How do you know which annuals will do well in your garden? Annuals are so tempting in the garden center, all lined up in neat rows. To help make good choices, check out the research that’s been done in your area’s test gardens. In my work as a landscaper, I’m responsible for choosing a fair number of annuals that are planted in clients’ gardens. And when the plants fail to perform, they look to me. So, who do I lo…
My house is on a fairly busy street, so I like to do something special with the strip of garden that borders the sidewalk. I plant tulip bulbs for a spring show, but summer is reserved for annuals. One of my most successful and unusual plantings was a “hedge” of Redbor kale and cardoons, shown here in early summer. I used white petunias to keep things interesting early on, while the kale and cardoons were getting started. In add…
…nd what went into producing it. So how come I can’t have the right to know what’s in the food I buy in the store? That’s the goal of the Just Label It campaign, which last month submitted a record-breaking 1.1 million signatures to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in favor of labeling genetically engineered (GE) foods. And in polls by ABC, MSNBC, NPR, the Washington Post, Consumer Reports and others, consistently…
When it comes to annuals, gardeners can get a little, well, snooty. Some disdain any plant that’s not a perennial. But the fact is, annuals provide some of the best non-stop color in a garden. Sure, they only last one season, but they bloom more than any perennial ever could. This is what my friend Kathy came up with when I challenged her last year. Sweet. I tried something with a purple planter, thinking the color-play would be really co…
This combination features New Guinea impatiens, a type of impatiens that is not affected by the disease. Featured plants: Infinity White New Guinea impatiens, variegated sweet flag (Acorus gramineus), white licorice plant (Helichrysum petiolare) and Green spice heuchera. Photos: Courtesy of Proven Winners Have you heard about the new disease that’s wiping out impatiens across the country? Known as “impatiens downy mildew,” it…
Rex Begonias paired with silvery Dichondra and Sedum light up a partly shaded garden. Choosing plants and planning color combinations for my collection of garden pottery is a satisfying way to spend a snowy winter afternoon. Every spring, I fill these mini gardens with foliage and flowering annuals to decorate my deck, add fragrance to the sitting area in the perennial garden, and flank the path through the orchard. Amalfi Planters…
…roses. Muckross Gardens, Killarney, Ireland. Single-flowered orange dahlias blaze across a green landscape, drawing the eye toward the house. Oslo Botanical Gardens, Norway. The blaze of color caught my eye from 100 yards away. Sandwiched between the lush lawn and a dark green hedge, the row of red-orange dahlias drew my eye like a magnet. The single, golden-centered blooms captured and reflected the colors of the yellow house and r…
…r germination, seedlings require regularly spaced rainfalls totaling at least one inch per month through March for peak bloom. The deserts seldom receive such ample moisture, and optimal conditions occur only about once every 10 years. Less spectacular — but still tourist-worthy — wildflowers may appear every three to four years, with some species thriving while others flag due to the wildly variable weather conditions that occur at different el…
Have you been to the garden center lately? It’s the time of year when the greenhouse benches are overflowing with amazing annuals in all colors and textures. It can be a bit overwhelming, yes? I was walking through our garden center in Burlington last week, looking for respite from the April showers that have continued into May. It’s always a treat to see the greenhouse benches are overflowing with amazing annuals in all colors…
This planter features rose-blotch pansies, pink hyacinths and blue muscari. There are a few weeks (or maybe a month) in spring when it’s too cold for annuals, but nice enough for something. Usually, that means pansies —especially up here in Vermont, where we usually have to wait until Memorial Day to feel safe about putting out annuals. However, you can make a container planting that will thrive despite the changeable conditions of…