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Growing Calla Lilies – How to Grow and Propagate Zantedeschia sp.
These tips for growing calla lilies will let you experience their beauty in your garden at a much less cost than from a florist. Have you ever priced single calla lilies at a florist? If you have, you will have discovered that they sell for up to $10 a STEM. Why pay those kind of […]
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Growing Dinner Plate Dahlias – Varieties – Shopping List and Care Tips
Dinner plate dahlias are not plants that one would call shrinking violets. They are impressive in a garden and make wonderful cut flowers for arrangements. These majestic plants command attention in a garden bed and also need plenty of room to grow and flower. Keep reading for tips for how to grow these magnificent dahlias […]
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Control Squash Bugs 12 ways – How to Kill Squash Bugs
Trying to control squash bugs can seem like an insurmountable task when you find them in your vegetable garden. If you grow zucchini or squash, you may be familiar with trying to deal with a squash bug infestation. These bugs can do a huge amount of damage, particularly to new plants. Young seedlings and plants […]
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Attracting Monarch Butterflies – Start Seeing Monarchs Day – First Saturday
Would you like tips for attracting monarch butterflies to your yard this year? I’ve been seeing them in my garden for a few weeks now. The first Saturday in May is marked National Start Seeing Monarchs Day. What an appropriate national day for this time of the year! This day was chosen to raise people’s […]
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20 Best Hardy Perennials that Come Back Year after Year – Updated
There are many types of perennials, from tender types, which need to be grown in the southern part of the USA, to very hardy perennials that keep coming back after a freezing winter outside. Budget conscious gardeners have a very good friend when they turn to growing perennials. What is not to like about a […]
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Daylily Photo Gallery
If you are fond of growing perennials, you really should try daylilies. They are one of my favorite plants that come back each year. There is such a variety of bloom style, color and temperament. and they are very easy to grow. Beginning and seasoned gardeners love them, and other than a bit of deadheading, […]
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13 Tips for Growing Liatris – Attract Bees like a Magnet!
If you want to attract both butterflies and bees to your garden this year, try growing liatris. This perennial corm flowers in mid summer with a blast of flowers that are a magnet for them. I have 10 garden beds around my home and I’m always interested in growing perennials of all types since they come […]
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Strawberry Oatmeal Bars – Healthy Whole Wheat Oatmeal Bar
These strawberry oatmeal bars have a luscious fresh strawberry center that sits on a whole wheat pastry flour base and is topped with a buttery streusel crumble. They are the perfect way to make use of fresh strawberries that are so plentiful right now. Every year, about this time, I come back from the Farmer’s […]
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How to Attract Hummingbirds to Your Garden
If you want to attract hummingbirds to your garden, there are a few things that you should keep in mind when planting. The right type of flowers and color are the key to attracting these beauties. There is nothing quite like the sight of hummingbirds around a feeder, fluttering their wings the way only hummingbirds […]
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Chocolate Watermelon Popsicles
Summer is here and the eating is easy – and so are these Chocolate Watermelon Popsicles. They are creamy and crunchy and super sweet from the fresh summer watermelon. There are many types of watermelons you may not have heard about. You could even switch up this recipe by using a different one than the […]
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Champagne Popsicles – Adult Frozen Desserts that Beat the Heat
These champagne popsicles are a boozy sweet treat that is just for mum and dad though. ] No kids allowed! I love Popsicle recipes in the summer time. They are easy to make, fun to eat and really beat the heat. Making popsicles at home is a fun and inexpensive way to beat the summer […]
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Garden Tour – See What is Blooming in July
It’s time for this week’s garden tour. I love July in my summer garden. It’s the time when everything is really blooming but it is not too hot, yet The color is amazing and there seems to be something new for me each day as I wander around my garden beds. Grab a cup of […]
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Cold Summer Desserts to Beat the Heat
When the summer heats up, I go looking through my recipes of cold summer desserts. There is nothing like a frozen bowl or stick of something to cool me down when the temps are in the 90s. Beat the Heat with these Cold Summer Desserts Root beer floats, summer cocktails, frozen fruit and ice cream […]
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Growing Hollyhocks – A Traditional Cottage Garden Favorite-
If you love plants with a long blooming season, you will likely have a fondness for growing hollyhocks. This lovely biennial is a popular garden favorite that flowers throughout most of the summer months. Hollyhocks (Puccinia malvacearum) are often found in cottage gardens. They make a great background plant for shorter plants and come in […]
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Strawberry Frozen Yogurt Pops
These strawberry frozen yogurt pops are a fun and easy way to beat the heat when the temps are rising and you want a cold dessert to cool down. They have a rich red color and are not overly sweet. The taste is summer time fresh! Fresh strawberries make such a great addition to desserts. […]
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Balloon Flower – Tips for Growing Platycodon grandiflorus
Balloon Flower, or Platycodon grandiflorus, is also known as Chinese Bell flower. The common names of this pretty perennial plant come from the plump found flower buds that resemble hot air balloons or Chinese lanterns before they open. Blue flowers are unusual in the garden. Keep reading to find out how to grow this flower with a […]
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Add A Blast of Sunshine with Yellow Flowers for Water a Flower Day
Nothing quite brightens a mood like cheerful yellow flowers. There are loads of annuals and perennials that bring this bright splash of color to your garden. The contrast of the cheerful color against the green leaves makes a fabulous play in a garden bed. Did you know that May 30 is Water a Flower Day? […]
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Summer Garden Tips & Garden Tour – Garden Maintenance in the Summer
My gardens are the big love of my life this time of the year. I spend hours outside tending them. I have 10 garden beds on a block that is about 1/2 acre and I do things to improve the look of them each year. These summer garden tips will ensure that you have […]
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Astilbe Companion Plants – What to Grow with Astilbe
These astilbe companion plants like the same moisture and light conditions and will make a beautifully coordinated garden bed. Astilbe is a gorgeous perennial that is right at home in a shady moist garden. You can grow it alone, but a well designed garden looks better with more than just one type of plant. Keep […]
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Natural Ant Killer Remedies
These natural ant killer remedies will help to control the ants in your home in a non toxic way. I am so looking forward to the return of warm weather. With the sunny days come flowers, gardening and time spent outdoors. Unfortunately, with the warm weather also come ants! It is fun for kids to […]
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Creative Metal Yard Art – Garden Art with Bugs – Flowers – Critters
Decorating your yard with creative metal yard art can add a wonderful touch of whimsy to your outdoor garden space! I recently spent a week in a lovely cottage in the mountains of North Carolina. It was a great get away with my husband, daughter and her boyfriend. We spent the time driving around the […]
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Tips for Growing Heirloom Seeds
It’s time to learn about growing heirloom seeds! Heirloom vegetable seeds have so much going for them. They end up giving you plants that you can’t go to a big box store and buy, they cost less than hybrid vegetables and you can save your own seeds from one year to the next. Have you […]
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Double Dark Chocolate Ice Cream – Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Vegan
This tasty double dark chocolate ice cream is dairy free, gluten free and also great for those on a vegan diet. The warm summer months are the time for a big helping of your favorite cold desserts. It is loads of fun (not to mention tasty) to dig into a bowl of creamy, rich and […]
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My Favorite Daylilies – A Garden Tour
I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite daylilies in a garden tour. When it comes to versatility, blossoms and easy of care, very few perennials can match daylilies. They give a magnificent show of flowers, and sometimes more than once during the summer season. They can be managed by […]
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The White Garden – Raleigh Botanical Gardens
We recently had visitors from the UK who are gardeners, so we took them to JC Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh for a visit. One of my favorite parts of the gardens is The White Garden. It is a wonderful place to spend a day. You can walk around and enjoy Easter lilies, white agapanthus and […]
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Teddy Bear Sunflowers – A Cuddly Giant Flower
I love all sorts of sunflowers. They are my daughter’s favorite flower and I plant them in all of my garden beds each year. I have some in my test garden that are about 7 feet tall right now and still not opened. I plant the large yellow type and rust colored ones too, but […]