Big Shade Trees

Big Shade Trees

One of the more commonly asked for trees in the nursery are big shade trees. It does not surprise me. After all, shade in a hot summer climate is important to a wide range of people. Not only do big shade trees provide a lot of cooling to the lawn and landscape, they also help […]

Read More…

100 Sunny Cottage Garden Perennials

100 Sunny Cottage Garden Perennials

How many perennials do you need for the cottage garden? Well, that really depends on your layout, design, and the size of land you are working with. I have a small backyard garden area, roughly 15 feet by 30 feet, in which I have around 70 species of perennials, shrubs, and grasses. And this is […]

Read More…

Native Plants – July Bloomers

Native Plants – July Bloomers

Continuing my series on native plants, the July bloomers are quite spectacular. There are a number of new species that just begin to bloom at this time. And continuations of many June bloomers. Native plants have become more and more popular with each year, especially as climate and weather concerns grow. As you look to […]

Read More…

Pollinator Pockets

Pollinator Pockets

What are pollinator pockets? Well, there is no official term for it, but pollinator pockets are small pieces of garden just for pollinators. It could be any size, but by my definition, it would be no larger than a 10 foot by 10 foot bed. However, the possibilities of a pollinator pocket are not small, […]

Read More…

Planting for Pollinators – June and July

Planting for Pollinators – June and July

What to plant, what to plant? If you are preparing for a succession crop of flowers for pollinators, then June and July might be your biggest months. There are a plethora of plants to pick from. As we have discussed before, pollinators can include bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, bugs, ant, wasps. hummingbirds, and even […]

Read More…

Herbs in the Garden

Herbs in the Garden

Did you you know that many of our flowers are both medicinal and culinary herbs? What comes to mind when you hear the word herb? Sage? Lavender? The study and growing of herbs has been going on for centuries, back to the Garden of Eden. Plants were given for man to eat and grow, and […]

Read More…

Milkweed – July Plant of the Month

Milkweed – July Plant of the Month

Milkweed is our July Plant of the Month. When you think butterfly conservation, butterfly gardening, or butterflies, you also think mostly about milkweeds. But why is that? The Monarch butterfly, often considered the most majestic of North American butterflies, can only raise its young on milkweeds, and a couple tropical milkweed cousins. Because of the […]

Read More…

Flying Flowers and More

Flying Flowers and More

But what are flying flowers? When I was growing up, I used to love poring over the photos in Birds & Blooms Magazine, which I read at my Grandma’s house. In the magazine, they had a section called flying flowers, which were photos of butterflies. I learned a lot about butterflies and gardening that way. […]

Read More…