Designing a diverse and beautiful shade garden requires considering how to build visual interest using a combination of plants and other features (rocks, water, pathways), with different textures and -- yes -- even different colors, subtle though they may be. While a sun-soaked garden is often abundant with brilliant colors, shade gardens are more understated. [...]
Companion Planting Just like people, our plants benefit from having the right partner at their side. The concept of companion planting has been around for thousands of years. The Native Americans practiced it actively. Most die-hard gardeners have heard of the concept of the “Three Sisters.” This is a common term used to describe the [...]
Native perennials are very popular now, as people realize that plants that originated in this climate are well-suited and likely to thrive. Gaillardia, Iris, Rudbeckia, Echinacea, Baptisia, and Helianthus…these are just some of more than four dozen native plants and shrubs we frequently recommend for our climate zone. As with any garden, planning ahead to [...]
How to Prune Shrubs & Trees March through early May is a great time to get out there and prune your shrubs and trees. Without foliage, the structure of the plant is clearly visible, making it easier to plan how you would like to direct growth. The worst of winter is past, and your plants [...]
Attracting Butterflies to Your Garden Butterflies in the garden are a beautiful and whimsical sight. They flutter through with elegance and help pollinate the flowers. Here are several perennials that attract butterflies: Achillea (Yarrow) Aster New England Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly weed) Clover Delphinium Gaillardia (Blanket flower) Leucanthemum (Shasta daisy) Monarda (Bee balm) Phlox Verbena bonariensis [...]
This is the time of year when all those colorful seed catalogs are delivered, and gardeners pore over their pages in anticipation of the season to come! All those pictures of plants at their peak and in perfect health allow us to dream of a garden bursting with color and productivity. Is ordering seeds the [...]
After a long winter and some late-season snowstorms, we are all thrilled to have the sun's warmth melt the last of the snowbanks and wake up the earth for gardening season. Yet, it can be a daunting task to look outside at lawns and beds covered with leaves that blew in during the colder months, plants [...]
