If snow hasn’t put a damper on your will to garden, take a look at these eight gardening tasks that will keep you busy until spring arrives.
Looking for a plant to fill in those empty spaces in front of your low level windows? Do you want a clear view to your backyard or front landscape without obstructions? There are three miniature hostas that come to mind. Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears, ‘Fireworks’ and ‘Sparkler’.
New options for shade? Yes, please! Let me tell you about three new varieties of my favorite shade perennials that are available for the first time this year. Even gardeners who struggle with deer and rabbits can enjoy these beauties. For most of the growing season, mature red oaks and sugar maples cast a glimmering
Let’s Dance® Blue Jangles® and Rave® hydrangeas are just the right size for showcasing in patio containers. They are paired here with Supertunia® petunias, Superbena® verbena, Diamond Frost® euphorbia and Catalina® torenia. Photo courtesy of Proven Winners. If this looks like your dream patio, read on to find out how to grow hydrangeas in patio
If you’re thinking of planting flowers at the gravesite of a loved one this season, there are a few things to consider first. I’ll walk you through the experience so you’ll be prepared, and give you a plant list to work from.
When summer arrives, we want to spend every moment we can soaking up the sunshine and fresh air. Instead of being couped up in front of the TV at night, we move our living spaces out onto our decks or under our pergolas and build a fire in the outdoor fireplace. If you’re looking for
Do you garden large, or in miniature? Whichever your preference, Garden Crossings has hosta varieties that fit the bill. Our favorite of the giant hosta varieties is almost a shrub, it’s so huge. Empress Wu has large deep green leaves, a foot or more in length. The whole plant has a spread of between 5-6 feet and gets up to four feet tall. It’s truly a showstopper.
Are you more of a mini gardener? We have small hosta varieties for you, too. ‘Fireworks’ is a variegated variety with green edges and white centers. This hosta reaches a mature height of 8-10 inches and a spread of 6-8 inches. The leaves grow in an upright pattern, giving it a unique habit.
When it’s time to start “growing up”, fill your trellises, obelisks and arches with gorgeous vining clematis. Each one is prettier than the next, so we’ve narrowed our list of 70+ cultivars down to five of Heidi’s favorites. Take a look, and find helpful growing tips too, in today’s blog.
Depending where you live, cooler fall temperatures are either welcome or have arrived too soon. There’s no getting around it—fall is coming! This is an active time in the garden when we prepare the lawn and landscape to hunker down and get through winter. Let’s look at ten essential fall garden tasks you’ll want to complete before the snow flies.
Ready to start container gardening this season? Let’s talk about soil. Lots of people have questions about what kind of soil is best to use in containers, whether they can reuse the soil from last year, and what they should put in the bottom of the container. Here are your answers!
Are you planning a getaway to West Michigan and need a suggestion on where to stay? This Fall Rod & I stayed at a quaint Bed and Breakfast, nestled out in the country in Allegan, Michigan. This beautiful Bed and Breakfast is called Castle in the Country.
When we arrived we were warmly greeted by Ruth, the B&B owner. She went over all that is available at The Caste in The Country along with informing us that there were a few rooms open and if we would like to take a look at them we could choose which we liked best. Our initial thought was to stay in the castle, the room we had initially selected was beautiful. Then we went over to the Castle Keep to check out a few more rooms. The room we decided on was the Sir Lancelot Suite located in the Castle Keep. Our initial room in the castle was amazing, but what drew us to the Sir Lancelot Suite was the amazing view. The suite had several windows that overlooked a very large pond that had wildlife around it. Some of the amenities that our suited included were: a large two person hot tub, a gas log fire place that could be viewed for multiple sides, a large shower that included multiple shower heads, and a very comfortable king size bed with high quality sheets and bedding.
Plant breeders work every day to refine the plants we love to grow in our gardens. They are passionate about developing new varieties that offer desirable traits like greater disease resistance, a longer bloom time, and that are easier to grow. If you gave up planting something years ago because it had an undesirable trait,