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When the sun is shining and the breeze is warm, you’ll most likely find me enjoying some fresh air and exercise in the garden. There’s always something to do there–gardening is a process, not an event. Here are seven essential summer gardening tasks I make a habit of doing, and you might want to consider, too, in order to keep your garden looking sensational all summer long.
We’ve all heard the alarming statistics. We rely on pollinators for every third bite of food we eat. At least 75% of all the world’s flowering plants are pollinated by insects and animals. It can be overwhelming! Let’s bring that down that to a local level. What can YOU do in your own backyard to help pollinators feel welcome and wanted? Let’s focus on five things you can do right now, this season, to make an impact.
Have you spotted Bambi and her mom strolling through your garden in the early morning hours lately? Encourage them to keep right on walking by filling your garden with plants they don’t like to eat. Here are ten perennials and shrubs you’ll love, but deer won’t.
Drought isn’t an issue for everyone. If you live in an area that sees consistent rainfall and have low spots in your landscape, you may be dealing with too much water. Let’s take a look at ten plants that will love all that extra moisture and solve the issue for you in a snap.
Is your garden’s soil heavy and dense? When you squeeze a handful, does it stick together in a ball? If so, you are probably dealing with clay soil. The good news is that it packs a ton of nutrients that make some types of plants thrive. Let’s take a closer look at ten plants that will love to grow in your garden’s clay soil.
Graceful Grasses® ‘Fireworks’ is one of my go to Thrillers. I love the variegated purple, pink and burgundy with a splash of white for contrast. This plant likes full sun and can go without a lot of water. I like ColorBlaze® Alligator Tears to complement the rich dark colors of “Fireworks”. Alligator Tears has beautiful green foliage with a creamy-yellow tear drop center. This plant will do well in all sun exposures. Alligator Tears needs moderate moisture, but is drought tolerant. My third splash of color comes from Supertunia Vista Fuchsia. This Petunia is a vigorous grower and will add a striking display to your combination. Vista Fuchsia will adapt well with my other choices. Supertunia Vista Fuchsia is a trailing variety and will spill over the edge of your planter. You will love the abundant display of color throughout the summer months.
My new favorite Chick Charm is Chick Charm Golden Nugget. This tiny beauty has found a home in my perennial rock garden. I have had so much fun watching the color change as the winter weather arrived in Michigan. When I purchased this Chick Charm from Garden Crossings this summer it was a bright green color with red picoted tips. Now it is a beautiful golden color with red tips. The baby “chicks”, will begin to sprout when the weather breaks.
Lo& Behold® Buddleia ‘Blue Chip’ has been a top seller for the past 5 years and now it just got ‘better’. Why better you ask? We have loved the fact that ‘Blue Chip’ was a compact, sterile Butterfly Bush, and the only thing that could make it better is to be even more compact.
Meteor Showers and the color purple! Need I say more? Absolutely not! But I will. The most requested flower color of customers is purple. One of the most brilliant sights seen in the night sky are meteor showers. Put the two together and you have a masterpiece. Exactly why we need to talk about a new 2016 annual, Meteor Shower™ Verbena.
We have reached the time of year when our annual containers and combination containers are starting to look, well, less than desirable. There is a solution, a rather easy one at that. There are several fall plants that can be used alone or in combination with one another to freshen up your containers. Using more than one of the same plant, or using a combination of different plants, can create a fall container that will leave your neighbors in awe at the look of your new fall decor. There’s no better time than now to get started on those creations.