Tag Archive | planting
Selecting The Perfect Tree
Winter is a good time to do a little research before the landscape season is upon us, especially if new trees or shrubs are in your plans. When spring arrives and you go to your garden center with your plant list, you’ll be better prepared. The internet is a good place to begin. The site […]
Fall Is For Planting
The unofficial start of autumn will soon be upon us. If you’ve been thinking about planting any new trees and shrubs in your landscape, this is when you should finalize your design decisions. This will give you plenty of time to shop the nurseries and garden centers for your plant material. Fall planting has a […]
Horticulture In Colonial Times And Its Effect On Our Landscapes
A lot of people are buying into the “use native plants exclusively” movement. However, like our human DNA, that of many plants we consider native may not be as native as we think. Have you had a DNA analysis done on yourself? Were you surprised? Most people I’ve spoken to who’ve done it are surprised […]
Does Your Foundation Planting Show Your House In Its Best Light?
The original purpose of foundation plantings were to hide the gray concrete foundation that was thought to distract from the beauty of the house. Today, foundation plantings have evolved into much more. They range from a few flowers to hide the foundation to elaborate gardens at the front of the house. Meanwhile, some landscape designers […]
Memorial Day – Time To Plant Annuals
There’s a reason why Memorial Day is considered the start of the spring growing season. That reason was quite apparent this spring. Even when days felt like spring, nighttime temperatures dipped down into the 30s, sometimes even below freezing. Tender annuals, even those rated for our hardiness zone 5, have a difficult time acclimating to […]
Dividing Perennials This Spring
If you didn’t divide your spreading perennials last fall, you might want to make that an early task this spring. Just letting them go may result in their squeezing out other plants that share the same bed. If your spreading perennials are near a sidewalk, they may impede you or guests using the walk. If […]
Companion Plants
We don’t usually think of plants as forming friendships but scientists tell us that they do, indeed. These friendships aren’t like those we humans make. Rather, the plants share mutually beneficial traits. Scientists call these relationships symbiotic. We landscape professionals call them companion plants. The companion plant phenomenon isn’t a recent discovery. Native Americans here […]
Fall Is For Planting
For some reason, it’s not common knowledge yet. Fall IS for planting. That’s why I remind you of it every year about this time. As the seasons change, days remain warm while the nighttime temperatures dip. Although we don’t have to worry about sufficient moisture this year, in most years we wait for the rain to […]
Refresh Your Flowering Plants
As you sit on your patio surveying your kingdom (see last week’s post), check out the annuals you planted in the spring. Are the flowers still colorful and plentiful? They should be if you’ve kept them watered and deadheaded. Those that don’t look so perky can still be changed out for new plants. You may […]
Caring For Spring Flowering Bulbs
Bulbs are, arguably, the most carefree, low maintenance flowers you can plant in your landscape. However, there’s no such thing as a maintenance-free plant, just low maintenance. The little crocus will soon make its appearance as the harbinger of spring. Even if there’s snow on the ground, the flowers will pop right up through the […]
Keeping Our World Green 