Supporting Our Local Garden Clubs
The Bold and Beautiful
By and large, spring ephemerals require a bit of trial and error before gardeners understand how best to use them in the spring garden. By definition, this group of plants emerge in early spring, flower, set seed and enter dormancy around the start of summer. Their strategy is to complete their annual reproductive cycle before the tree canopy is fully leafed-out and competition for sunlight and water becomes more intense….
Good Things Come in Three
There is an old saying that “good things come in threes”. Supposedly, it stems from an ancient belief that three of something is complete and ideal. Hence, “third time is the charm” and, should you have the good fortune of uncorking a Genie, you might be the beneficiary of three wishes!…
Magical Snowflakes
Snowflakes are magical! Even after this past winter, I suspect most people will still admit snowflakes have a certain enchanting quality. However, for some gardeners, snowflakes do not come from the air but from the ground! Leucojum vernum or Spring Snowflake is among the first of the bulbs to come into bloom, often beginning in February while the ground is still covered beneath an icy blanket. Like a good snowfall, the pendant white flowers thrive in winters chill and continue to bloom well into March!…
Willows for Winter
It’s February! Although the garden is still emersed in winters grasp, February brings growing signs that spring is not far away. Evergreens are certainly one stalwart sign of life, yet there are a number of plants with colorful stems or unfurling flower buds that show the garden is still very much alive despite the temperatures. One plant whose buds are showing signs of life is the Willow, botanically known as Salix…
Singing the Silvery Blues for the Winter Garden
January is a tough month for gardeners. The days are short, unpleasantly cold and occasionally fraught with ice and snow. The garden is quiet and relies mostly on evergreens for consistent color throughout the month. Admittedly, finding good evergreen groundcovers and perennials is more of a challenge, especially if a color other than green is desired!….
