I’ve been gradually shedding layers of my career as I’ve inched toward retirement these last few years, and now I’m down to writing for The Patriot-News/PennLive.com, doing a couple of free-lance writing gigs, and running this website. I’ve decided it’s time to scratch No. 3 off that list. As of the end […]
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 […]
A butterfly-magnet new ageratum, a shrub-turned-annual-flower called dampiera, and a new sunflower with a thousand blooms headline the list of interesting new annual flowers debuting in the 2025 growing season. Growers, local garden centers, and other plant experts picked those and more for the four-part, best-new-plants series that I compile each January – […]
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, […]
Nature-friendly gardening seems to be graduating from mere trend to a lasting and widespread mainstream movement. That’s the prevailing development that gardening trend-watchers see as we head into 2025, with interrelated facets of that movement – including native plants, pollinator gardens, and less-perfect lawns – all growing and dominating how we view yard […]
The 2024 gardening season was another hot one that brought us plant- and lawn-stressing hot, dry spells but also a few rain dumpings and other weather curveballs. And we saw another new bug (box tree moth), the spread of a misbehaving worm, and the arrival of the first bioengineered vegetable crop aimed directly […]
If Santa Claus could work his magic in the garden like he does in the toy shop, what would gardeners want him to deliver? Better weather would certainly be high on the wish list. Who else gripes more about the weather (too wet, too dry, too hot, too cold, too humid, etc.) than […]
As another growing season has come to a close, I have to confess I’m ready for a break. On the one hand, I’ll really miss the fresh veggies, the flowers, and the walks around the yard to see what new developments are going on. But on the other, I’m tired. I guess […]
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, […]