Flowers

As the saying goes, two things in life are certain, though allow me to choose not to list them here. But as a gardener, I’d like to petition to add …

Tell me if this story sounds familiar. You love perennials, so you court them assiduously. In return, they reward your efforts with an abundance of beautiful flowers.  You think your …

Back when I first started gardening and had no idea what a biennial plant meant, I was foolish enough to trust the information on the garden center plant tags without …

My stubborn attempt to overfill my garden with more plants on a shoestring budget continues throughout the rest of fall. Or at least for as long as the weather allows …

Winter is a difficult time to find interest and color in containers. Most plants are either dormant or don’t perform as well in cold climates, making our containers appear dull …

When I first got the gardening bug, I used to despair over the end of the warm summer season. Fall, in spite of its color and richness, brought a bittersweet …

If you prefer more blooms than foliage, a showy display of flowers that lasts for weeks, and a vine that doesn’t destroy the structures that it climbs on, then clematis …

Daylilies (Hemerocallis) have been working hard for our gardens all summer long, putting out stunning displays of blooms day after day. But with the advent of fall, when temperatures start …

Preparing roses for the winter season during fall can be a tedious job, so it’s no wonder that it sometimes becomes the object of procrastination even for experienced gardeners. After …

As a gardener, growing annual geraniums feels very much like I’m gaming the system. I get a low-maintenance plant with attractive foliage and blooms that last for almost three full …

Create extravagantly lush shady spaces with climbing plants and flowering vines. It is the season for lounging in the shade! Increase your relief by growing shade-loving climbers and blooming vines. …

A flower gardener’s dream! The colorful impact of annual bedding plants with the reliable longevity of perennials. Can it be done? Yes! Pick fast-growing perennials in the fastest seed-to-bloom varieties. …

If you’ve never had a plant break your heart, try growing a gardenia! Gardenias blooms are the work of a fairy tale, if that fairy tale is Goldilocks and the …

Peony flowers are undeniably stunning, looking wonderful in a vase and just as good out in the garden. With the right care and attention, they will put up masses of …

Summer is the season of alfresco dining, enjoying the heat and the sunshine while sharing a meal with the people you care about. Few things could ruin that wonderful image, …

I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who actually bought irises to plant in their garden, like you would roses or rhododendrons. Come to think of it, every iris grower …

A crowded patch of irises is the most common reason for a disappointing show of flowers. If you’ve experienced a disappointing flush of iris blooms this spring, then it’s probably …

We love Foxgloves for their towers of flowers for weeks on end through late spring and early summer. Spotted, speckled, and dazzling varieties of Foxgloves are naturally biennial. Foxgloves grow …

The luxuriously luminescent blooms of the Iris are one of springtime’s favorite gifts. Rising from stiff sword-like leaves, flower stalks hold up large flowers of 6 spreading or lobed petals. …

Plants that share beauty and interest year-round maximize precious garden real estate. Perennials, trees, shrubs, and even annuals that look stunning year-round give the best bang for your gardening buck. …

I don’t know about you, but I find it physically impossible to walk past dahlia patches and not stop and admire them. I’ve been known to travel far and wide …

Many of us have that one stubborn spot in the garden that refuses to drain well. After the rain, water collects there are just doesn’t seem to dissipate, making it …

The common Hollyhock (Alcea rosea) has skyward stems smothered in giant 5-inch hibiscus-like blossoms that carry a whimsical zeal of times past. Beyond the impressive dramatic height of 5 to …

I’m not in the habit of checking the Guinness World Records website before I write a gardening article, but when my research uncovered that the world of competitive gardening is …