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 …

It’s easy to grow and care for air plants!

Air plants don’t require soil, need only moderate light, and a good soak every once in a while. They are beautiful in terrariums and make a very affordable gift for any occasion and we have a wonderful selection available right now. Their unique appearance and growth habit make them great conversation starters. They can bring a bit of character and/or whimsy to any room. They are so easy to grow that they are the perfect starter plants for kids and …

Attract butterflies and hummingbirds with Columbine!

With beautiful bell-shaped flowers, Columbine is an excellent garden perennial with many colorful hybrid varieties to choose from. Its distinctive, bell-shaped, spurred flowers, bloom from mid-spring to early summer. Columbine self-seeds prolifically giving you many volunteer seedlings. With a wide choice of hybrid varieties, colors range from light pastels to bright yellow, red, orange and purple selections. The plant’s foliage has an attractive lacy appearance. Intricate little flowers, they are most commonly a combination of red, peach, and yellow but …

Every flower gardener should know the pleasure of growing clematis!

If you’ve ever seen a clematis in full bloom, you know this perennial can be a real showstopper! Clematis are sturdy flowering vines that produce gorgeous star-shaped flowers in a variety of colors with various size flowers. Many gardeners like to plant them around the mailbox or on an arbor or trellis. I have even seen them used as a ground cover. However you choose to use yours, clematis is one plant that every gardener should make room to grow. …

Bushel and Berry – Dwarf Berry Plants

Small space? Not a problem with Bushel and Berry™! Bushel and Berry™ plants are low maintenance and make for an easy, delicious addition to your garden or patio! Bushel and Berry is a unique combination of compact, ornamental and self -pollinating berry plants for the home garden. The berries are anything but dwarf and once the plants are established they will fruit reliably for years given the proper care. Grow in containers or in the ground. Blackberries and Raspberries available. …

Growing Hops in Michigan

Hops are a very hardy perennial vine. They  are easy to grow, prefer at least 8 hours of sun per day and require good drainage. New shoots grow from the roots each year, are very vigorous, and will grow 20 to 25 feet in one season. Vines need a strong, vertical trellis. Used for making bittering beers, medicinal applications, privacy screening and for decorations. Produces fragrant greenish papery cone-like flowers after two seasons. Beer wouldn’t be beer without hops – hops …

Growing a pineapple in Michigan

When one thinks of fruit grown in Michigan, pineapples do not usually come to mind. After returning from Hawaii a few weeks ago, I got to wondering… Can I grow a pineapple here in Michigan?  Amazingly enough, I found the answer is YES! My research indicates that not only is it possible to do this but it is not that difficult to do. You may have to wait awhile for some fruit but wouldn’t you love to eat a pineapple …

branches with pruning shears

Pruning Shrubs in the Dormant Season

Most people think of landscape maintenance as exclusively a warm-weather activity. It’s an understandable assumption as it’s easy to see what needs to be done when you are outdoors, enjoying the beauty of your landscape. However, when cooler temperatures bring you indoors, out of sight should not mean out of mind when it comes to your shrubs because the best time to prune many of them is actually in the dormant season, when plants are not growing.     Why? …