Let’s face it – most of our flowering shrubs are showy in spring. Viburnum, dogwood, spirea, forsythia and lilac sport hues of yellow, white, pink and purple in April, May and June. While this is a welcome change from the drab grey of March, once the color is gone in spring, we’re left with a…
Category: Landscaping
Double Trouble
Visit any of your favorite garden centers and you will see new introductions of old familiar favorites. For instance the purple coneflower is no longer purple. It comes a range of colors from red, yellow, orange, green, and white. You will even find cultivars where the traditional cone has been modified into flower petals often…
Classic Color Combinations
The keys to success with patio planters and pots of all sizes are: Designing with the thriller, chiller and spiller concept in mind. The “thriller” is a plant chosen to “wow” you, to attract attention. The “spiller” is the plant that cascades over the edge of the pot, providing a softening effect, and the…
Mulch and Hot Weather
Mulch is an aspect of the landscape that doesn’t provoke much thought. Wood chips or rock? Landscaping fabric or not? The reality is that the right kind of mulch, applied to the proper depth, has a BIG impact on plant health, especially during the heat of summer. Root function stops when soil temperatures reach…
Weeds in Perennial Beds
They seem to pop up everywhere – weeds. New beds, old beds; it doesn’t seem to matter. At this point in the season, a little moisture encourages growth of tons of weeds. Seeing these weeds makes you wonder several thoughts. Where did they all come from? Why are they growing as well or better than…
The Best Way to Remove Problem Trees
Seedling trees come up in the oddest places, and in some cases, totally unnoticed. In the neighborhood I drive through, I observed a mulberry tree growing up through a shrub rose. The mulberry thrived, gradually completely shading out the rose. Eventually the rose owner noticed the mulberry and tried to remove it, resulting in the…
Newly Planted Trees, Shrubs, Perennials – Aftercare
You’ve installed some new trees, shrubs and perennials…now what? In order to keep them looking great, there are a few simple care steps that should follow planting, especially in June. A thorough soaking of water, followed by moisture monitoring. Nothing special here; use a sprinkler can to place water evenly throughout the entire root…
Unwanted Grass
Grass is usually a good thing; in lawns that is. However, if you’ve got grass anywhere else – a veggie garden, a flower bed, in groundcovers – then it’s a weed. Grass can get to the unwanted location through bird transfer, through misapplied seedings or through spreading. The rhizomes pictured here show this undesirable…
Containers…Everything is a Container!
Just about any item can be a vessel for plants, from wash tubs to whiskey barrels to cast aside footware. All that is required is a side wall and a drain hole, which can be fabricated if need be. Once the imagination has run wild about what could be, it’s important to focus on fine…