If you are at a loss for outdoor or garden design ideas, a great way to get some inspiration is at a former private estate that has been donated to your local park system (check with your local/state park system). These estates were once privately owned and well-cared for properties (house and grounds). While each […]
Got Flowers?
Plants to Use in a Formal Setting
If you are planning for some type of outdoor entertaining area with a formal setting, you may be wondering what plants would be used in such a setting. There are indeed specific plants that have traditionally been used for formal settings. Not only are there specific plants, but they are used in specific ways. […]
What to Do With an Overgrown Shrub
Do you know how to turn a shrub into a small multi-stemmed ‘tree’? Here’s a technique that many homeowners will find useful for certain shrubs that have gotten too big and outgrown their space. This just so happens to be the case with a Northern Bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica) in my yard. It was probably […]
Spirea – An Old-fashion, Ornamental Shrub
The Spirea is native to eastern Asia. Many types of Spirea fall into the old fashioned deciduous shrub category. These shrubs have graced the residential landscape with lovely springtime blossoms for over a century. The spirea shrub is a very nostalgic plant for us as it perhaps is for many people. It was in our […]
Hardiness Zones
Learn about landscape plant hardiness zones to help you select trees, shrubs, perennials, bulbs, and annuals for your outdoor spaces as you page through plant books and plant catalogs. What is Plant Hardiness? The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the developing agency of the hardiness map. Basically, the hardiness of a plant refers […]
How to Create a Chart for Organizing Plant Selections
Every landscape plant has lots of unique features. Make a chart to organize the information for a quick reference for a landscape project, because there is a lot of information available on each plant regarding its characteristics, flower color, attributes, problems, and so on. There are literally thousands of different plants worldwide that the plant […]
Color in the Winter Landscape
Add certain plants to your outdoors that have special characteristic, such as colorful branches, fruit, shape, or interesting bark to enhance and add natural beauty to any winter landscape. You may be looking for a way to spice up your yard’s winter landscape. The lack of color, muted hues, and sometimes the biting cold temperatures […]