So every time I open up my pruning book to the raspberry page, I get deep unhappy furrows in my brow. Raspberries are a simple plant. Why do they have to make it so complicated? There’s the summer-fruiting kind (with a short fruiting season), which … [Continue reading]
Rose pruning is such a satisfying task – you go from a tangled icky mass with thorns everywhere to a lovely clean set of sturdy stems – yet too many people are intimidated by their roses. There’s no need to be shy! The worst thing you can do is … [Continue reading]
Now’s the time for us mild-winter gardeners to prune back many of our ornamental grasses. But how do you know which to prune back all the way, which to deadhead, and which to leave be? Well, if your grass is an evergreen and is still looking … [Continue reading]
If December is all about putting things to bed - raking, weeding, mulching, and cutting back perennials - January’s for dreaming big dreams of the coming year’s harvest and blooms - pruning, spraying, and planting for a productive year. You’d … [Continue reading]
A timely question from Jennifer about sprawling Arborvitae: I have several 8-10 ft arborvitae that are bent over to various degrees from the weight of the heavy snowfall. Will these branches bounce back on their own or should I try to tie them to … [Continue reading]
Update 1/8/09 - Amy just posted more about the making of this movie over on Garden Rant. Check it out! Amy Stewart is one of my very favorite garden writers. I mean, who wouldn’t love someone who wrote a WHOLE BOOK about earthworms, and managed to … [Continue reading]
If you want to buy a rose anytime this year, January’s the time to do it. They have just arrived in the nurseries and are cheap, transplant well right now, and the selection is fantastic. (Next month they’ll be even cheaper, of course, but do you … [Continue reading]
Feathery Astilbe plumes in spring are one of my favorite seasonal shows, and even though I’m a big proponent of year-round interest, I’ll forgive a species that goes dormant if it does so with either: A. Loads of fanfare and splashy color, or … [Continue reading]
As a Garden Coach, I’m often asked for “trees” that stay about 8-12’ tall. Most people don’t realize how few trees there are with that mature size – but there are many shrubs that can be pruned to have a tree-like form, with an open branching habit … [Continue reading]
Florists love Alstroemeria for their gorgeous, long-lasting cut flowers, and I do too – the orange ‘Third Harmonic’ above, the traditional salmon-pink ‘Regina’ found in your florist’s shop, the always-lovely ‘Casa Blanca’ with its white flowers … [Continue reading]
To finish up my Fall Planting for Winter Interest series, I’m excited to share some of my favorite conifers that look awesome in winter. Conifers are one of the strongest evergreen elements in a garden. They’re usually fairly tough once … [Continue reading]