Lycianthes rantonnetii’s sweetly scented blossoms known as Paraguay nightshade potato bush and Solanum rantonnetii, provide a focal point to a cottage or subtropical tropical garden. Surrounded by other sun-loving subtropical and tropical perennials, annuals and…
A type of blackberry, boysenberries, expand in Northern California since they can not tolerate temperatures. So are ideal for all but the driest regions of the inland Bay region the plant flourishes in locations with…
One of the secrets to a successful garden design is to incorporate something sudden, a surprise for your garden visitor. This can be done in lots of ways, but one surefire way to enliven a…
The word”feel” generally brings to mind the visual characteristic of an object — it feels to the touch — but we’re talking about the visual part of texture. Texture is a part of design which…
Given the choice, would you choose a natural, inexpensive fertilizer for your plants or a costly chemical fertilizer? Imagine if you could boost your crops’ ability to take up nutrients and water while improving the…
We are fortunate to live in an area of the country where we can garden almost yearlong. Our winters are typically mild, though we can have a jagged snowfall or ice storm. While our friends…
Hello, winter and the holiday season. Many Great Lakes gardeners are nearly too busy this past month with vacation tasks to spend time gardening. But the winter garden offers inspiration for holiday decorating, as well…
As the autumn days become shorter and the weather becoming less appealing for gardening, so it’s easy to put thoughts about your backyard on hold and focus on warm, cozy winter days inside. But do…
Pachysandra is a low-maintenance, evergreen ground cover that spreads quickly. Its leaves are a lighter shade of green than many evergreens, and it blooms with sweet, vibrant white blossoms in early spring. It is deer…
In the event the Northwest has not seen sunny skies and dry summer weather nonetheless, we will in August. This is the month once the ground begins to bake, and it’s easy to become concerned…