How to Grow a Butterfly Bush & Varieties

What could be more enjoyable than relaxing in your favorite lawn chair or hammock, your sunglasses on, and a cool beverage in hand, staring at an enchanting array of colorful butterflies milling around their favorite plant? What could possibly be an easier way to accomplish this vision than by planting a simple butterfly bush? About… Read More

A red weeping Japanese maple against a wood-panel wall

Japanese Maples

Japanese Maples are known for their unique form, delicate and colorful leaves, and smooth bark. These traits give Japanese maples year-round appeal for any garden or landscape, both traditional as well as themed. The amount to choose from is quite overwhelming, as there are more than 300 cultivars available today. With so many options, it’s… Read More

Hydrangea

Hydrangea: Summer-Long Color and More No other group of shrubs we know has undergone such a transformation in recent years as Hydrangeas. For generations, Hydrangeas had languished as dependable, if unexciting, shrubs whose large, pale flower heads provided useful filler for the midsummer garden. Then in 2003, a Midwestern plant breeder introduced Endless Summer, a… Read More

Boxwoods

14 Types of Boxwood Varieties for Landscaping

American boxwood? English boxwood? Japanese boxwood? What’s the difference?! American boxwood, Buxus sempervirens, has many different cultivars. For example- Graham Blandy (Buxus sempervirens ‘Graham Blandy’) is an American boxwood variety. Most American boxwood cultivars are cold tolerant, with leaves that are rather long ovals with more pointed tips. English boxwood, Buxus sempervirens ‘Suffruticosa’, is a… Read More

Easy Camellias Care Guide for Beginners

Camellias are large, attractive, broad-leaved evergreen shrubs that are highly prized for their flowers, which bloom from winter to spring There are more than 2300 named cultivars registered with the American Camellia Society. The most commonly used camellias include cultivars of Japanese camellia (Camellia japonica), Sasanqua camellia C. sasanqua), tea-oil camellia (C. oleifera), tea camellia… Read More

Indoor Gardening

Indoor gardening or keeping houseplants is a hobby that many outdoor gardeners bewilderingly often do not pursue. Conversely, there are many green thumbs out there who fill their homes and workplaces with plants, yet never touch an outdoor one. With the current trend of blurring of outdoor and indoor living, I’m hoping this strange separation… Read More

How Do You Determine Winter Plant Damage

It’s not unusual for some trees, shrubs, and perennials to look badly damaged, sick, or even dead after the cold winter months. Just because the leaves are brown, droopy, or sickly-looking does not necessarily mean the plant is dead. In some cases, these ugly brown leaves will fall off and sprout new ones. Often, new… Read More