We maintain four main flower
borders which include both perennials and
annuals. Several smaller plantings are tucked
in around the foundation and around the
main vegetable garden.
One of the most beautiful displays comes
from some very old fashioned single hollyhocks
(actually a re-seeding biennial), which were
passed along from another very old garden
in the area. The colors range from light
pink to dark maroon.
Orchid Care -
Find out how to care for your orchid throughout the year. Activities you need to be doing in spring, summer, autumn and winter.
Tall 10 to 12 in. plants bear 4 in. scarlet and yellow blooms.
The Earliest to Bloom and
Most Flower-Filled All Season! This mix
contains 3 glorious Fan colors: scarlet,
blue, and sizzling salmon! The Fan series
of Lobelias has taken Europe by storm in
the few years since its introduction.
The Most Aromatic, Colorful,
Densely-Branched Lavender Yet! Also called
Spanish Lavender, this new French type is
just a bit bigger, bolder, and brighter
than others!
Makes a statement with
sky-blue flowers! 3-inch flowers thrive
in partial shade! Blue Himalayan Poppy produces
sky-blue 3-inch flowers for part shade.
Best in Pacific northwest and cool northeast
areas. 4 to 6 feet. Zones 7-8. One of Park's
Garden Gems! Pkt is 100 seeds.
The Classic ""Butterfly
Weed""--Bloom-Heavy and Super Easy to Grow!
Big orange blooms welcome summer, attracting
butterflies and gardeners by the drove!
Why can't all wildflowers be as beautiful,
bright, and hardy as Butterfly Weed?
The Legendary Scent is
a Fall- and Winter-Blooming Beauty! Grow
it outdoors in zone 7 and farther south,
or indoors farther north! A favorite in
Victorian times and very difficult to find
now, the Parma Violet is one of the most
fragrant, attractive Violas you can grow.
The Best Balloon Flower
Yet! Big double blooms last and last! A
Park High Performer! With the Astra series
comes a whole new era in Balloon Flowers,
with so many improvements you won't believe
you're growing the same species!
Long-Lasting, Cheery Pink,
Rose, and Red Daisies for Spring and Summer!
2 1/2- to 3-inch blooms on long, strong
stems are ideal for cutting! A carefree
delight for two seasons of glorious color,
Painted Daisies evoke the natural beauty
of meadowlands and wildflowers.
Jun 1, Peonies supported with hoops but still flopping Question: My peonies are blooming, but the stems are not strong enough to support them. I do stake them with hoops. Is there a fertilizer mix that will encourage maturing of the stems? My plants are about five years old.
Yvonne answers: Sorry, there's no fertilizer that will strengthen the stems (in fact, using fertilizer promotes quick growth that is quite soft), so don't try that. I've had the same problem. Unfortunately, most ready-made supports are too short to support heavy flowers on taller stems.
The best way to support these stems is to set four bamboo stakes into the ground around the outside of the plant and weave garden twine through the stems and leaves from one side of the plant to the other. Aim for a crisscross pattern that works like a net to keep stems and blooms upright. As for stems that won't co-operate, just cut them and enjoy the flowers in a vase.
More peony care information here:
May 31, My daffodils didn't bloom again Question: Over the past two years my few clumps of daffodils have not bloomed. What could be causing this?
Yvonne answers: Do they look crowded? If they do, dig them up and divide the clump and replant them, spreading them out a bit. If they're growing thin and weak, this might also by caused by too much shade (they need about a half day of sun to flower), or competition from tree roots, which can weaken the bulbs. More tips on growing daffodils are here:
May 29, Peonies not blooming Question: I can't get my peonies to flower. What could be the problem?
Yvonne answers: There can be are several possible reasons why peonies won't bloom. Your plants might be young. New peonies usually need about three years to grow to a size that produces good blooms.
Another possible cause is that the roots are planted too deeply. When planting, make sure that the eyes - little reddish buds near the top of the roots - are no more than 1 to 2 inches below soil.
If your peonies are well established, but not blooming any more, it could mean they've got too much competition from tree or shrub roots. If that's the case, move the plant to a location free of woody plant roots. (The best time to move a mature peony is in the fall.)
Sometimes late spring frosts kill flower buds. If a frost is expected, it's a good idea to cover your plants. For more solutions to peony problems, click on link:
May 25, Hardening-off home-grown plants Question: What does "harden" before transplanting mean?
Yvonne answers: Hardening-off means getting plants to be tough enough to grow outdoors. You only need harden-off plants you've grown indoors or in a greenhouse because their stems and leaves are too soft at first to take wind and sun outdoors. Hardening-off is a process of gradually getting the plants used to the real world.
Generally, plants you buy at garden centers are already hardened off (but not always early in the season, however, by now they should be).
Click link below for more information on caring for seedlings and hardening-off home-grown plants:
May 21, Grape hyacinths shine in spring
Muscari or grape hyacinths have really taken my fancy this spring. Find out how to grow these little spring bulbs, and what to grow them with. Then look around your garden and see were you can tuck them in when bulb-planting time arrives this fall:
May 19, If you want all-season color, don't just buy what's in bloom now
Are you one of those people who fills your cart up at the garden center with plants that are all in full bloom?
If you do that and ignore all the perennials that bloom later in the season, you'll have a flower garden that's all finished by mid-July.
Find out more about achieving all-season color in your garden:
May 19, How to control dandelions - herbicides and greener alternatives
This is the time of year when these prolific golden weeds are in full bloom, but it's not the best time to spray them: wait until fall.
Also if you're opposed to using herbicides or live in an area where they are now banned (many municipalities and provinces in Canada), here's what you can do:
May 18, A question about clematis seed pods
Question: I have a beautiful clematis that I just planted last spring. This year it has lots of blooms. What I would like to know is exactly what are the clustery things that grow after the bloom has fallen off? What do I do with these things, cut them off? And will more blooms grow on them?
Yvonne answers: Those are the seedpods of your clematis. They look really cool, don't they? I think they're pretty neat, so I don't do anything to them and just let them be. If you don't like the looks of them, prune them off. And, no, new flowers will not grow from them.
For more information on growing clematis, click on link:
May 16, Soil pH - why it matters
Soil pH affects the nutrients available for plant growth. Most plants prefer a slightly acidic pH level of 6.0 to 6.5, but some plants like it more acidic.
Learn more about soil pH:
May 16, My daylilies were in full bloom when I bought them - now there's nothing happening
Question: I just bought and planted daylilies for the first time. When I bought them, they were in full bloom and beautiful. I read that daylilies continuously bloom for months, but after the blooms died, I don't see any sign of new buds or blooms. I'm in Texas. Is there something I should be doing for them?
Yvonne answers: Plants like your daylily that you bought in full bloom have been forced into flower ahead of time (blooms sell, so that's good marketing).
Now that the plant is in your garden, it is using its energy to grow a strong root system. Once the roots are established, it should have energy to spare for more flowering.
Some daylilies repeat bloom, and others bloom strongly for a number of weeks. How long it will bloom in the future depends on which daylily you bought.
More info on growing daylilies here:
May 16, Growing with tree roots
Question: Our flower bed extends well outside the drip line of a Norway maple tree. The tree roots still create a mesh of roots that I have rototilled out for years with no harm to the tree. The bed is not one of our better beds so I need a list of shrubs, perennials and annuals that are in full sun, but tolerate tree roots. Can you help me?
Yvonne answers: My sympathies. Norway maple roots are very fibrous and greedy for both nutrients and water, and it's hard to garden with them. I would stick to plants that are drought-tolerant (and I would water weekly too). Try daylilies (they have good fleshy root systems), sedums, ornamental grasses, Russian sage. If you like low-growing ground cover shrubs, try Rhus aromatica 'Gro-low' (fragrant sumac) or creeping Juniper or yucca. Purple smokebush might be another good choice, or the purple-leaved Diablo ninebark. Good annuals are geraniums and blue salvia.
The more perennials and shrubs you put in the less work of rototilling each season. Also be sure to mulch your plantings to conserve moisture. See more information about mulch:
May 11, Peonies and ants
Ants are often found on peonies, but there are persistent myths about their relationship to these flowers. Myth-busting, plus tips for getting the ants off peonies that you're cutting to take indoors.
Apr 25, A question about peonies and ants
Q: I'm worried that my peony buds won't open because because I don't see any ants.
A: It's a myth that peonies need ants for their buds to open. If you have ants in the garden, they will be attracted to a sugary coating which is on the peony flower buds. I wouldn't worry too much about ants: they neither help nor harm your peonies.
For more peony care information, click below:
Apr 23, A bearded iris question from a reader
Q: I have heard that when planting white bearded iris with colored ones it will cause all of them to become white over time. Is this true?
A: It's not possible for an iris to change colour, unless there was chemical interference, like Round-up, and then the change is only temporary. Probably the white iris was more aggressive and spread and the coloured iris died. In fact, irises spread by cloning themselves. The increases, that is, the new rhizomes produced by the previous years' rhizome, will have exactly the same attributes as the mother plant. This includes color.
For more information on growing bearded iris, click link:
Apr 13, Garden edging tips
How to put in garden edging that's effective at keeping lawn grass from creeping into garden beds
Apr 9, Is Lenten Rose (Helleborus) poisonous?
Reader question: I read that the Lenten Rose is poisonous. Is that correct and if so, is it harmful for cats, dogs or children?
Answer: Yes, if eaten, the Lenten rose stems and leaves are poisonous, but I haven't ever had a concern about this being a problem for pets or wildlife. Animals just leave it alone. My dog chews grasses (I wish he knew the difference between ornamental and regular grass), but he's never shown any interest in our large patch of Hellebores. Nothing about the plant is likely to tempt a child to eat it. It has such tough leaves that no small child could even rip one off. By the way, its toxic foliage makes it one of the best deer-proof plants around.
Apr 9, My book reissued as Basic Gardening
Clueless in the Garden: A Guide for the Horticulturally Helpless has had a cover makeover and a name change to Basic Gardening, but the content is identical to the original. The book will be available at Chapters and Indigo bookstores in Canada.
Apr 3, How to grow gorgeous lilies
True lilies are among the most elegant of garden flowers. Here's what you need to know to grow them well.
Mar 30, Garden solutions: Perennial ground covers
While they are rarely given a starring role in the flower garden, perennial ground cover plants can be very useful. They're low-growing, spreading perennials or shrubs that can thrive in spots where it's hard to grow anything else.
Mar 17, Planting spring bulbs as potted plants
If you didn't get around to it in the fall, you can plant spring bulbs at this time of the year. The key is to buy bulb plants, and put them in the ground when they would normally be starting to bloom outside in your garden. Learn more:
Feb 28, Dogs and gardens
Dogs and gardens - how to keep your dog happy and have an attractive garden too
