It pains me to see customers spending hundreds of dollars on new plants and simultaneously refusing to spend a few more on a bag or two of compost and a box of starter fertilizer. These two items are not unnecessary “add-ons” that the retailer is just trying to add to the sale, they are critical components of a successful transplanting process - or as I like to refer to them as “plant insurance”. Unless you have phenomenal soil, you should always add compost and starter fertilizers when you are planting new plants. Here is why…
Last week I pontificated about the merits of the genus Hibiscus and the fact that it is among the very few shrubs that bloom late into the summer. There are a handful of other summer-blooming choices that don’t come in quite so many variations but are just as reliable and dare I say, essential to creating that all illusive “year ‘round interest” in our gardens. Bluebeard is one such plant that will add late season interest in the sunny border with not a lot of fuss…
When I think of the word “wallflower” or “shrinking violet” for that matter, I conjure up an image in my mind of a timid plant that is shy and socially challenged. It is not very flashy and prefers to grow in an obscure location where it will be barely noticed by the passing visitor. In reality, nothing could be farther from the truth when we are talking about wallflowers….
If you are the type that visits a garden center on a regular basis, then you have probably noticed that plants have their seasons. Most blooming plants will be featured front and center during the time of year when they are the showiest and the rest of the season either moved to the back or simply become “out of stock”. It’s no different than seasonal candy, like red and green M and M’s for Christmas or yellow and pink Peeps for Easter. Hellebores are a classic example of a seasonal perennial that is readily available throughout the winter and then missing during the summer months. I am excited to tell you that they are once again arriving on our benches and ready for planting…
Ornamental grasses are an interesting class of perennials. They have some unique qualities that make them an essential part of my borders, as they should yours. Unfortunately, many gardeners still see them as weeds that either need to be sprayed with Roundup or trimmed with the Weed-Eater. This column will hopefully find some converts…
Anyone who has followed me over the years knows that one of my many mantras is “There is always room for one more plant”. No matter how packed my garden is, on any given day I can find a little patch of bare earth that is just screaming for something to be planted in it. My wife often fondly refers to me as her “hortiholic with a planting addiction” and I suppose it is true…
I know I mentioned last week that I always hesitate to spend too much ink on just one variety of plant, so it was my intention to discuss some summer chores for us to complete this month…. However, I found myself distracted by an article in the September edition of my wife’s ‘The English Garden’ magazine about the glories of the perennial Echinacea, or as we Yanks prefer to call them, cone flowers. That got me to thinking about this wonderful late summer bloomer…
It is always hard for me to focus in on one variety of plant this time of year. There are so many fabulous summer blooming perennials (and a surprising number of shrubs) that are strutting their stuff in the months of July and August, that to dedicate a whole column to one variety seems impossible and maybe even a little unfair. But fair or not, this little treatise is going to zoom in on the genus Crocosmia - mostly because they are coming into full bloom now and there isn’t a day that goes by that someone doesn’t come into the store with a sample flower (that they probably liberated from someone’s garden) and want to know what it is….
If you are looking for a perennial that will bloom from June until frost, will tolerate full sun or part shade, comes back every spring (unless Mother Nature is really nasty to us) and makes a wonderful companion to so many other plants, then what you need is a hardy fuchsia! They are hard to beat for nonstop blooms all summer long…
The Golfing Gardener
Trevor Cameron
We dove into oxygenating our indoor spaces with houseplants a couple of weeks ago, and now let’s continue our indoor discussion by investigate some superior pet-friendly options. As the weather continues to cool and the wind and rain ramp up, it becomes easier and easier to garden indoors and work outside a bit less. Many of us have…