In my garden stands three huge Green Giant arborvitae trees that visitors often remark on. “Where did you get those magnificent trees?” They started as live Christmas trees, I tell them! Each one began as a potted tree purchased in November and sat on my front porch through the winter with its twinkling lights until
Hydrangeas are one of the most loved landscape plants, adored for their gorgeous summertime blooms. They are also popular flowers for bridal bouquets and fresh cut arrangements in season. The cut stems can get pricey if you purchase them from a florist, so why not grow your own? Below, we show you how to cut
One of the questions we receive most from home gardeners is how to grow and prune lavender. So, join us in learning everything you need to know about how to grow this classically fragrant perennial in your garden. We’ll cover when to plant, the best locations to grow it, how to prune and much more
Knowing your hardiness growing zone for plants is important if you plan to grow trees, shrubs and perennials. We’ll walk you through exactly what a hardiness zone is, how to find yours, whether or not the new USDA map affects you, how to interpret zones on plant labels, and other factors that affect plants’ hardiness
Have you ever enjoyed a piece of art, wreath or bath salts that incorporated dried flowers and thought about drying your own? It’s an easy way to extend the use of the flowers and plants from your garden and bring nature inside. Let’s take a look at some types of plants you could be growing
Wondering how to attract birds to your garden? When you stop to think about it, birds are a lot like people in that they need many of the same things to survive and thrive. Food, water, shelter and community are all critical components of the ecosystem in which they live. If your landscape is lacking
Few garden flowers have stood the test of time like roses. For centuries, they have been revered for their bouquet-worthy summertime blooms. There are so many different types of roses, from climbing forms to hybrid tea, floribunda and more, but for our purposes here, we are focusing on how to grow landscape roses. All of
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
As with most things in life, gardening is more fun when you are faced with fewer challenges like clay soil, hungry deer or full shade—that is, until you know how to meet and defeat those challenges. It takes some practice, but in time, you will learn which kinds of plants you can grow without any
At the end of the season, were there a few things you would have done differently? It’s true for everyone—no matter how long we’ve been gardening, there are always things we want to change. The garden is constantly evolving. I’ve been gardening on a shaded one-third acre parcel for 16 years and would consider myself