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Flowers and containers should always complement each other.
In December, there are varied types of evergreen foliage that can be used to contrast form, color and texture in vases and centerpieces.
I often plant sit for friends who spend the cold months in warmer climes, or who escape the humidity of the Midwest summers for cooler destinations.
Jewel orchid's foliage guarantees a handsome house plant even when it is not in bloom.
We sometimes see a plant with an elongated, smooth and usually skinny, trunk with a round mop of foliage at the top.
During the winter, gardeners usually read a lot of plant catalogs, most of which list the botanical, as well as, the common names of plants.
As the cold weather comes into my Midwestern garden, I grow somewhat mournful because it will be months before I see the results of the bulbs planted this fall.
This perennial is cold hardy, settles in easily and plays well with others.
As I look at my fall garden, I am reminded of the plants that persist year after year regardless of both neglect and challenging weather conditions.
Survey your garden and try to imagine it in spring and summer, and identify dead spots and relocate new perennial divisions to those.
The fall is a good time to plant trees and shrubs, and it is fun to cruise the aisles of stores and nurseries to see if there are good deals available.
Fall is a good time to plant new shrubs that will improve the winter landscape. Some shrub genera include both evergreen and deciduous species.
Walls of plants, both indoors and out, are trendy, though they were actually featured by the Brazilian designer Roberto Burley Marks over 100 years ago.
After heavy or prolonged rain, we gardeners venture outdoors and revel in how refreshed the plants look and how easily weeds can be extracted from the soil.
When we consistently plant the colors we like it usually happens that the color scheme pleases us overall.
The plant will grow in relatively poor soil and once established is drought tolerant. All parts of the plant are poisonous so immune to foraging deer.
Often called moss rose, this succulent was first introduced from South America to European gardens in the early 1700’s.
Mirabilis jalapa are a well known cottage garden flower and have a common name that reflects an atypical blooming pattern.
It is difficult to choose a favorite part of this eclectic garden...full of must-see areas and plants so that visitors are overwhelmed by the beauty of it all.
Like chrysanthemums, marigolds are such serviceable flowers, and as one becomes a seasoned gardener “serviceable” becomes a most welcome descriptor.
New and improved quinces are not as quirky as their predecessors and perform well in all seasons...and they're thornless!
Clivia hails from South Africa where it is known as the Kaffir lily, the bush lily and the fire lily.
Celosias make good companions for other strong colored annuals in the cutting garden, such as zinnias and marigolds.
Different varieties of lily bulbs can be planted to provide a succession of flowers from June through August in well-drained, sunny areas of a garden.
It is native to woodlands from Michigan to New York state and south to Florida and Texas.
If you need color in your shady woodland garden consider planting Japanese kerria either as an accent or as a massed shrub border.
Woody shade-tolerant plants provide an architectural presence under tall deciduous trees and can be massed in groups of shrubs or used as accents.
Mahonias are robust, small shrubs that combine well with other evergreens such as conifers and hollies.
Black haw is native to woods and stream banks from Connecticut to Wisconsin and south to Texas and Georgia.
Dwarf fragrant sumac is a low-growing native shrub with yellow flowers in the early spring and has scented bark and foliage that are responsible for its name.
The North American native Calycanthus belongs to a small genus.
There are about 70 different types of phlox, both short and tall. The short ones are used as groundcovers, and their palette is made up of the cool colors.
Flowering shrubs are invaluable in the garden, and many have pleasant perfumes as well as lovely flowers.
Whether you pick flowers from your garden or buy them, all cut flowers benefit from being conditioned before they are arranged.
Unless the foliage of other perennials grows up to mask the bulb foliage as it decays, the garden looks a mess.
There are various types of items that are used in flower arranging to stabilize the stems of flowers.
Flowers from bulbs are easy to arrange informally in a vase.
Growing plants in containers is an alternative for those who have no garden space.
Each of us has our own personal method by which we confirm the onset of spring. For me it is when my ground-hugging yellow aconites bloom.
Ajuga is hardy zones 3-9 and prefers light shade and evenly moist well-drained soil.
Different species of caterpillars have specific plants or plant families they need for their food.
English writer John Drinkwater wrote the following poem many years ago.
There is an old saying that the time to prune the roses is when the forsythia blooms. Here in my Midwestern garden our forsythia blooms in March.
One of the earliest trees on earth, identified through fossils, was the Ginkgo biloba, which was one of the predominant trees on earth 250 million years ago.
Since trees are well and truly rooted to their spot, they must rely on other agents to help them cross pollinate, or they must self pollinate.
As well as living longer than any other organism on our planet, trees can grow into the largest organisms.
It is hard to transplant plants with taproots, so look for small new plants or offsets near an established plant and dig a deep circle around them.
Contour planting is also popular along highways, in public parks, and in private gardens as a method of conserving water and avoiding water pollution.
Many of the people I know who do have flower names are mature women, though it does seem there is a resurgence in these flower-related names for baby girls.
Hoya plants enjoy indirect light and weekly watering, with fertilizer every second week.
Garden designers suggest that a third of garden plants should be evergreen so that there is winter interest.
Look for the following symptoms if you suspect a cat has been poisoned: vomiting, diarrhea and a staggering gait.
Moya Andrews is a Master Gardener and a member of the Bloomington Garden Club in Bloomington, Indiana. Learn more »
