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Fall Planting and Creating Colorful Gardens
Fall is an exciting time in the garden center as new stock floods into the nursery in time for fall planting. When it comes to “fall color” we’re not just talking about how the foliage changes in autumn! I was pleased to find dozens of plants with great foliage colors and textures when I walked…
Read MoreIs It Safe To Plant Outside?
As the garden center fills with beautiful plants for the summer season, our customers are asking if they can plant what they see outdoors. “Can I put my tomatoes in?” one man asked today, and yesterday a woman called wanting to know if she could plant the basil outdoors. Today is May 1st and we…
Read MoreCelebrate Life With Paperwhite Narcissus
There are so many reasons that we love paperwhite Narcissus, but many people ask “How do I keep narcissus foliage upright?” At the time of year when the days are short and it’s getting cold it’s uplifting to have something that we can watch grow. Paperwhites sprout and grow quickly even when planted on a shallow layer…
Read MoreProblem Solving Gift Suggestions
Two weeks ago we gave you a few ideas for your gift list. Here are a few more suggestions for some of those hard-to-buy-for people and others. For your mother who was plagued by rabbits all last summer. They ate her flowers, herbs and vegetables and so she felt bombarded by bunnies through the entire…
Read MoreJune is Perennial Month
June is a month when gardeners and garden centers celebrate perennial plants. And there are so many to enjoy! Perennials are wonderful in the landscape because they come in all shapes, sizes and colors. But just as people come with assorted appearances and personalities, perennial plants do as well. The secret to having a good perennial…
Read MorePlants And The Variable Winter Weather
Many of us remember the winters in our youth when the snow arrived in December or early January and stayed until spring. Ponds froze early in those days and people could walk across a lake or skate on the ice for three or more months. Winter isn’t like that anymore. One thing we know about…
Read MoreRecycling Celebrations
Today is America Recycles Day. This reminds me about Christmas at Country Garden and something I saw at the Philadelphia airport. As I walked down to my gate in October I noticed a colorful grouping of plants and old wooden pallets. Some of the boards on the pallets had been painted with random colors and stamped or…
Read MoreHow Gardens Heal
I remember talking with a fellow gardener about 20 years ago. He was telling me how the garden saved him after his divorce. “There I was,” he said, “down on my knees, literally. Having my hands in the dirt kept me sane.” My friend was not alone. Many of us turn to the healing powers…
Read MoreWhy Did My Hydrangea Flowers Turn Brown?
You patiently waited for six months while the Hydrangeas were bare sticks, you actually had flowers appear despite the hard winter or bad pruning, but by the first week in August they were brown! Sometimes life is SO unfair. So why did your flowers turn brown when your neighbor’s are still in bloom? Here’s what causes…
Read MoreGood Garden Dogs
As many of you know, my husband and I got a new dog last October. We adopted Sparky from the Cape Ann Animal Aid which is located, don’t you love it, at 4 Paws Lane in Gloucester, but his litter was rescued off the streets of Puerto Rico by All Sato Rescue. Sparky turned one…
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