Because of the cool spring this year, we were fortunate to enjoy the blooms of daffodils, tulips, hyacinths and other early flowers for many weeks. In June we are left with unsightly bare flower stalks and ugly, droopy leaves. What to do? Use a scissors or clippers to cut the spent flower stalks [Continue]
Roses are the typical fare for Valentine’s Day giving, but there are lots of plants and flowers with more romantic names associated with hearts and love. The first one that comes to mind is bleeding heart. This perennial plant blooms in late spring and has flowers that resemble tiny pink or white hearts [Continue]
Perennials are the mainstays of our gardens but many of them bloom for only a week or two and then their show is over for the year. Coreopsis, pronounced core-ee-OP-sis, is a perennial whose bloom lasts for two or three months. Coreopsis is also known as tickseed. There are two cultivars whose flowers [Continue]
Every year brings new and exciting plants for gardeners and this year is no exception. Here are some of the latest offerings for 2007. One of the flashiest new flowering shrubs is ‘Pinky Winky’ hydrangea. Despite its rather silly name, it is a gorgeous plant with large two-toned light to dark pink flowerheads. [Continue]
The last two summers have been much drier than usual. Other parts of the country have been dealing with lack of rain for years, but in the Midwest, with a few exceptions, we’ve had ample rain for the past several decades. Xeriscaping is the term coined to describe a method of water conservation through [Continue]
Just an eight-hour drive from the Fox Valley, Lima, Ohio, sits in the northwest corner of the state. About the size of Oshkosh, Lima is similar to many other Midwest cities of its size. But there is a jewel tucked into what was formerly a vacant lot filled with trash and choked with weeds [Continue]
You’ve made the plans for your new flower bed and have just returned from the nursery with your trunk full of plants. You unload the car and wonder why you ever thought making a new flower bed was a good idea. How do you do this right and make it look good? Ideally, [Continue]
Over the past decade, gardening has become the most popular leisure-time activity in the United States. There are so many benefits – physical, spiritual, the production of healthy fresh food, the satisfaction in saying “I grew it myself,” and the connection to nature. Then there is the reason most people start gardening – to [Continue]
What is the easiest, hardiest, longest-blooming, most adaptable perennial? Sedum! There are 600 species of sedum to choose from in the Northern Hemisphere. One of the most popular is Sedum ‘Autumn Joy.’ Like all sedums it has fleshy leaves that store moisture, allowing it to go at least a month without water. ‘Autumn [Continue]
A plant needs dividing if it has outgrown its intended spot or is encroaching on other plants, if it has lost vigor and flowers have become smaller or have stopped appearing altogether, or if the middle of the plant dies while the plant continues growing in a circle around the dead center. The [Continue]