When plants are suffering in late summer, how do you know they are ok?
This was a question posed to me by a client for whom I did an installation for this spring and am providing follow on maintenance. By mid August, the Amsonia ‘Blue Ice’ that we had planted for him was starting to look a bit ratty after 2 months of high temperatures and alternating between dry and wet conditions. It’s leaves were either dropping or folded tight upwards to the stem.
Prolong Bloom Season By Planting in Multiple Locations
One of the downsides to using perennials vs annuals is the shorter bloom season.
Cardinal Flower: Natural Hummingbird Feeder
For those of you who love hummingbirds and have a moist to wet spot in your garden, consider adding Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) to your garden.
Flopping Plants Have You Down?
As we are approaching mid-Summer and the taller herbaceous are approaching full size (5-10’), gardeners often experience issues with plants flopping over.
What to do about Deer
Summer has gotten off to a hot and dry start this year….although only 3 weeks officially into summer, we’ve had 90+ temperatures and little to no rain for most of the past 6 weeks. As bad as it is for our gardens, it’s even dryer when you move away from our artificially watered backyards. This means that deer are extra hungry due to reduced plant growth…
What’s Blooming: Summer is Here
Summer is definitely here. In the last few weeks, its started to dry out a bit and daytime highs/nighttime lows are moving higher…high 80’s/low 90s for highs and upper 60’s/low 70’s for lows.
Beware of Sterile Flowers
When choosing which flowers to add to your garden, the easy choice is to go with is what offers you the biggest showiest flowers…
Don’t Be Too Neat And Tidy
Just about everyone wants to be a good neighbor. For those with a yard, being a good neighbor typically includes keeping your yard neat and tidy…
What’s Blooming
Spring seems to be transitioning into summer as the days and nights are getting hotter. The last few days have been in the mid to upper 80’s. With that, we are starting to see some of the summer blooming plants start to flower or really ramp up their growth.
Chelsea Chop: Control Height & Extend Bloom Time
Do you have any taller flowers that either get too tall to visually fit in or are prone to flopping later in the summer? If so, you might want to consider using the Chelsea Chop pruning technique to control their height and encourage a lower/bushier form…
Abundant Spring Vegetables
With the abundant rains, the vegetable garden is overflowing with spring greens…
What’s Blooming
After making it through winter, with relatively few plants vigorously growing or flowering, one of my favorite ways to start the day is with a short walk through the garden to see what is coming into bloom.
Get To Know Your Weeds
Just about all gardeners want to minimize weeds (undesired plants) and maximize desired plants in their garden beds. That helps our garden beds keep to our vision and look cared for. One of the most important lessons I have learned over the years is to get to know my weeds…