Spring Inspiration

 by Rochelle Greayer     I am headed to the airport shortly to hop a plane to Seattle. I haven’t been to Seattle since a couple of weeks before I was married. I remember three things about that trip: 1. We dropped the transmission of our car on one of the most remote of the San Juan Islands and had to be rescued by the car rental company. 2. That is where I was when Princess Diana died – I first read it on the front page of a newspaper someone was reading at the next table while we had

By |2019-01-23T05:40:19-06:00November 21st, 2017|Uncategorized|0 Comments

New Shrubs For The Cutting Garden

by Rochelle Greayer    Top Row:  Berry Heavy® Gold Winterberry Ilex verticillata, Black Cat™ Pussywillow Salix chaenomeloides, Lemony Lace Elderberry Sambucus racemosa Bottom Row:  Sweet Emotion™ Hardy abelia Abelia mosanensis, Kodiak™ Orange Bush Honeysuckle Diervilla, Sugar Shack® Buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis     I’m finally starting to believe that eventually these piles of snow will recede – we have a long way to go here in New England, but every day of runoff-wet roads lifts my

By |2019-01-23T05:39:21-06:00November 21st, 2017|Featured|0 Comments

A Shamrock (Oxalis) Rainbow

by Rochelle Greayer     Left to Right:  Charmed® Velvet Shamrock Oxalis, Zinfandel™ Oxalis vulcanicola, Charmed® Jade Oxalis, Molten Lava™ Oxalis vulcanicola, Cottage Pink (Wood Sorrel) Oxalis, Charmed® Wine Oxalis     I’m finding the ever-increasing variety of oxalis (commonly called Shamrocks or Wood Sorrel) available to gardeners very inspiring. In the last decade (or so) it seems like the color and shape choices have exploded – there is – literally – a whole rainbow of elegant and

By |2019-01-23T05:38:28-06:00November 21st, 2017|Featured, Uncategorized|0 Comments

‘Marching’ To More Beautiful Gardens

by Kerry Ann Mendez   Spring is around the corner and many have a bad case of spring fever. Here are a few timely tricks to jump-start our flower gardens.   A well balanced snack can make a huge difference. As spring temperatures rise, plants surge into new growth, relying on energy stored in roots. A granular fertilizer, in the neighborhood of 5-5-5, can generate head-turning results. The fastest and easiest method for applying fertilizer is with a spreader, or hand casting, right before it

By |2019-01-23T05:37:28-06:00November 21st, 2017|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Decadent Arrangements

by Rochelle Greayer  Soft and Sweet:  Decadence® 'Vanilla Cream' Baptisia, Fishnet Stockings Solenostemon scutellarioides (Coleus),  Light Pink Peony Ombre and Drama: Decadence® 'Dutch Chocolate' Baptisia, Mariposa™ Solenostemon scutellarioides  (Coleus), Magenta Peony     Have you ever ‘weeded’ out a plant – sure that it was a nuisance only to realize later that it was something you intended? I have. About 5 years ago I inadvertently massacred about eight Baptisia australis that I planted the

By |2019-01-23T05:36:01-06:00November 21st, 2017|Featured, Uncategorized|0 Comments

The Fragrant Patio

by Rochelle Greayer  My mother’s day gift to myself gets delivered tomorrow.  Well, maybe I should say installed.  It’s a water spigot on the side of the house where my patio is and I am super excited to see the plumber come and make this little dream a reality – I’ve been wanting this for years.   Hoses are a garden necessity but they are a nuisance and having to haul them all the way around the house is something I’ve come to see as torture (both to me and to the plants that I inevitably

By |2019-01-23T05:34:57-06:00November 21st, 2017|Featured, Uncategorized|0 Comments

Strawberry Tower Planting 2015

by Rochelle Greayer  I am in the final stages of getting another issue of PITH + VIGOR out the door (it is in the  process of being stuffed into boxes and envelopes right now!) and now that I feel like I can,  I’ve been taking frequent gardening breaks.  It feels really good to slow down a little bit. I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of plants and I am grateful for this extended spring to have  some time to get them all planted.   This year, I’ve put together a scheme for my strawberry tower

By |2019-01-23T05:32:50-06:00November 21st, 2017|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Color-Matching the House to the Garden

by Rochelle Greayer  Cute summer towns are a haven for houses with adorable little gardens.  They are always tidy and like a properly dressed lady (whose handbag always coordinates with her shoes), the plants often coordinate with the house.   I’m not exactly this type of gardener (or dresser for that matter) – I tend to either a) be too frazzled to try (and instead, I am drawn to the fashion standby of black – yes even my house is black), or b) I try to make some other bigger experiment with my

By |2019-01-23T05:31:43-06:00November 21st, 2017|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Where to Put the Clematis?

by Rochelle Greayer  Pictured above: ‘Sweet Summer Love' Clematis and 'Diamond Ball' Clematis   As you have probably noticed, I work with Proven Winners to test out their plants and then help you (through this website) learn more about them. Every spring this means that boxes of new plants arrive for me to plant in my garden, experiment with, generally get inspired by and ultimately write about.   This year I requested some clematis because Joanne Neale’s fantastic article about easy care

By |2019-01-23T05:30:30-06:00November 21st, 2017|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Calming Pastel Colored Plants For The Strawberry Tower

by Rochelle Greayer  I went two very different directions with color in my garden this year.  Near the house and on my patio, I imagined a dramatic combo of purple and red that I thought would make a moody and maybe even a slightly exotic feeling place, and out further in the garden I went with calming pastel colored plants and flowers that seemed like cheery but also relaxing mix that I could enjoy while weeding and picking vegetables.   But I’ve decided I did it all wrong.  The reds are

By |2019-01-23T05:29:15-06:00November 21st, 2017|Featured, Uncategorized|0 Comments