It’s late July and officially ‘late season’ for plant buying. (Don’t worry! – you get another chance for regular season planting in the early fall). In many parts of the country, this is a good time to find sales on perennials – particularly on those that have already peaked (i.e. bloomed) earlier in the season. Garden center and nursery visits are one of the best things about being a garden designer. I’ve often thought I could make a whole business just leading clients around a well stocked

I generally feel like I can’t do much of anything about of a whole host of things that concern me (Guns, Breixit, Trump, Global Warming…I’d rather not go on…).  But small measures add up and usually lead to big change – the garden quickly reminds me of that. I have a large garden and 11 years ago I arrived to a couple of nice patches where soil had obviously been imported and dug in deeply. But otherwise it was mostly a discouragingly rocky, acidic, dry hilltop. History tells me that this whole

 My husband is not a gardener – but over the years I’ve learned that there are few things I can do entice a little interest. Mostly, they involve enormity. Huge fruits. Big flowers. Massive harvests. But, as the tiniest bit of appreciation for the beauty of our garden has crept over him recently, I thought I might seize the opportunity to go a little deeper – to see if maybe, some other more nuanced plants might also be interesting. My goal was not only to expand his interest in my favorite

We’ve had two straight weeks of rain and constant drizzle and I still can’t get that grass to take root. Stick a fork in it – I’m done. That grass isn’t the nice easy stuff that grows just about anywhere else in my garden – all I need to do is spread a little seed. That grass (pronounced through the gritted teeth of frustration) is the culmination of a few years of trying every gimmick, variety, and installation method the turf grass industry offers, and still, I look out upon a couple of weedy

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

 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

  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 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 GreayerYears ago, when the Perennial Plant Association named Baptisia australis their plant of the year for 2010, I promptly bought five and planted them in my garden.  They were new-to-me at the time and they were lauded for being low maintenance and long lived. Perfect.Then, the next spring, I accidentally weeded out every single one of them.It is hard to recover from gardening disasters like that.  I didn’t even realize my mistake until months later when I wondered where my ‘new’

by Kerry Ann MendezAs a garden designer and popular lecturer, I get feedback from thousands – no, tens of thousands – of gardeners who crave high-impact, low-maintenance gardens. They want ‘drop-dead’ gorgeous plants that also benefit pollinators without requiring a lot of water, fertilizer or handholding….and that don’t drop dead after being planted. Here are some of my ‘Beauty and Brawn’ perennial picks: Dianthus ‘Paint The Town Magenta’ and ‘Paint the Town Fuchsia’ These drought tolerant,