Flowers & Ornamentals

Spring is in full glorious bloom in my garden which can only mean two things: Well, maybe a couple of months before we get full hydrangea blooms. But all the …

Wood chip mulch is an attractive ground cover that enhances the health of your soil and the plants you grow. For many gardeners, carpeting the landscape with organic mulches becomes …

I once again have lavender on my mind. My husband and I were walking through our residential neighborhood this past weekend, noticing how spring is well and truly here in …

As we are entering the season of spring celebrations, many hydrangeas will take their pride of place as the centerpieces of our Easter brunch table settings. Or as Mother’s Day …

I was having a good laugh with one of my gardening friends the other day at the expense of her beloved hostas. We were both chuckling at the (entirely made …

Whether you’re picking them from your backyard or buying them, nothing banishes the winter blues like the sunshine yellow of fresh daffodils. When their yellow heads nod in the March …

Are you growing ornamental grasses in your garden? If you are, congrats! You have officially elevated your gardening game to a whole new level. For the longest time, I didn’t …

I recently wrote an article in which I wondered why peonies are so expensive compared to other perennials. I have seen baby peonies going for anywhere between 35 to 80 …

I knew it was the right time to write about irises when someone in a local group posted a wheelbarrow full of them with the message: Hi, I’m lifting bearded …

If you had to guess how many hydrangeas were sold in the United States in a year, what would you go for? Maybe 100,000. Perhaps half a million. Shall we …

It is a truth universally acknowledged that once you learn a gardening “golden rule,” you’ll have to quickly unlearn it. Or at the very least, you might need to add …

If you still haven’t tried mycorrhizae, consider this your wake-up call – your plants are missing out! Your vegetables, your houseplants, the flowers you plant in the front flower bed, …

Which phrase rings more memorable to you? Old French climbing rough mountain oak.  or Old rough French climbing mountain oak.  No, it doesn’t make much sense. And no, I didn’t …

How much would you be willing to pay for a single snowdrop bulb? Would you believe that a single bulb of a new snowdrop hybrid went for £1850 (about $2300) …

It happens. You bought bulbs with the intention of getting them in the ground in the fall to enjoy next spring. But life got busy. Suddenly, it’s the holidays, and …

With a name like butterfly bush, it’s easy to see why Buddleja is such a popular landscaping plant. After all, who wouldn’t enjoy more of these beautiful insects in their …

Hostas are clearly the most popular plants in the shade garden. And why wouldn’t they be? They’re probably the easiest perennial to grow. They have beautiful lush foliage, in sizes …

One of the highlights of coming back home from my late summer vacation is getting to interact and reconnect with my own garden. I did not have a gardening-free vacation, …

Spring flowers are always a breath of fresh air after a winter of dark, dreary colors. There’s nothing more delightful than the bright yellow of daffodils, the blue-purple of grape …

Urine is an excellent natural fertilizer and among the very oldest ways to create fertile soil. After all, pee plays quite a crucial role in the earth’s nitrogen cycle. Mammals …

One of the great things about hostas is how low-maintenance they are. Of all the perennials in your garden, hostas are probably the closest thing you’ll find to a set-it-and-forget-it …

Agapanthus, often called the “African Lily,” is immediately recognizable with its stunning, spherical clusters of blue or white flowers that bloom on tall stalks above lush, green strap-like leaves. They’re …

When you think of planting perennial flowers, spring might automatically come to mind: birds creating a cacophony of noise, gusty breezes drying out the mud, and the excitement of new …

Agapanthus is one of the few plants I can think of where the word “regal” is well and truly fitting. You have a plant with a full crown of emerald …