Maybe you are new to gardening and wondering where to begin. Or, maybe you’ve been gardening for as long as you can remember and will relate to the gardening advice you read here. Either way, we bet you will pull a nugget or two of wisdom from this seasoned gardener’s column. After growing her own
We’re back with this year’s edition of Heidi and Rod’s Top 10 New Plants for 2024! They know a good plant when they see one and since they have the advantage of growing many of the new varieties before they are introduced, you’ll get to benefit from their experience. Let’s see who made the list
Meet the national plants of the year 2024! Each year, Proven Winners awards top prizes for their most exemplary annuals, perennials, shrubs and container recipes under the National Plants and Recipes of the Year program. This makes it easy for home gardeners like you to identify the very best plants in each plant category. If
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
What a year it has been! 2023 was a gorgeous year in our expanded display gardens here at Garden Crossings in Zeeland, Michigan. With fairly moderate temperatures and decent rainfall, our plants flourished, creating a vibrant swathe of color across the front of our retail garden center. Let’s take a look back at our top
Why didn’t my hydrangea bloom? What can I plant that the deer won’t eat? How do I overwinter this shrub in a container? You’ll find answers to these and many more of the most commonly asked questions in this season’s edition of Ask the Expert. Let’s dig in! Questions About Hydrangeas and Other Shrubs
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
Let’s face it—if you are going to grow a garden, eventually you are going to encounter insects. After all, they are a natural part of a living ecosystem. Birds rely on insects to feed their young, and in fact, many beneficial insects rely on other insects for survival. Most are completely harmless and don’t warrant
Are you tired of replanting all of your patio and porch pots every year? What if some of them contained plants that returned for several years? Though non-hardy annuals are traditionally used in patio and porch containers, the palette of available plant material increases exponentially when you add hardy perennials and shrubs into the mix.
As pretty as they are all on their own, you can enhance the beauty of your hydrangeas by pairing them with complementary plants that accentuate their best traits. Companion plants can also bring color and texture to the space when your hydrangeas aren’t in bloom. Let’s take a look at all six types of hydrangea
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