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To choose cottage garden plants, think of tall flowering perennials, self-seeding annuals, and hardy biennials to give your garden just the right look. English cottage gardens have a very romantic feel to them.  The look may seem haphazard but is actually planned. A cottage garden has a very distinct style that throws formality out the …

Read More about Cottage Garden Plants – Perennials Biennials & Bulbs for Cottage Gardens

There a many Spring Blooming Plants that arrive very early in the year. Some even peek through the last of the winter snow. Some early spring bloomers can even take the last of winter snow and cold temps and still start to grow. From bulbs, to annuals and perennials, the array of early spring bloomers …

Read More about Spring Blooming Plants – My Favorite 22 Picks for an Early Bloom – 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

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

Pruning hellebores will keep your Lenten rose looking its best all year long. 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.   The flowers are so pretty and resemble wild roses that have opened up. It’s …

Read More about Pruning Hellebores – Tips for Lenten Rose Maintenance

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

A forsythia shrub is one of the first harbingers of spring. Who can resist those cherry yellow blooms that appear about the time that the daffodils poke their heads up? These shrubs can be used as a stand alone plant in the middle of your lawn and can also be used as a forsythia hedge to …

Read More about Forsythia Shrub – Tips for Planting, Growing and Pruning Forsythia Plants

Transplanting forsythia is a good idea if the perennial has overgrown the original planting area.  This task needs some care. These tips for moving forsythia bushes will help with the project. Forsythia shrubs are hardy bushes that are easy to grow and a real show stopper in early spring when their yellow flowers tell us …

Read More about Transplanting Forsythia – Tips for Moving Forsythia Bushes or Shrubs

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

 Winter flowering plants bring a blast of color to your yard and garden when you need it most – when the temperatures are really cold and not much is growing. It’s cold outside for most of us in the USA, but that does not mean that we have to sit idly by and wait for …

Read More about Winter Flowering Plants – Add These for Cold Weather Color

Are you wondering what to plant in the fall when the summer flowers have all but stopped their show of color?  These fall blooming perennials and annuals will add that last touch of bold color in most gardening zones. These late bloomers will grow in most planting zones and will give new life to a …

Read More about Fall Blooming Perennials and Annuals for Bold Color

If you like hardy perennials that have an extended bloom time, try growing gaillardia, also known as blanket flower perennial. The plant is very showy and super easy to grow. Gaillardia is a pretty perennial plant that has an extended bloom time to give you loads of color all season long. If you like daisies, …

Read More about Growing Gaillardia – Blanket Flower Perennial Care Tips

Surround yourself in nature in the 25,000 square foot gardens of Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory. This enclosed conservatory is an oasis nestled in the down town area of Fort Wayne, Indiana. The gardens feature tropical displays, waterfalls and a Sonoran Desert display with over 72 types of cacti. In all, the gardens boast over 1200 plants …

Read More about Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory – Indoor Botanical Gardens in Fort Wayne, Indiana

Hydrangea care involves control of sunlight, adequate moisture and proper pruning. These tips for growing hydrangea bushes will help you get the most out of your plants. The size of the flower heads, alone, make hydrangeas a favorite perennial among gardeners. Cutting fresh hydrangea blooms gives you terrific cut flowers that last a long time. They …

Read More about Hydrangea Care – Tips for Growing & Propagating Hydrangea Bushes

Do you like Bluegrass music with a side of daylilies? If you do, you’ll enjoy this virtual tour of the daylilies at Wildwood Farms in Floyd, Virginia. Located just 42 miles from Roanoke, VA and very close to the Blue Ridge Parkway, you will find Wildwood Farms. This general store features live Bluegrass music from …

Read More about Daylilies at Wildwood Farms VA – Daylily Tour

If you like the look of cottage gardens, you’ll love purple coneflowers (echinacea purpurea). These tips for growing echinacea will have butterflies, birds and bees flocking to your garden in droves! This easy care perennial draws insects and birds to it, making sure that neighboring plants will have plenty of pollinators all season long. This coarse …

Read More about Growing Echinacea – How to Care for Purple Coneflowers

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

If you want to attract both butterflies and bees to your garden this year, try growing liatris. This perennial corm flowers in mid summer with a blast of flowers that are a magnet for them. I have 10 garden beds around my home and I’m always interested in growing perennials of all types since they come …

Read More about 13 Tips for Growing Liatris – Attract Bees like a Magnet!

Asiatic and Oriental Lilies may look similar but they actually have several differences. All types of lilies are grown by home gardeners for their dramatic and colorful flowers on long, sturdy stems. Each type has their own particular growing needs, which may make one a better choice for your gardening needs. Although these types of lilies …

Read More about Asiatic and Oriental Lilies – What is the Difference?

Pink flowers are soft and romantic looking in a garden bed. They are often seen in cottage gardens and there are so many varieties of them that it’s hard to pick favorites. I am a romantic at heart.  One would never think it to look at me.  I’m a rugged girl and my nails usually …

Read More about Pink Flowers – The Best Flowering Pink Annuals and Perennials for Your Garden

Get a head start on spring gardening by starting seeds indoors with Jiffy Peat Pellets. These handy peat pots have the perfect soil for seedlings and they can be transplanted right into the ground as soon as the weather is warm enough. Some plants need a long time to mature. Others, like bell peppers, need …

Read More about Starting Seeds Indoors with Jiffy Peat Pellets – How to Grow Seeds in Peat Pots

Forsythia bushes have a wonderful arching habit will makes them a great focal point when planted in a large garden bed. All shrubs need pruning, but what do you do when you have totally overgrown forsythia shrub? It’s either time for hard pruning or renovation pruning for them. Rejuvenating forsythia gives them a new lease …

Read More about Renovation Pruning Forsythia Shrubs vs Hard Pruning Forsythia

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