It is officially Summer in the Mid-Atlantic area of the U.S.A. and we have a bounty of gorgeous flowers joining our Summer Parade! White Four O’Clocks are the first to line up! The trumpet-like blooms open up in the evening … Yellow Four O’Clocks join White Four O’Clocks in our […]
blooms
Due to cool and rainy Spring weather, our rosebush is much larger than usual. It is so large that it is crowding our Sonata in Blue Bearded Irises. The result is a stunning contrast of colors: red roses in the background and lavender Iris blooms in the […]
It’s Spring in the Mid-Atlantic area of the U.S. and our “Lady Friend” Bearded Iris are blooming! These Irises are so beautiful in color that they remind us of raspberry lollipops! We have more Irises this year because it rained quite a bit this Spring. Therefore, we have learned […]
When we turn the corner and walk down the hill, our Side Garden stands up and greets us everyday! I have always loved Side Gardens. When I was growing up, my parents had a Side Garden of Irises, Lilies, Roses, and Azaleas. Side Gardens are typically […]
We have so many favorites! Asiatic Lilies are at the top of our “maintenance-free” list! Here are 5 reasons to grow and enjoy Asiatic Lilies in your garden: Asiatic Lilies have large, stunning blooms that attract attention! Asiatic Lilies are durable, dependable perennials that multiply every year! Asiatic […]
Our Front Sidewalk Garden includes Red Potted Geraniums, Japanese Wildflowers, Euonymus Shrub, Tall Arborvitae Evergreens, and Irises. In our birdbath, we placed Hens and Chicks succulent plants. The Front Sidewalk Garden is very low maintenance … we prune the Euonymus a couple of times per year to keep it […]
When we turn the corner and walk down the hill, our Side Garden stands up and greets us everyday! I have always loved Side Gardens. When I was growing up, my parents had a Side Garden of Irises, Lilies, Roses, and Azaleas. Side Gardens are typically […]
Our huge Christmas Camellia is ready for the holidays! It’s sporting bright red and yellow blooms and is standing 10 feet tall. We purchased the Camellia at a plant nursery in Chincoteague, Virginia about 7 years ago. It was about 18 inches tall at that time. It’s very easy […]
What is a Garden Oasis? When you step outside onto your deck or patio to enjoy the weather and scenery, wouldn’t it be nice to have beautiful plants and flowers greeting you? Plants help soften the lines of a deck or patio. Plants add colorful interest to a deck or […]
Why Plant Irises? Irises bloom in the spring and they love full sun! Their blooms are unique, with a colorful bloom on top and another bloom hanging at the bottom, hence “bearded” iris. Irises are very easy to maintain. How to Plant Irises The most important aspect of planting irises […]
Our Tinkerbell Irises have stopped blooming, and the reason is because Irises don’t like to be crowded. Irises multiply quickly, and if they get too crowded, they stop blooming. The secret to get them blooming again is to dig them up and divide them, as we demonstrate in the videos […]
It’s Fall in the Mid-Atlantic area of the U.S. We have been eagerly awaiting the beautiful chrysanthemum blooms. During mid-Summer, we posted a video on pruning this mum to force fall blooms, and now we are about to get our wish. Take a peek below … The following […]
We live in the Mid-Atlantic area of the U.S.A. It rarely goes below 20 degrees in the winter. We have Red Salvia in containers that self-seed and return year after year! Here a 6 tips to get free Red Salvia every year: Tip #1 — After the first hard frost, […]
We have been waiting all summer for our Tropical Red Canna to bloom and it finally has! A beautiful red bloom tops the plant. Tropical plants like sun, water and humidity, so you wouldn’t think of them as perennials in the Mid-Atlantic area, but they can be … […]
Stonecrop Sedum! We love sedum plants because they are very easy to maintain; provide beautiful fall blooms, and interesting leaf textures and colors. Stonecrop Sedum has cobalt blue leaves with magenta blooms. The leaves feel good to the touch. If you lightly touch the leaves, they slightly tickle your […]
We have been on mum watch during the past few weeks, waiting for our mums to bloom! We planted baby mums in the spring so we expect a pleasant surprise when the mums bloom and reveal their color! […]
We visited historic Williamsburg, Virginia and discovered a large container of Vinca and Arborvitae (evergreen). Vinca are drought-tolerant plants with glossy leaves and dainty flowers. They are a member of the impatiens family of plants. The miniature evergreen in the container is of a common variety that stays […]
Due to cooler temperatures, it’s a good time to fertilize roses in the fall to prepare for winter. Roots store up nutrients for the plant. The result is beautiful spring blooms! We use a special fertilizer that has the ingredients needed by roses: Espoma RT8 8-Pound Rose-Tone Plant […]
We have waited all summer long for our Cannas to bloom, and finally, in early fall, they are blooming! Tropical Canna plants remind us of the islands, especially Bermuda, which has beautiful flora. Cannas like warm weather and humidity. Believe it or not, they can take cold weather and […]
Try looking at this big round ball of Pink Begonias and not smiling! Pink Begonias are a big round ball of joy! We planted 2 begonias in 1 pot, which is why the blooms are so full. Three reasons to grow […]
Sedum Autumn Joy is a large sedum, a succulent plant that blooms pretty pink flowers in the fall. It is very easy to maintain, just remove dead foliage in early spring. When the sedum is young and just planted, fertilize lightly with organic fertilizer, such as Espoma PT18 Plant […]
Begonias are very easy to maintain. They like full to part sun. Just fertilize with Espoma FT20 Flower Tone Plant Food, 20-Pound every few weeks during the growing season. The leaves retain water so only water when the soil is dry. The blooms fall of naturally, so it […]
The two most important things you can do to produce beautiful rose blooms is to fertilize and prune regularly! Roses are heavy feeders, and they require certain nutrients, such as lime. We have had excellent success with an organic rose fertilizer (Espoma RT18 Rose Tone, 18-Pound). Dead blooms steal […]