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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. …
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. …
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 …
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 …
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? …
Winter is a crucial time for the birds that remain in our area. They spend their time facing the elements of bitter cold and snowstorms. There are no insects to eat and the natural seeds are covered with snow; the berries and crab apples are gone. Birds need enough food to maintain their body temperatures and must search for food from sun up to dusk. Fortunately, for the birds, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 41 million Americans …
Fall planting gives garlic a crucial head-start. Plants will be stronger and bulbs will be bigger at harvest. October is usually the best month to plant garlic in North America. Planting garlic in the fall for the following year gives your garlic time to grow sturdy, solid roots which keep it firmly anchored in the ground. In Michigan, the best time to plant garlic is right around Halloween. Garlic Planting Step by Step… Break up your garlic heads. Simply separate …
Allium is an easy to grow, absolutely amazing plant. It’s best when you plant it from a bulb in the fall and then it blooms well into spring. Allium Globemaster is the variety that we planted in the flowerbeds in front of the store, along Sprinkle Road. I also planted this in my yard. When spring came, it developed into one of the most amazing and beautiful plants that I have ever seen. This had to have been the most …
This colorful succulent plant is easy to grow and almost as easy to bloom. Kalanchoe has thick, rich green, succulent leaves with clusters of small, upright flowers in a rainbow of colors, which can include red, orange, pink and yellow. Most often grown in pots as a brightly-colored houseplant, Kalanchoe can also be used as a landscape plant provided you live in the right climate. However, their needs vary slightly depending on whether they are planted indoors or outdoors. Indoors, Kalanchoe …
