Flower color is one of nature’s most joyous gifts to people. Even non-gardeners appreciate it, while many a gardener strives to load the yard with a nonstop parade of flower power from the season’s first hellebores to the last Montauk daisy petal of fall. That’s not easy. More color means more […]
Five hydrangeas with new twists, a compact new native Virginia sweetspire, and a “baby brother” to the popular ‘Green Giant’ arborvitae are among the best new trees and shrubs hitting the market for the 2022 growing season. Growers, local garden centers, and other plant experts picked the following dozen woody plants for the […]
Compact versions of two popular native plants, three new ornamental grasses with golden blades, and two new dark-leafed flowers top the list of interesting new perennials debuting in the 2022 growing season. Growers, local garden centers, and other plant experts picked the following 14 perennial-flower choices for the annual four-part, best-new-plants series I […]
A new heavy-blooming petunia with petite white flowers, two new flowers you’ve probably never seen before, and the world’s first trailing salvia are among a banner slate of interesting new annual flowers debuting in the 2022 growing season. Growers, local garden centers, and other plant experts picked those and more for the four-part, […]
The COVID-fueled boom in vegetable gardening continued in 2021, and research is showing a high percentage of newbies say they plan to stick with this dirty (but healthy) habit again in 2022. Plant breeders and seed companies are riding the wave by rolling out lots of new edible-plant introductions this year. Let’s […]
It’s hard to believe three years have gone by since my wife and I moved from our long-time home (and gardens) in Cumberland County to the suburbs of Pittsburgh. The house we bought was in worse shape than it looked, and we’ve spent a ton of money and sweat equity fixing everything. […]
My past two posts looked at Dr. Allan Armitage’s “solution gardening” theory on how people buy plants – by the situation they address, not their type. The posts included 14 situations with my Pennsylvania-geared recommendations on plants that make good sense in those situations. Today finishes the three-part series with good plants […]
Dr. Allan Armitage’s plant-buying theory is that most people don’t show up at the garden center looking for certain plants. They’re there looking to carry out a gardening project or to solve a yard problem. My post last week looked at this idea and Armitage’s intriguing suggestion that maybe plant-sellers should start […]
When people head to the garden center to buy plants, most of the time they’re not there looking for a certain plant. They’re generally looking to carry out a goal or solve a problem. A disconnect happens when would-be plant-buyers find that the gazillion plants available aren’t grouped by goals or problems […]
So many plants to pick from… but which ones are the best? One bit of homework to go on is plants that have won awards from various plant-trial and plant-selection programs. Each year, organizations of growers, horticulturists, researchers, and other plant experts bestow awards on top plant performers – some new, some […]