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 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 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 Rochelle Greayer    Texture features large in this loosely planted arrangement that I am dubbing ‘Feathery Fall Fireworks’. Once again, I hope this inspires you beyond the typical container garden planting of mums for this fall season. My personal preference for container gardens is for plants that aren’t quite so dense and allow for a little bit of movement. I started with the cuphea Vermillionaire™ – this tough as nails plant was still alive, blooming, and quite pretty despite the last many

by Rochelle Greayer    Autumn has arrived and even though the summer seems to be hanging on, it is time to think about making a few decorative changes around the house (both inside and out) to welcome the crisper air, the fall harvest, and most colorful season of all.  Every year, Pantone announces, with much fanfare, the color of the year for the following year. The announcement is the precursor of a trend and it is a predictor of the mood that product colors and fashion will take for the

  by Rochelle Greayer    As we clean up the garden this weekend, I found myself repeatedly coming back to visit the Gatsby Pink® Oak leaf Hydrangea that I planted earlier this year. They are still small and too new and immature to have bloomed this year, but that hasn’t stopped them for putting on quite a show in the autumn – despite their still-small stature.   Described as mahogany red, the color is as richer and deeper than anything else in my colorful fall garden. I really can’t wait to see

 by Jane Beggs-Joles  Pictured Above: Cityline® Vienna Hydrangea macrophylla Mother’s Day is coming, and you know what that means: finding something nice for Mom. Trust me, Mom doesn’t want another scented candle or a box of chocolates that she’ll be expected to share. She wants flowers. And why should she settle for a mere bouquet of flowers when she could enjoy a garden plant that will flower for years to come? Mom taught you the value of a dollar, didn’t she?Hydrangeas are a popular choice

I’ve got big plans this spring (I know I am speaking as if it is still coming – when in fact, it already came, flitted around for a few minutes, left, came back, left again, and maybe just might now be making a real grand entrance, today). Last weekend was going to be my first get-outside-and-get-my-hands-dirty day…. and then this happened:My garden in Harvard, MA, April 5th, 2016. It actually got much deeper by the time it was all done…  nearly 8″ deeper.  So I had at least one more weekend to