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…
As we wrap up the end of August, we should for the most part be able to simply sit back and enjoy the fruits of our labor. Yes, there are still beans to pick, cucumbers to pickle, zucchini to put on the neighbor’s front porch when they are at work, flowers to harvest for dining room bouquets, and of course watering. But certainly, there is not the intensity of gardening chores that we face in the spring of the year…
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…