In mid-summer, especially when a hot, dry week is predicted, (like this upcoming week), patio planters and houseplants need a little TLC. Four actions are involved:
Category: Ornamental Gardening
Hedges Are Bad, But if you Must…
Ask any classically trained horticulturist, and they’ll tell you – hedges are bad. Why? This approach to plant care runs afoul of all of the proven plant health techniques that are used in gardening.
Foliage on Spring Flowering Bulbs
Tulips, daffodils, hyacinth and crocus are great for spring color. Nothing says spring like these bulbs. In order to keep them coming back strong year after year, one or maybe two steps are required after bloom. What are they?
Plant Not Where You Want It?
It happens all the time; good looking plants are interspersed in your landscape, just not where you want them or where they are best suited. This is especially true for folks who just bought a home, spent their time and money fixing the deck and changing out the curtains, and have now turned their attention to the landscape.
2021 Picks for Great Plants for the Great Plains
When looking for tough plants for the Great Plains, turn to the Great Plants for the Great Plains for ideas.
Cut Back, Clip Off
There are times in a landscape’s life when it’s important to clip off certain plant parts. This is one of those times, particularly for bulbs and roses.
Lawns, Kids & Pets
Many families that have a lawn to care for also have children and pets. Are they mutually exclusive? In short, no. However, if you want the 3 of them to thrive and the kids/pets to be safe, there are some common sense guidelines to follow.
Made for the Shade – Perennials
One of the most important considerations for putting the right plant in the right place (RPRP) is the amount of sun that an area receives. In shady spots, many options are available, as long as consideration is given to just how shady it is.
Rules 8-10 of Garden Catalog Shopping
With site assessment, spacing, sun/shade and other considerations covered in Rules 1-7, it’s time to think about the actual plants in the catalogs. Rules 8-10 highlight the need for color, accents, textures, massing, repetition, all season color and experimentation in the landscape.
Rules 5-7 of Garden Catalog Shopping
Getting the most out of your online or hardcopy garden catalog experience is best done by following rules. Well, they’re not so much rules as “guidelines”; Bill Murray knows what this is all about. For the Midwestern gardener, rules 5-7 focus mostly on the size of the plants and where they are planted in the landscape.