With just over 1000 varieties, Salvia is a huge genus in the mint family, and comes in a dizzying variety of colors, sizes, and hardiness. Annual, perennial, biennial, or shrubs, most of the varieties have stunning and colorful flowers and fragrant foliage. Tolerating a wide variety of soils and conditions, Salvias need minimal water to …
Continue reading "Favorite Salvias of a Garden Designer"
Turf grass lawns are an American tradition. Everyone who has any kind of yard or property aspires to having a perfect green manicured carpet. But as we now know, grass can be a dead zone for native insects and birds, devoid of any nutrition or habitat for native species. Mowing, watering, fertilizing, and pest controls …
Continue reading "No Mow May-Planting a Pollinator Friendly Lawn"
Accolades from people in the know – mostly horticulturalists and native plant people – extolling the perennial Indian Pink, Spigelia marilandica, are everywhere online and in print. Flying under the radar for many people, Indian Pink is coming into its own - finally. A long-lived perennial that brings stunning colors to the summer garden, hummingbirds …
Continue reading "Indian Pink- A Native Hummingbird Delight"
Have you seen a little yellow flower that you think is very cute blooming on your property??? It forms a ground covering mat of glossy green heart shaped leaves punctuated by buttercup like flowers. You might have looked at it and thought it was the first sign of spring! If your answer is yes, get …
Continue reading "Buttercup Bully – Beware!"
Hardy annual flowers have become known as “cool flowers” in the flower farming industry, where these types of plants will withstand cold and actually prefer cooler temperatures. In fact, when warmer weather begins in the early summer, these annuals will fizzle out from the heat. I have plants in my containers all year long and …
Continue reading "Welcome Spring With These Cool Season Flowers"
Road Trip!! Do you want a plant buying road trip to a run-of-the-mill big box store with the same old, same old? Or do you want personal attention in picking out that perfect plant? Do you have shady areas in your garden that need TLC and want the ideal plant for that perfect spot? Look …
Continue reading "Happy Hollow Nursery – Shade Plant Nirvana"
Gardeners and Hellebores Ok, drumroll here....I think I can say that Hellebores are my favorite perennial plant. A well-kept secret of garden enthusiasts, Hellebores should be more widely known to serious and not so serious gardeners alike; this is a plant that is worth seeking out. What other plant resists deer, neglect, likes shade-even deep shade, is …
Continue reading "Hellebores: Curing the Late Winter Blues"
There is no such thing as a 100% deer resistant plant, since deer change their dietary habits constantly according to changes in the weather and conditions. It all depends on what is available at that moment in time and from late summer to spring, deer will eat most anything. Set up your garden for success …
Continue reading "Tips for Living in Harmony With Deer"
Native container gardens are much easier to put together than full sized gardens. If you are new to gardening or have limited space, natives in pots are a gateway to sustainable gardening on a larger scale. Placed alone or in groups, containers are versatile little packages that can be moved around at will and easy …
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As a landscape designer, I am presented with lots of problems - planting on hillsides, dry shade under trees, screen and hedge choices, ground covers, deer browsed areas, replacing old landscaping with natives, and lawn makeovers - and I thought a post about what I have done will help you make better choices. More and …
Continue reading "Native Plants as Problem Solvers"
