Florists have new tricks up their sleeves to render your contemporary wedding story.
Whether your garden space consists of a hook for a basket or a sweeping vista, there’s a container design that will work for you.
Vines like climbing hydrangea and trumpet vine climb by means of clinging aerial roots, while vines like clematis and honeysuckle climb by twining their tendrils around slender objects like trellises. If you want to train a twining vine onto a structure like a pergola, the posts won't give these vines a purchase. Help them by giving them string, netting, tuteurs, or even sticks and branches to cling to.
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Photo © Jamie McIntosh
You may know that cutting bulb foliage down before it fades shortens the life of your bulbs, causing them to produce fewer or no blooms the following year. But, did you know that the foliage of some bulbs fades much more quickly than that of other bulbs? If the thought of looking at strappy green leaves for six weeks in your flower garden is unappealing, plant allium bulbs in the landscape. The foliage of these plants starts to turn yellow as the flowers come into bloom, so you can cut the entire plant down when the flowers fade. Muscari bulbs are at the opposite end of the spectrum: After the foliage fades, it returns in the fall and endures for the winter.
Photo © Jamie McIntosh
Spring is a time when gardeners are subject to landscape envy. Suddenly, you notice the fire pit, mature shade trees, and vine draped pergola of your neighbors, and you want to have a piece of that. This fervor to accomplish a complete garden in one season can lead to a common garden mistake, planting shrubs and flowers too close together in the ground.
It's difficult to imagine that the 1-quart azalea you bought at the nursery today will soar to eight feet in a few years. However, you must trust the spacing instructions on the label! Failure to do so will result in overcrowding that at best looks unkempt and at worst, leads to plant decline and eventual death. Overcrowded plants are subject to diseases when air circulation and sunlight can't reach all of the leaves.
If the three shrubs you planted aren't giving you the illusion of grandeur you envisioned, instead of cramming them together, fill in the temporary gaps with flowering annuals. In five years when the shrubs mature, you'll be patting yourself on the back for your garden wisdom.
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Photo © Jamie McIntosh
My kids and I enjoy watching Spoiled Rotten Pets, getting a chuckle out of the amazing lengths some pet owners go to in pampering their dogs, cats, and even rats. I wonder if the producers would ever consider a knock-off show about fabulous gardens and their keepers? Do you have any "spoiled rotten plants?" Here are a few habits that might qualify you for the show:
Photo © Jamie McIntosh
