It pains me to see customers spending hundreds of dollars on new plants and simultaneously refusing to spend a few more on a bag or two of compost and a box of starter fertilizer. These two items are not unnecessary “add-ons” that the retailer is just trying to add to the sale, they are critical components of a successful transplanting process - or as I like to refer to them as “plant insurance”. Unless you have phenomenal soil, you should always add compost and starter fertilizers when you are planting new plants. Here is why…
There are lots of tasks we could dwell on for the month of February, including nipping weeds in the bud, planting early blooming perennials, controlling moss in the lawn, and general clean up of any left over debris from winter. But by far, the most important task of all is pruning. I do the vast majority of my pruning in the month of February, so let’s drill down to some specifics…
Now that we have passed our traditional “giving thanks” holiday, we might just as well keep the spirit flowing by showing our love and appreciation to our friends and relatives who have the passion (or perhaps some would say addiction) for gardening. Gardeners love gifts as much as the next person and what better place to find some stellar ideas than at your local garden center. Here are a few items that caught my eye recently…
The Golfing Gardener
Trevor Cameron
The kingdom of plants is filled with many desirable shrubs, including many old-fashioned forms and newer hybrids. Gardeners (including me) love many of the numerous old school selections while also embracing newer more modern forms. One of these plants, Weigelia florida, has been a proven performer in local gardens for decades, providing showy spring flowers, excellent…