candy that we love to eat in the fall! It wouldn’t be fall without a candy corn martini, or a candy dish or two loaded with candy corn. Good news for gardeners…
Who doesn’t love the look of a lush, green hydrangea bush in their yard, just full of those gorgeous and huge blooms? 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. Growing hydrangeas from seed is also…
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…
The Shasta daisy has lovely summer blooms. Caring for Shasta daisies is easy. It is a fairly low maintenance perennial plant that naturalizes to give more and more blooms each year and is great for filling in garden beds and bare spots in your garden. These care tips will help you to get the most…
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…
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…
One of the earliest plants to bloom in spring is forsythia, but when should it be planted? Planting forsythia is all about timing and spacing. The two best times are early spring and mid fall depending on your hardiness zone. Forsythia bushes delight us each spring with their burst of cheery yellow flowers. This deciduous…
Vegetable gardening is one of the great pleasures of the summer months for many gardeners. But for many of us, space does not allow a full outside garden. In cases like this, try growing a vegetable garden on a deck. So many vegetables can be grown in large planters and having the garden so nearby…
These 20 seed starting tips will help you to get your garden going early this year. With seeds, it’s never too early to get gardening! The holidays have come and gone and most of us are hunkering down for the colder months of the year. But wait – now is the perfect time to think…
The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens has something special in store for both animal lovers and those interested in botanical gardens. This 135 acre zoo and botanical garden was founded in 1966 and is home to more than 1,400 birds, amphibians, mammals and reptiles. Comfortable shoes are a must, since there is a lot…
If you are passing through San Angelo, Texas, be sure and fit in a visit to the International Waterlily Collection. You will get a chance to view the premiere collection of waterlilies found anywhere in existence. What is the history of the International Waterlily Collection? The collection is found in the Civic League Park in…
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…
For unbeatable spring color, try growing forsythia bushes. These easy care bushes require very little care. Nothing screams spring in your garden quite like Forsythia. With their vibrant yellow color, these perennials are one of the first bushes to flower in the spring. The shrub is very hardy, and relatively easy to grow. These tips…
English cottage gardens have a very romantic feel to them. The look may seem haphazard but is actually planned. To choose cottage garden plants, think of tall flowering perennials, self seeding annuals and hardy biennials to give your garden just the right look. A cottage garden has a very distinct style that throws formality out…
bulThere a many Spring Blooming Plants that arrive very early in the year. Some even peek through the last of the winter snow. This collection will give you some idea of what to be on the lookout for this year for your spring garden. What flowers bloom in spring? The answer is a simple one. …
If you are looking for an easy to grow vegetable that ranks right up there in popularity with tomatoes, try growing green beans. Find out which variety is a good choice in your vegetable gardening project this summer – bush beans vs pole beans, and also when to plant, how to nurture and tips for…
Botanical Gardens vary greatly from one place to another, but each seems to have its own special theme. The Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay, Maine. have a Children’s Garden that is one of the best I have seen. My husband and I tour the country, in the summer months, visiting garden centers around the…
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…
It’s that time of the year. Pumpkins, Indian Corn and autumn plants all help to make this front porch decor for fall a hit with visitors! Each year, I use supplies from the previous porch but mix them up a bit to make my fall front porch decor a little extra special. This year, I…
Sicklepod (Cassia Senna obtusifolia) is an annual legume that appears in the spring with yellow flowers and long pods. It is invasive and can cause havoc in cotton, corn and soybean fields. Read on to get some tips for controlling sicklepod. Sometimes plants appear in your garden by way of seeds in new mulch for…
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…
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? This list of hosta companion plants will help you fill in those borders with other shade loving plants. Every experienced gardener knows how important foliage plants are in the garden. …
Growing Sunflower plants is one of the really fun parts of summer time gardening. These cheery sun-facing flowers are a delight to gardeners who wish to attract birds. What are sunflower plants? Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) are a member of the Aster family. These big annuals are very easy to grow, which makes them a very popular…
Hellebores are a long blooming perennial plant that needs very little in the way of maintenance but it does get a bit ragged looking at times of the year. Pruning hellebores will keep your Lenten rose looking its best all year long. What is a hellebore? Hellebore is a herbaceous evergreen perennial plant that has…
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…
