Winter.

  by Jane Beggs-Joles    After a deceptively mild December, winter showed up with a vengeance in January. Freezing cold, plenty of snow, and some ice mixed in for good measure. February brought more of the same. When you’re not thinking about how much you don’t want to shovel yet again you’re likely thinking about the  promise of spring. You know what that means: a trip to the garden center.   After all, shopping for the spring garden is a lot more fun than shopping for spring clothes. Unlike 

By |2019-01-23T05:44:54-06:00January 8th, 2018|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

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

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

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

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