I like to think of all the green in our gardens as a ‘little black dress’; it is classic and never goes out of style. You can use that black dress as a background palette, dolling it up each year with accessories featuring whatever is the hot fashion color that year.

The hot days of summer! Plants that were lush and full of flowers in the spring are fading away due to the heat and your fall blooms are still several weeks out. So what do you do when your garden is in the summer transition? Focus on the colors and textures of foliage!

There are so many options when it comes to hydrangeas that it can be a bit overwhelming at first. With all the different colors of flowers, styles of flowers, gorgeous bark (think winter interest) and leaf shapes, there is sure to be a hydrangea or two, or three that you must have in your garden.

So many gardeners, especially those with little to no experience, approach gardening with some doubt and fear.  What if I kill it? What if my neighbors think my garden is ugly? What if my friend with a green thumb tells me I’m doing things wrong? What if...

For most parts of the US and Canada, your gardens are put to bed for the winter.  The ground is quite cold; in fact, too frozen to plant anything and/or it is also snow covered. You have read every garden book, magazine and started following a slew of new garden blogs. Even your garden catalogs are in order. So what do you do?  Winter Gardening of course!

The calendar says it is fall, and colorful leaves are still on some trees, yet the snow is already flying outside my window.  No matter when the first snowfall occurs each year, it always seems ‘too early’ to see the white stuff on lawn chairs, the grille and most importantly my garden.

It would be grand if garden centers only sold plants that are perfectly suited for their part of the country but that would happen only in an ideal world! However, as new gardeners get some dirt under their fingernails they learn that there are ways to push the boundaries and grow plants that were once considered off limits for their geographic region. But, in order to break or bend the rules, you first have to know and understand them.

"If you love it you will prune it." My garden friend’s father says this and I have to say it is pretty sound gardening advice.  Most plants, especially shrubs and woody perennials can benefit from a strong pruning. 

You can banish the memory of a single geranium in a pot on the front porch! Today’s containers are overflowing with annuals, perennials, edibles, succulents and more!  Container gardening continues to soar in popularity.  It’s ideal for balconies, windowsills, patios and decks as well as it can add unique combination plantings throughout the landscape.

Q: Gardener from Henrico, VA asked...  I haven't pruned my hydrangeas or azaleas since this past September. Can I do it now?

Q: How do I design my landscape? Where do I start and how do I begin selecting plants, etc…?

Before you can design or buy your first plant you need to ask yourself some key questions:

Q: What is the earliest time you can start planting in the spring/after frost free day? How do you know what your frost free day is?

Now that is the million dollar question isn’t it? We’re always so itchy for spring to come that we often times plant sooner than we should.  You can plant early you just have to be prepared for frost and freeze warning and be willing to cover your plants so they are not lost, causing one to replant.

As you gaze out the window or walk about your dormant winter garden ask yourself does your landscape offer plants that will feed and/or protect birds?

Question: It’s the middle of winter. What types of things should I being doing in my yard and garden now to get ready for spring?

Answer: It may be cold or snowy where you live, or if you’re lucky it’s sunny and warm, but regardless of the weather, there are many things, indoor and out, that you can do now as well as to prepare for the upcoming gardening season. Just a few tips include:

To me, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year.  And what better way to combine the love of gardening and the holidays then by creating a naturally decorated Christmas tree.