Of all ornamental plants, climbers are considered most valuable. They curtain outside walls and spiral up pillars with a luxurious cover of foliage and often magnificent flowers. They frame garden fences, arbors and entrances and soften their architectural formality. The clematis is one of the easiest grown of the ornamental vines. When well established it […]
Archives for April 2009
Growing Penstemon a Flower with Future
Penstemon, pronounced pen-stem-on belongs to the same family of plants as the familiar snapdragon, and many of the species produce spikes of bloom with a superficial resemblance to that flower. Colors range the spectrum with most species falling into the blue-purple-red range. There are a few white and yellow forms as well. The colors appear […]
How to Start Perennials from Seed
If one has the time, the space and the inclination, growing perennial plants from seeds is the most inexpensive way to obtain a splendid and valuable assortment for landscape purposes and for a cutting flower garden. Not all perennials will grow true to variety from seeds. Those that have been hybridized will vary more than […]
Doorways – Entrance of Exit to Beauty
With the profusion of horrible, or at best trite, examples of doorway plantings to be seen at every glance, there is no intention on my part to cite the wrong things to do in landscaping these areas. While it may be true that we learn from a bad example, I have no intention of rubbing […]
Choosing the Best Broad Leaved Evergreens
The kinds of broad-leaved evergreens you can grow in your yard are influenced by the climate of the area, the character of the soil, and the amount of protection and care you are willing to give your plants.
Muskmelons
Sometimes it is difficult to grow cantaloupes (muskmelons) in a small garden, but even a small vegetable plot can provide space for a few hills. When you make your garden plan, on paper or in the actual garden, allow two rows for onions, radishes, and other early maturing crops. Then leave one or two rows […]
Flowering Mimosa
This story is about the mimosa tree and how much I like it, but let me lead up to it gradually. I want you to know why I think it is the flowering tree that has performed best for me. When I was a boy, the catalpa and black locust were the only flowering trees […]
Dogwood Tree Blossoms Queen of Flowering Trees
Few landscape plants are as truly American or as deeply loved and appreciated as flowering dogwood. From Massachusetts to Florida, then west to the Great Lakes and to Texas, dogwood blooms wild in the woods in early spring. Picturesque sprays of white flowers, set on delicate branches, unfold just as the leaves of other forest […]
Calceolarias A Challenge for Green Thumbs
If I were listing the most beautiful greenhouse plants, calceolarias would vie for top honors. Their abundance of pouch-like slipper flowers makes them plants of an “Oh” and “Ah” nature. Their requirements are very exacting, and if you are successful in growing a calceolaria from seed to flower, you should be granted a medal. High […]
Lawn Program Begins in The South
April can be one of the most active months in the garden. As usual, the various garden duties overlap season wise in the South region. Lawns Lawn programs can easily occupy most of the southern gardener’s time during April. Those who use winter grasses interplanted with the permanent turf should use extreme care to manage […]