JUNE IS PERENNIAL GARDENING MONTH, SO SEEMS ONLY FITTING TO HIGHLIGHT A PERENNIAL Asclepias tuberosa – Butterfly Weed For me, this was an easy choice. The common name for Asclepias tuberosa is Butterfly Milkweed or Butterfly Weed. This very hardy, native perennial has become so popular with gardeners over the past decade. I have learned … Read more
This coming Thursday, the 20th, is the Summer Solstice—the first official day of summer. On this day, the North Pole is tilted toward the sun, creating the longest day of sunlight and the shortest night. In the Southern Hemisphere, it’s the beginning of winter. Meteorological Verses Astrological Summer However, meteorologically speaking, the first of June … Read more
HANGING BASKETS DO REQUIRE A BIT MORE OF OUR ATTENTION Over this past month, we have sold thousands of hanging baskets. Blooming hanging baskets are a staple for adding color to porches, decks, balconies, and patios. Although they are an instant way to add color to your outdoor space, they do require a bit more … Read more
I’ve talked before about insect problems on vegetables, but other insect pests may also be found on indoor or outdoor plants, including flowers. Common Pests and How to Handle Them Here is a list of some of the more common ones and what you can do about them. Spider Mites If you see tiny white … Read more
JUNE 1 IS THE “UNOFFICIAL” START TO SUMMER May ended up by being a very good month for gardeners. We had good timely rainfall throughout the entire month. We had no late frosty nights and we did not have many extremely hot days. So, May was good to us. Our soil temperature is now 73 … Read more
As the days get warmer, fireflies come out to play—and mosquitoes come out to feast. However, there are a few things we can do to interrupt their banquet. And there are plants that can actually help to repel mosquitoes or help to hide your scent from them! That’s the good news. Some Primary Anti-Mosquito Plants Lemon Grass … Read more
EDIBLE FLOWERS: AN “EVER-GROWING” CUISINE TREND Here we are ready to go into June. This time of year our landscape is bursting with beautiful colors from all types of flowers. Have you ever heard of Flower Cookery? Believe it or not, more and more customers are looking for and inquiring about edible flowers. Flower cookery … Read more
What to Do Now Now you need to get into a routine of things to do to keep your garden at its best. Get in the habit of taking a few minutes, every couple of days to walk through your garden and get to know it. Look at the foliage, admiring any tiny blooms just … Read more
I LOVE THIS PLANT My selected plant to highlight is the Itea virginica ‘Henry’s Garnet’. Or, more commonly referred to as Virginia Sweetspire. As you may figure out with Virginia being in its name, Virginia Sweetspire is a native shrub to our area. Right now it is in flower. It has fragrant, white flower spikes … Read more
I was surprised to find out I could eat sweet potato vines—yes, that’s right—the VINES. I went to a friend’s house and she had a huge bowl on the table of greens sauteed with garlic. After eating them, her son said, “Bet you didn’t know these are sweet potato greens.” Well, he was right. I … Read more
