One current garden trend is using colorful structures as backdrops, frames, or focal points. A structure can be as simple as a trellis or painted ladder or may be more complex, like a vertical garden. The easiest, most inexpensive way to incorporate color with a structure is to invest in some...
Spring has sprung and the time for gardening preparation is here. If you are looking for an inexpensive and easy way to begin a new garden bed start saving your cardboard! When installing a new garden bed, I use leftover cardboard from shipping materials or newspaper (six-layers thick) to...
Proper pruning is a must when it comes to trees and shrubs. Not only will it improve aesthetics, it will improve the structure and longevity of your woody landscape plants. Now is the time to prune. Here are some steps to follow when pruning deciduous shrubs and trees:...
When the weather outside is frightful, I like to research new plant varieties that I can introduce to my garden in the spring or summer. While I was exploring, I discovered that 2016 marks the Year of the Begonia. Begonias are a favorite of mine and with good reason. The...
By now you may be getting tired of looking at your remaining spent plants or bare container gardens. Why not spruce them up for the winter with some greenery, twigs and other holiday decorations? When designing my home landscape, I considered planting evergreens and shrubs that I could cut for use...
Now is the time to dig and store your tropical bulbs and bulb-like structures. Today I will be focusing on cannas (Photo 1), which has a rhizome structure. Although this is termed differently, these tropical plants should be treated as tender bulbs and should be dug up before the first killing...
I almost missed the window to overwinter my ornamental sweet potato vines. Luckily, so far in the Chicago region the temperature only hit a low of 35 degrees Fahrenheit. As you can see in Photo 1, the vines were only slightly damaged by this minor frost. In case you are curious as to the definition...
If you read my last post I was going to write about cutting and preserving herbs, but since the weather is still cooperating I wish to complete a different landscape task. The landscape improvement I decided to focus on this week is dividing peonies. If you are looking to divide your peonies, this...
Hello all! After my last post, I figured some of you may be thinking I'll believe it when I see it. Well, here it is! I took the photo above two weeks after transplanting and cutting back my coral bells. In just two short weeks numerous leaves have started to re-grow after my "harsh" cut...
Welcome to my new blog! Thank you for showing interest. I will be writing and posting photos about my seasonal landscape improvements here. Please contact me if you would like me to post on certain topics. I have been observing my landscape and noticed some room for improvements with my...