You got that new patio or deck you’d been dreaming of. You enjoyed it all spring and into the early summer. Your neighbors oohed and aahed over your new backyard living space and you smiled over everyone’s excitement. But now it’s dead in the middle of summer and well…it’s too hot to enjoy your new space during the middle of the day. The sun is banging on everyone and the guests don’t seem as excited over your invites. What to do? What to do?
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Summers in the southeast and mid-Atlantic states can often be very hot and very dry. Very dry. And when it feels like 100 degrees outside, the sun is beating on you and you look outside at all your beautiful flowers struggling outside, knowing you have to water them AGAIN, it can sometimes be a struggle. A real struggle. But you can make things easier on yourself by planting drought tolerant perennials to brighten your outdoors. There are plenty of varieties available. The color, size and texture variations are many and finding the right plants for your yard will be a fun adventure.
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Is your deck or patio a little boring? Is it too hot to walk on when the sun is its brightest and the temps their highest? Do you feel like something is keeping you from feeling like your outdoor living space isn’t quite a livable as you’d like? An outdoor rug will instantly turn your patio or deck into an outdoor lounging or living space that will host you and your guests comfortably and longingly.
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Petchoa is a scrumptious cross between a petunia and calibrachoa. It’s got the size of a petunia and it’s profuse flowering power, as well. But the bonus is that it has the wonderfully rich and vibrant colors of a calibrachoa. The newest version of the Petchoa is the SuperCal Premium and its size and color will not disappoint.
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It’s not just a slab of concrete to put your grill on. It’s so much more. A patio should be extension of your home and style. The ways you can decorate your patio are numerous, and you can do something lovely no matter your budget. Creativity and inspiration are key. How do you find inspiration? Think about the things that most inspire you and go forward. Is it a song? Think about the title and lyrics and how you can transpose that into your design. A certain type of flower? Use that as your color palette starting point. How about something as simple as an outdoor memory from a past… Read More
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We love a plant that blooms blue. And one of our favorites is plumbago.
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Everyone loves a pretty hydrangea bush. Right? We certainly do, and nothing excites us as much as a new variety. Candy Apple is just that plant. If you’re familiar with Limelight, then you’ll love Candy Apple. It has the same stunning lime green clusters that you see on Limelight, but with a much more compact form.
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Do you know where the expression “cool as a cucumber comes from? It’s because cucumbers are typically 10 to 20 degrees cooler than the temperature around them. Try inserting a thermometer into one if you need a little proof. Not only do cucumbers have a cool temperature, but cucumbers are also the key ingredient to some of the summer’s best cool down recipes. There was a time when we only knew two main types of cucumbers – slicing and pickling. But things have changed and there is now a large variety of cucumber types available to gardeners and shoppers. They include Armenian, Diva, English Telegraph, Burpless, Persian, Lemon, Parisian Gherkins,… Read More
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Evolution Yellow Falls Coneflower is a new perennial that will bring your yard a bright touch of sunshine from late spring and into the fall. Lemon yellow petals arch slightly downward from showy center cones. It’s great for the gardeners who love to include some cutting flowers into their lives. It attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.
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One of our favorite vegetables, if not our very favorite, is May peas. I always look forward to the arrival of May and one of the biggest reasons is for the May peas. There are lots of great ways to fix peas, but this is an all time favorite. We like to use the multi-colored fingerling potatoes because they had such an interesting element to the dish. But whatever potatoes you choose to use, the dish may become one of your favorites, too.
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