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…
Last week I wrote about pruning hedges and why it was the perfect time to accomplish that task. Continuing along that same vein, now is a very good time to tackle any weeping plants you may have, like laceleaf maples, weeping pussy willows, and just about any plant that defies gravity and grows in the exact opposite direction one would think a plant should grow…
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…