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 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 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 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