Now that the temperatures have risen and we are heading towards the warmth of summer, it is the ideal time to add colorful containers to our decks, patios, porches and landscapes. For many gardeners like me, this involves rejuvenating existing ones by…
It's Time To Change Out Our Containers
Here's How To Have The Best-Looking Containers
May is, without a doubt, the primary month for planting up our containers. In the garden center you will find an endless supply of annuals and perennials ready to be creatively combined, for what will hopefully be a summer-long display of blooms. But to be successful (as in “over the top” successful) with our pots, we need to pay attention to a few details. Here are my thoughts on “growing in” containers…
Planting Containers In The 'Shoulder Season'
May Is Annual Planting Month
Before I launch into my diatribe on the glories of annuals, I probably should make sure everyone understands the difference between annuals and perennials… Annuals are plants that grow, bloom, set seed, and die all in one season. Perennials, on the other hand, grow, bloom, set seed, go dormant, and then return the following season twice as big. Where as annuals will bloom all summer long, perennials, for the most part, only bloom for 5 to 6 weeks….
Vacation Is Over, Time To Get Back To Work
Creating Winter Interest In Our Containers
I recently read an article on designing with foliage in the garden by a local author, Christina Salwitz. Her main point is that while flowers are ephemeral, foliage can last all season and therefore should be the first consideration in any garden design - be it in the landscape or simply in our containers. As we move into the fall and winter season…
Speaking as a self-proclaimed “plantaholic” who likes just about all things with foliage, fronds, or needles, one plant I started to salivate over in the 1990’s was Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia sp.). For us in northern latitudes, these mythical plants were uncommon and were perceived as…