Non-Stop Gardening Tips & Inspiration
New plants are being introduced all the time. If you’re getting ready to do some planting, check out these 12 amazing plants that come from DOWN Under. These awesome Australian natives are low maintenance if you plant the right plant in the right spot. All featured plants like moderate to low water and full to part sun, check out their specifics.
Ok, mates, here we go. Enjoy! [Read more]
Listen, whether you’re a plant/garden geek or not, these Protea family plants are an excellent choices for your dry Mediterranean climate garden. In this short post get ready view 5 wonderful plants in the Protea family. These 5 are either native to the Mediterranean regions of South Africa or Australia. You may be familiar with Grevilleas and Leucadendrons and less familiar with Leucospermum, Banksia and Protea which tend to be harder to find in the nurseries, but they are being grown and you can get your hands on them. Definitely the most versatile of the bunch is Grevillea. This genus covers ground covers to large shrubs. All plants here prefer full sun, low water, well drained soil, and absolutely no phosphorus fertilizers. Most should be hardy to 20 – 25 degrees. Enjoy! [Read more]
Conifers pull their weight in the garden like no other! This wonderful group of plants defined by having cone bearing seeds and mostly being evergreen can provide you with sizes ranging from the enormous giant redwood to a tiny dwarf. In between – are more modest sizes and shapes – from ground covers to shrubs to trees.
For practical and functional purposes evergreen conifers can be used in mass (as with arborvitae and yews, below) to screen unwanted views, create privacy, or add, easy, vertical greenery to a wall.
But if you like, unique, get to know the quirky conifers… [Read more]
Hello and Happy 2019 to you from Judy and me at Passionategardeners!!! Thanks for checking in.
Now you may be wondering, WHY, in the middle of January, I decided to write a post about “favorite roses at the Berkeley Rose Garden” but there is a reason- the main one being, January, is key time for annual rose pruning if you live in a mild Mediterranean climate. [Read more]
This past weekend, Oct. 26 – 27th, we spent the night in Nevada City (an historic quaint, Gold Rush town nestled in the foothills of the Sierras.) We had no idea that this was THE PLACE TO BE for fall color in Northern California. We had had an overnight in Tahoe the night before to enjoy quacking aspens in peak color. (See photo below.)
Anyway… we didn’t think we’d be taking a tree walk in Nevada City, but after chatting with friendly locals and getting info from Nevada City Chambers of Commerce’s website suggesting a self-guided, fall color tree walk, we were in! [Read more]
There’s nothing better then asking my dog Roz – the cute 18 year old terrier pictured here to lead the way!
With her in charge, we were able to discover some ‘new to us’ conifers on a recent trip to the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Two that I’m going to focus on are:
~ Lodegpole pine (Pinus contorta var. murrayana)
~ California red fir (Abies magnifica) [Read more]
Judy and I are just back from a short trip to Vancouver, and wanted to share this cool idea/tip we learned about how you can grow tomatoes next year on the cheap.I'm going to show you several photos, to give you an idea about the space these home … [Read more]
There are times when you need to look for alternative planting options because living plants aren't the best choice.But artificial plants? What the heck could possibly make you think of using fake plants as a substitute for nature's own?In … [Read more]
If you like tough perennials, Coreopsis is all that and more! This genus is known for its vigorous daisy flowers:they are bright, cheery and either shades of yellow or red.The species, Coreopsis verticillata - (a.k.a Threadleaf … [Read more]
C is for Cordylines. For the border or for containers, these architecturally bold plants are worth knowing - particularly if you live in Zones 9 - 11. One of the nice things about this genus is that the taller growing ones; Cordyline australis and … [Read more]