We’re in the heart of bulb-planting season right now in Pennsylvania, and if you’re part of the majority, you’re either lining up a few packs of tulips across the front foundation or planting none at all. Few gardeners take advantage of the full potential of spring bulbs – those little onion-looking things that […]
Needled evergreens take a back seat to flowers, flowering shrubs, and pretty much every other aspect of the summer landscape. These landscape staples are often considered little more than “backdrop plants” or necessary additions to keep the yard from looking completely bare in winter. Color-lovers diss them for being plain green all […]
Trees are the most expensive plants in the landscape budget. They not only cost the most at purchase time, but pruning and other care can chew up some dollars over the years. And if you have to have one cut down? Well, let’s not think about that bill. Picking a tree is […]
Some plants are way over-used – even though they’re trouble-plagued – simply because they’re familiar. Others are way under-used – even though they’re virtually bullet-proof – simply because they’re not well known. The arrival of a new gardening season is a good time to do something about that imbalance… to opt for […]
A cold-hardy banana tree with maroon striped leaves, a snowbell tree that reblooms, and several more ever-higher-performing hydrangeas are among the most interesting new trees and shrubs hitting the market for the 2025 growing season. Growers, local garden centers, and other plant experts mentioned the following 15 choices for my annual wintertime four-part, […]
A new line of high-performing mixed-species peonies, a super-sized new salvia, and several new varieties of pollinator favorites highlight the list of interesting new perennials debuting in the 2025 growing season. Growers, local garden centers, and other plant experts picked the following 12 choices for my annual January four-part, best-new-plants series. The […]
It’s another new year, and the garden is waiting in the wings to be filled in just a few months with fresh, home-grown produce. This is a good planning time – not only to order seeds for the 2025 edible garden but also to hone in on the best varieties of vegetables, herbs, […]
A landscape is never ever really “done,” as any experienced gardener will tell you. However, the never-ending waltz of caring for a yard – and especially the amply landscaped variety – fits into one of three stages. Stage one is the beginning of the line – or the end of the line, […]
Like most gardeners who have moved, I’ve had to deal with starting all over in a new landscape after spending years parenting an old one. My case was probably a bit more extreme than most. My wife and I spent 32 years at our previous home – a third-of-an-acre yard in suburban Cumberland […]
Why wing it with your plant selection when you can weigh the word of experts who know the difference among the good, the bad, and the so-so’s? Each year, organizations of growers, horticulturists, researchers, and other plant experts bestow awards on what they consider to be the top plant performers – some new, […]