Tropical Gardens With today’s new hybrid tropical look-alikes, there’s no excuse to deny yourself a tropical slice of heaven regardless of your location of hardiness zone. You’ll want to plant hardy hibiscus in colder climes. They’re just as lush and vibrant as the tender varieties, and you’ll have a profusion of twelve-inch blooms from midsummer until the first frost. Fill […]

Tree Gardens Large, established trees lend a natural backdrop to spring daffodils and to hostas and caladiums in the summer. You’ll need to plant caladiums each spring after the last frost, but hostas and daffodils are carefree perennials that multiply even with total neglect. Shade Gardens Even if you limit yourself to hostas for your shade garden, you can enjoy […]

There’s a garden type to suit every need and whim described below. Note the suggested plants, and supplement or substitute plants to suit your purposes. Formal Gardens Renowned for their geometric shapes, large sculptures and fountains, angular look and manicured perfection, formal gardens are most at home on formal, gated estates. They need almost daily maintenance, and they’re the most […]

Planting Flowers vs. Designing a Garden…what is the difference? If you have to ask that question, then you’ve planted flowers and you’re probably not happy with the outcome. You wouldn’t just walk into your kitchen, open the pantry and throw a bunch of ingredients into a pot and call it dinner. And, you can’t just stick some plants into the […]

The best thing about color in the garden is that nature knows no boundaries when it comes to color. Nature doesn’t care about complementary and harmonizing colors. In a completely natural setting, you’re apt to find blues and greens next to reds, oranges and purples. Nature is bold and playful, and there’s no reason that you can’t be playful too. […]