New! ‘Big Blue’ Salvia

Salvia longispicata x farinacea Low Maintenance, Super Showy and Beautiful Blue Color ‘Big Blue’ shows off with breathtaking clear blue blooms towering above bright green foliage. A generous host to hummingbirds, bees and butterflies. Annual. Vigorous, robust, heat-tolerant, drought-tolerant; needs no deadheading. Struts its stuff in full sun yet tolerates dappled shade or partial sun. Simple, low maintenance and always a top performer! Perfect for their back-of-border plantings (It’s gonna get big!), sending out blue spires continuously from July to first frost …

New! Vinca ‘Tatoo Series’

Catharanthus roseus ‘Tattoo’ Series Tattoo is without a doubt, the most unique vinca on the market today! Vinca (annual) are well known for their durable flowering, knockout color and exceptional heat tolerance, both in the landscape as well as containers. Tattoo is a bold and head-turning twist on traditional vinca and a series, with high impact bold color, that plant-lovers have been looking for. Tattoo makes the art of plants come to life with every bloom—each petal looks like it’s …

All About Roses – March chores

March is here and it’s time to start thinking about getting your rose beds ready for the new season. Your roses will be starting to come out of hibernation because there will be more light and warmer temperatures (well hopefully anyway!). It’s time to start getting your beds cleaned up in the last two weeks in March. You will want to remove any leaves, extra soil or mulch that you added for extra winter protection. The last week of March …

What Can I Plant Now? Cool Season Flowers and Vegetables for April and Early May

We are often asked “What can I plant now while it is still cool and our spring weather is somewhat unpredictable?” Listed below are a few options that have proven to do well in Michigan with our fluctuating spring temperatures. These plants are tolerant of dips in evening temperatures and perform well in cooler weather. ANNUALS Ranunculus – An annual in our growing zone, are brilliantly colored flowers with multiple layers of crepe-paper like petals. The leaves of the plants …

Echinacea is a must have perennial

Echinacea – also known as coneflower – is a terrific perennial for Michigan flower beds. Beautiful, butterfly attracting, deer resistant flowers bloom most of the summer in sunny locations.  New colors and new varieties make this plant one of the best choices.  Echinacea sounds more like a disease than a plant you would want in your garden.  And if you read the Wikipedia description, it still seems like something to stay away from.  Maybe that’s why people commonly refer to it …

Nepeta ‘Catmint’ is a must have perennial for the garden

Nepeta (Catmint) are some of our best garden perennials, as they are long lived, very easy-to-grow, animal resistant and they feature a profusion of color in various shades of blue. When Nepeta’s stems are broken, they release an aroma into the air that tends to attract cats, thus its common name, Catmint. Nepeta loves sun and tolerates dry conditions. Cut back to the ground at the end of winter. One of the best plants to edge or plant under a …

Penstemon for hot, sunny locations

Penstemon is a western United States native that has colorful tubular flowers on tall spikes. This prairie plant thrives in hot, sunny conditions and is a stunning addition to wildflower plantings. Another common name is Beardtongue. The beauty and regal presence of Penstemon in bloom is unmatched by few other perennials. Growing Penstemon is straightforward, as they are extremely resilient and are excellent naturalizing plants when encouraged to re-seed themselves. Best of all, Penstemon’s nectar-rich flowers are indispensable to pollinators like …

Bloomerang Lilacs – They Rebloom!

Enjoy the fragrance of lilacs for months instead of weeks. While traditional lilac varieties bloom for a few short weeks in spring, Bloomerang’s fragrant flowers continue until frost. This vigorous grower will add beauty and fragrance to gardens from spring to fall. When planted in mass they make a great choice for hedges as well. Just like all lilacs, the Bloomerang® will attract butterflies and hummingbirds to your garden, but the Deer won’t care for the taste! And while it …

Dianthus: A Classic, Fragrant Perennial

These popular perennials have been cultivated for centuries, and their blossoms add a nostalgic flair to any mixed flower bouquet. They are often called Pinks because their serrated petals seem to have been trimmed with pinking shears. Enjoy the blooms’ sweet clove perfume at the front of the border where they perch above mounds of lovely gray-green foliage. If cut back after flowering, many varieties deliver a second wave of bloom. Dianthus perform best in full sun and well-drained soil. …

Peonies make me happy!

Peonies are an old fashioned favorite perennial!  They are loved for their heavily-scented beautiful, extra large blooms and survive quite well in our Michigan gardens. Peonies come in four flower forms – Single, Semi-double, Double and Japanese (Anemone). The flowers will become fuller as the plant matures. Peonies make an excellent cut flower. After flowering, the plant can provide size and texture to the perennial garden and are a deer resistant.  Peonies perform best when planted in well draining, loamy soil with …