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 […]
A miniature version of the popular Knock Out rose, a super-short clematis that can be used as a groundcover, and three new dark-leafed shrubs are among the best new trees and shrubs debuting in the 2021 growing season. Growers, local garden centers, and other plant experts picked the following for my annual January […]
Ajugas with multi-colored leaves, compact versions of two pollinator-magnet native flowers, and three exceptionally good-looking herbs are among a banner slate of interesting new perennial flowers debuting in the 2021 growing season. Growers, local garden centers, and other plant experts picked the following choices for my annual January four-part, best-new-plants series. The […]
A showy new sweet potato vine, two heavy-blooming new begonias, and arguably the best yellow petunia yet top the list of interesting new annual flowers debuting in 2021. Growers, local garden centers, and other plant experts picked those and more for my four-part, best-new-plants series that I compile each January – a good […]
One of the best resources for making wise plant picks in Pennsylvania gardens is the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s Gold Medal Plant Program. Each year, a panel of regional plant experts gets together to hash out what are some of the best trees, shrubs, evergreens, and perennial flowers that deserve greater use in our […]
This week’s 2020 Philadelphia Flower Show is showcasing plants and gardening of the Mediterranean – especially the gardens of southern France, Monaco, northwestern Italy, and a touch of Spain. This is a colorful, fragrant, and highly textural form of gardening that I think a lot of Pennsylvanians would like… if we didn’t have […]