It’s the season of spectacular garden bloom. The time of year to lounge in your lawn chair (or living room recliner – no judgment here) and enjoy the beauty of all your hard work. Despite all the color in the garden though, the plant that stands out above the rest is the hydrangea. The large clusters of blooms send a clear message that summer has arrived and pool parties must commence.
Plant Profile: Sambucus
There are times when you need the perfect and unique plant in your garden. A plant that displays a spectacular trifecta of sheer wonderfulness: *Delicate yet sturdy flowers that turn into lovely and, in many cases, edible fruit. *Color that shines without ostentation. *A soft texture that belies its true strength.
Oh, you may think that this perfect plant doesn’t exist, but it does my gardening friends, and it goes by the name Sambucus. And did I mention they are deer resistant?
It’s spring, it’s spring, it’s spring and I’m super-excited! Not because of the warmer temperatures that are sure to come (and stay). But because it will soon be time to plant up some stunning containers and add some much-needed color to help dissipate this dreary winter hangover.
I love the time of the year when the colorful annuals begin to show up on the plant benches. That feeling I get when I walk through the nursery and think I want this one, and this one, and this one…. That little tinge of uninhibited pleasure that just erupts from within and does its little spring jig within my heart.
You know that moment when you drive up your street, pull up to your home and suddenly realize that your landscape seems a bit tired and needs to be updated? That’s the same time you look at your neighbor’s homes and think, man, they look so fresh. That, my friends, is the moment you know your landscape needs some help and it’s time you did something about it.
Let’s be honest – we live in a society that consists of bandwagons. And that’s fine. We all need to forge our own little space on this giant rock. But if you’re someone like me, a fairly simple person, then this past year was slightly nauseating. That being said, I do have a bandwagon that everyone can join.
Butterfly lovers unite and rejoice; Asclepias tuberosa has been labeled the 2017 Perennial Plant of the Year™ by the Perennial Plant Association! And with good reason since this spectacular milkweed is a super-food in the butterfly world and a great addition to any garden. Here’s what you need to know about Asclepias tuberosa:
Succulents – let’s face it, who doesn’t love a plant that is basically self-sufficient and wants to be left alone? Quite simply, succulents allow all gardeners and non-gardeners alike to be ‘look at me, I really know what I’m doing’, even if we’re totally winging it! And propagating succulents? It’s so easy that it makes you feel like you can conquer any project on Pinterest! I mean seriously, 4 easy steps!
Succulents are extremely resilient plants that, short of overwatering, have very few nemesis when they are outside in your garden. That being said, they aren’t completely care-free and will suffer the occasional pest when you take them indoors. Here are the 4 common pests that will try to over-run your succulents and what you need to do about them.