Are you wondering when spring will finally get here? It sure has been a challenging year so far for gardening. We had one of the coldest January on record which did a lot of damage to many of our beloved broadleaf evergreen plants. February was the 4th warmest on record. Many plants came out of dormancy … Read more
April is National Gardening Month. No wonder–Forsythia, redbuds, Bradford pears, daffodils, and tulips are blooming everywhere you look. Right now my own yard is a riot of color—the lush rose pink of the redbud, the sunny yellow of the forsythia and daffodils, the little patches of rich blue muscari and light blue starflowers, and the … Read more
Living with a forty foot tall maple in the front yard, a huge redbud on one side and an entire hill of oaks and maples behind, I’ve become (out of necessity) a fan of shade tolerant flowers. I thought I’d share with you some of my favorites—annuals, perennials, bulbs. Lily-of-the-Valley (Convallaria majalis): Dainty nodding bells will … Read more
The quickest cause of plant failure is insufficient or incorrect watering. With my blog last week I discussed the sunlight requirements of plants and how choosing the right plant for the right location is so important. Now, once the correct plant is chosen and properly planted, the cultural care of the plant is also vital … Read more
I know…you are thinking “here goes Doug again getting on his soapbox talking about choosing the right plant for the right location”. But, in my defense, with working at a retail garden center and working with customers for so many years, this question about light and proper choosing of plants is more of a challenge … Read more
What vegetable is low in calories, high in fiber, a rich source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, was grown by George Washington at Mt. Vernon and by Thomas Jefferson at Monticello—and tastes delicious? Asparagus, of course! The Roman emperor Augustus actually had an Asparagus Fleet—a fleet of ships whose job was to locate and bring … Read more
Yes, it is Strawberry season—the plants are now available for you to start your own strawberry patch. So how do we do that? Strawberries are perennials so choose a permanent sunny place where they can stay. Strawberry plants come in little bundles of “crowns”. A crown is the growing point of the plant with … Read more
I know it is only the beginning of March. Spring is not officially here for another two weeks. And, yes, I realize that we could still have more cold days and snow this month. But, have you spent some time outside lately to take advantage of some of these spring-like days? I sure have. And, … Read more
It is only mid-February and many customers have come into the garden center or called the store with concerns about seeing their lawns being torn up with mole tunnels. The customers are wondering, why now? With the cold winter we are having, aren’t the grub worms still down deep in our soil? A COMMON QUESTION … Read more
February is finally here. Sure, we are still in winter and will have some cold days and maybe some more snow days. But, on the nice days, there are plenty of outdoor chores to get done this month. Hold off on pruning your shrubs just because they look bad. A lot of our evergreens, such … Read more
