Garden Care & Design Tips
In a Squeeze? Use narrow plants!
Sometimes you need a skinny plant to slip into a tight spot. A specimen that has great ‘posture’ and completes the design puzzle. Here are a few woody plants, evergreen and deciduous, to consider when you are literally ‘between a rock and a hard place’: (pictured right Boxwood ‘Graham Blandy’, photo ncsu.edu) Evergreen Boxwood (Buxus…
Read MoreHurray for Garden Center Clearance Sales!
I love rummaging through plants on garden center clearance tables at this time of the year. And I know I’m not alone. It is so much fun discovering a gem selling for 75% less than it should cost. Come to Mama! One of my favorite finds are Itoh (intersectional) peonies. These usually sell for $85…
Read MoreLove Your Lawn this Fall
Fall is the ideal time to prep your lawn for a healthy, thicker green carpet next year. The cooler weather is perfect for seeding in new lawns or overseeding those that have grown ‘thin at the top’. Also treat blades to Espoma’s Fall Winterizer (8-0-5), an organic fertilizer rich in nitrogen and potassium. Nitrogen encourages…
Read MoreTropical Plants – Take Cover!
Many of us living in colder regions will soon see temperatures dip into the low 30’s. It’s time to giddy -up and rescue tropicals and tender ‘bulbs’ (technically some of these are not bulbs; they are corms, tubers or rhizomes) from frigid nights ahead (photo of a snowman my son made when he was a…
Read MoreCover Make-Up Garden Design Tip
Don’t you hate eyesores that desperately need ‘a blemish cover-up’ but because of the location or homeowner association rules, permanent structures or in-ground planting are not allowed? GRRRR. In my case, I have ugly meters on the side of my condominium garage that stand out like sore thumbs. They are within 18” of the sidewalk…
Read MoreClimbing Vines
Climbing vines contribute a valuable third dimension to a garden, an especially valuable component in small spaces or where tall blank walls cry out for décor. In addition to creating an enchanting floral panel, they can also be highly functional, serving as privacy screens, hiding eyesores, or shelter from hot afternoon sun. But before you…
Read MoreSolutions for Powdery Mildew
Powdery mildew is a common problem in the summer garden. It can infect vegetables, roses, perennials, shrubs and trees. Although there are many varieties of this mildew, it usually presents itself as white or powdery gray spots on leaves, although it can also grow on stems, flowers and even fruit. Although it may look bad,…
Read MoreEspoma helps divided plants thrive!
Spring is a great time to divide many summer and fall-blooming perennials that have grown too big for their britches and are crowding neighboring plants. Dividing plants is good for them, despite how stressful it may look or feel to you. Division stimulates new root growth. Younger roots are more efficient at their job than…
Read MoreWeed-Smoothering Floral Tapestries
Sound intriguing? Easy-peasy. Simply imagine a jaw-dropping, dazzling quilt or tapestry and then envision it sweeping over a section of your landscape. Maybe it is a hard to mow area, a slope, or a lawn alternative. For the most low-maintenance, high-impact designs, select perennials, woody plants, bulbs and annuals that are drought resistant and don’t…
Read MoreGarden Maintenance Tip for Spring
Squelch the Uprising! This is the time of the year when some ‘uppity’ perennials decide to push their way out of the ground, exposing tender roots to damaging wind and light. Actually, it’s not really the plant’s fault – thawing and freezing soil lifts them skyward. Our job as gardeners is to ‘put them back…
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