Lavender is such a wonderful specimen for a garden for so many reasons. Phenomenal French Lavender will not disappoint at any level. It has an elegant growing pattern and displays a sweetly fragrant mound of silver foliage combined with purple-blue flower spikes. Along with its ornamental attributes, it’s edible.
Read More
One of the biggest trends in 2023 outdoor living is a focus on front yard design. While backyard living spaces will always be a priority when it comes to usable living space and expanding living spaces, we’ve noticed a trend toward dressing up front yards for visible curb appeal. Just like any other room in the house, a front porch can be decorated.
Read More
Pink-A-Boo Camellia is the perfect plant for your cool-season garden. It belongs in a spot where it gets filtered sun, full or partial shade. It may handle the winter in a sunnier spot, but the hot, hot summer sun will not be this plant’s friend. A favorite with landscapers because it brings welcome color to a cool season garden, this camellia is a nice change from the winter red camellias.
Read More
What makes Blue Jean Baby so special? For one, it’s a shorter, more compact variety that is super full with upright stems that resist flopping over. It’s one of the earliest to bloom, beginning in Midsummer and continuing to produce blooms into the Fall.
Read More
It’s beginning to look a lot like Fall. Cooler temps, a little more rain, and some dreaded nor’easters. But that doesn’t end the landscaping season and certainly shouldn’t keep you from completing some important tasks and fun decorating ideas.
Read More
Described as “a dense mound of ground-hugging branches that radiate from the center” this plant has a bonsai style and tight foliage with a blue-green tint. If your style of garden is Asian/Zen, contemporary, or even slightly rustic, then this plant will feel right at home in one of your beds or even as a potted accent plant for your patio or zen rock garden.
Read More
Joe Pye Weed is a compact plant with super showy, mauve-purplish dome-shaped flowers that bloom from late summer and into early fall. It’s a great addition for borders if you need some vertical interest.
Read More
What to do? What to do? Where to start? If you’re anything like me, the idea of planting your fall annual color is already on your mind. Of course, you’ll wait until the end of the month to plant those violas and pansies, but it doesn’t hurt to see if there are any new varieties out there.
Read More
It wasn’t a difficult decision to add a new patio as a way to create more living space for your home. But now you’d like to bring more life to it. And this can be best accomplished with the addition of outdoor planters. Now comes the fun part! Deciding what to plant. And deciding on the containers to put those plants. One thing that will really add style to your patio is to select planters that are similar in style and color. Or to buy a specific design of planter and stick to that one style. The diversity will come from your plants. We love this collection from Pottery Barn. There are several different planters you can choose from that will match your style type. The plant selection needs more consideration when it comes to exposure to the elements. Is your patio space filled with shade? A few plants that might be perfect for you containers include coleus, fuschia, coral bells (heuchera), and impatiens. My absolute favorite shade plant for both color and foliage variety is coleus. Planted in a container along with some impatients and you will create a backyard show stopper. The color and size of the leaves have such a tremendous vaiety, and they are also extremely easy to care for. Is your patio in full sun? If you need plants to survive extreme heat and sun, there are numerous options when it comes to creating that perfect container full of lush colorful, plants. Among the choices are lantana, geraniums, zinnias, mint (it’s pretty, it smells great and it has multiple uses in food and drinks), palms (particularly Chinese fan palms) and the beauiful, crazy blooming Mandevilla. There are so many options when it comes to the plants that will decorate your patio, and you can go bold, basic, subdued with your planters and once you’ve decided on the planters, you can go try all of the different plants that are suited to the environement these planters will be placed. Choose planters and plants that compliment your existing hardscape and landscape choices.
Read More
With so many people choosing to extend their living space into the outdoors, patios have become one of the most aesthetically pleasing and cost-effective solutions available. A patio offers additional space for relaxing, dining, and entertaining. Choosing a construction method or contractor to complete this type of work can often seem like a daunting task. We recommend concrete because of its style versatility.
Read More