Non-Stop Gardening Tips & Inspiration
Why wait until the 4th of July fireworks? Plant allium bulbs in your garden and enjoy the show in late spring and early summer!
What do these flowers look like? If you’re not familiar, peek to the photos below; this will give you a visual of how enticing these globe-shaped flower bulbs are. My favorite, and easily one of the most popular of the ornamental alliums, is Allium giganteum and cultivars like ‘Globemaster’ or ‘Purple Sensation’. These are the fireworks for sure… [Read more]
Topiary in the garden follows traditional geometry with crisply formed shapes. Globes, pyramids, cubes, spirals, pom pom trees, and pleached trees set the stage for an all-out topiary garden or just a touch. In this post take a look at the formal appeal when using a diamond pattern to display ivy on garden walls; see how square, rectangular, and diamond boxwood hedges provide a crisp border that holds year-round elegance and more! [Read more]
Every gardener knows that keeping the garden in bloom from spring to summer takes careful planning. Knowing what plants grow in your zone, your town, and your neighborhood is essential to grow with success. Microclimates are real. Soil texture is real. Aspects of sun and shade are real – so knowing what you have, and planning your plants and garden to complement your growing conditions will set you up for success. [Read more]
A lot of the most AMAZING flowering trees and shrubs bloom during the 3-months of spring and it’s hard not to be captivated when they’re in flower! Blooms come in many colors, shapes, and sizes. The showy bracts of the dogwood (Cornus), the pea-like flowers of both the redbud (Cercis) and yellowwood (Cladrastis). Red foliage shrubs with smoke-like flowers in smokebush (Cotinus), and white flower panicles in both the false spirea (Sorbaria) and oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea).
Enjoy this post featuring 14-best flowering trees and shrubs for your spring garden! Though these trees and shrubs do well in Zone 6, they also do well in plenty of other climates! I’ve included the USDA zone for each trees and shrubs listed in this post. If you’re not sure of your hardiness zone: check here.
Great Highway is a long street that runs parallel to Ocean Beach and the Pacific Ocean. Homes along the Great Highway face west and there’s little buffer from the elements, just a large man-made berm and Highway 1. With extreme conditions such as fog, salt-laden air, and high winds, growing a garden full of plants can be challenging. Since a sea coast plant palette needs to be adapted to life at the coast, sticking with tried and true plants can go a long way to your success! [Read more]
It’s winter and the hardwood trees have lost their leaves…A new, fresh view seeing through the trees is available now, and you can also see another side of them and admire their gorgeous forms and silhouettes. So much architectural beauty to enjoy, and yet so often we see none of this! If you’re a hiker or even enjoy a walk around your neighborhood, don’t miss out on this winter’s trees where you live. In this post, enjoy two urban forests.
One of the best ways to get privacy from your neighbors, or to screen unwanted views is to plant a hedge. But which shrubs make the best screens? If you have a small garden, I'd like to steer you in a direction that cuts down your overwhelm: Oh no, … [Read more]
Short Fence Love! The short fence interests me particularly because the community feel still exists, as does the interplay between public and private. With a short fence, the home's boundaries are clearly delineated and in place, while at the same … [Read more]
In this short photo post, I want to highlight the beauty of plants and life close to the waves of salty sea air. Not a lot of plants are acclimated to salt air and heavy winds. In this post, natives by way of beach grasses, perennials, and trees are … [Read more]
I had a song repeating in my head the other day, "Don't fence me in." Do you know it? It's a popular American song written in 1934 by Cole Porter, and sung by so many other artists, including the one I couldn't get out of my head...Talking … [Read more]