PINK Ideas, Tips & Guides

Most invasive plant species were originally introduced for ornamental use in landscapes. But because they have naturalized at aggressive rates, they have caused habitat destruction and the loss of native species throughout the Northeast. They present an ever-evolving environmental challenge, with new species taking hold and increasing their ranges as the climate changes and native habitat disturbance continues. It’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with common invasives in your area and keep current with your state’s invasive list so that you can recognize and remove these destructive species when they appear on your property. Reviewing state watchlist plants is perhaps even more important. These are plants that aren’t banned from sale but are locally invasive or potentially an environmental problem. Keeping informed of additions to these lists puts gardeners on the forefront of preventing invasive proliferation.

Hey GPODers!

Welcome to a fun guide to flowers that start with the letter “M”. This list features a gorgeous array of blooms, from the majestic Magnolia to the vibrant Marigold.

HomeGoods

Summertime means shopping time if you’ve got a kid heading to college in the fall. Whether they’re moving into the dorm or an off-campus apartment, a stylish, comfortable bedroom offers the home-away-from-home they crave.  Designing a space where students can study, sleep, and hang out with friends might be a tall order given the not-so-aesthetic design of traditional campus residence halls. But with some creativity and savvy shopping, it’s possible to help your student create the dorm room of their dreams without a price tag to rival the tuition bill.

Not new to the garden, that is, but new this year, like ‘carpet rose’ ‘Magic Carpet’ above, which has come into flower just in the last week or so at the end of the shrub border. On this raised bank, it is perhaps the ideal type of rose to loll about here, but it does seem to start flowering several weeks later than all the other roses and probably even later this year. Campanula ‘Loddon Anna’, shown below with white Sweet William and a pink flowered Stachys officianalis, possibly ‘Cotton Candy’, is certainly later as she is normally in bloom along with alliums in May/June.

The Wilde Project

These incredible blooms, including the world’s largest flower, are teetering on the verge of extinction largely due to human activity. Since we’ve excelled at putting them in this perilous plight, perhaps it’s now time to show off our planting skills in saving the most endangered flowers on the planet!

Whenever a flowering season arrives, you panic. Instead of frolicking in a garden full of blooms, you find yourself running away with itchy rashes, watery eyes, and convulsive sneezes! You’ve got a bad case of pollen allergy, and we’ve got the remedy! Here are the best hypoallergenic flowers with a low pollen count so you may enjoy allergy-free gardening.

Rain Lily is the unexpected visitor you didn’t know you needed! Packed with symbolism and cultural significance, let’s uncover the rain lily’s meaning and explore why you should grow it at home!

Our homes are ever-evolving spaces. As our tastes change, we might grow out of something we once loved, and designers are no different.

I was planning on taking the contents of whatever vase I created to Julie, whose Pilates class I have been attending for 12 years but who is stepping down as of today; however, she is poorly and unable to take the class so I will arrange to see her with a fresh bunch when she is well enough to mix with people again. I shall miss her weekly classes, but have always enjoyed those taken by her replacement, who has covered for illness and holidays and teaches a slightly different style, so all is not lost.

Hellebores are generally very accommodating plants flowering early in spring and living happily in shade. Avoid Helleborus foetidus the stinking hellebore or setterwort.  If you want coloured rose like flowers with shapely green leaves try  growing them in a dedicated green bed.

Tradescantia or wandering jude or dude, whatever you call it, it can become a perfect trailing plant for hanging baskets! Its leaves feature stripes and hues of silver, green, and purple on both sides. And what better way to showcase its dainty, multicolored foliage than to let it cascade in full glory?

How to Grow Bee Balm Pollinators can’t resist the bold summer flowers of bee balm! Find growing tips and meet a few of our favorite powdery mildew-resistant varieties to try in your garden. Bee balm Monarda spp. and hybrids

23 of the Best Rose Varieties for Creating a Hedge

Interior design mistakes run the gamut from problems like imperfectly laid flooring (hello, tripping hazards) to lesser issues like getting the wrong size living room rug. Even if you can't quite put your finger on what's feeling wrong in a certain space, it'll likely stem from the most typical faux pas.

What is wrong with these blueberries?

Hydrangeas are a beautiful addition to any garden. They are a much loved shrub with a wide range of varieties. The Hydrangea is an ideal choice for the gardener who wants a long flowering period, with beautiful displays of colours and busy flower heads. They look amazing in containers and offer a timeless elegance to your garden.

Want a gorgeous front yard that practically takes care of itself? Dream no more! Our guide reveals the best flowers for the front of the house that will quickly boost your curb appeal and turn your home entrance into a floral carpet fit for the gods!

Late spring and early summer welcome the arrival of Dianthus blooms with gusto. Their attractive small pink flowers flower in the masses, adding relentless colour to your beds, borders, containers, and baskets for months on end.

Happy Friday GPODers!

Hey GPODers! Today we’re taking a different look at a garden, an up-close perspective of the flowers Sarah Oneil grows in her Minnesota garden.

I have chosen roses to go in my Monday vase this week because they are the most floriferous blooms in the garden at this point in mid-June. There are two varieties, growing together in the gallery border, and both seem to have done better this year than before – behind the gallery fence is the woodland which blocks sun from the south, so the roses only get the morning and late afternoon sun. However, our neighbours cut some of the lower branches from their huge mature beech over the winter and perhaps this allows more light to filter through.

Q: We have anemone in our front garden. It has spread uncontrollably, and we want to get rid of it. We have tried digging it up, pulling the new shoots and spraying Roundup, all to no avail. What do you suggest? RK, Co Dublin

Fuchsias originate from South America

Summer wouldn’t be complete without some beautiful containers. Whatever look you’re going for, we’ve done the hard work for you, picking a mix of plants for sun and shade, in a range of different colours and planting styles.

Have a shaded area in your garden and want to add more color, dimension, and texture? Grow perennials that thrive in the shade. Many perennials need an abundance of sunlight but there are plenty of plants that prefer partial or full shade. Shade perennials add vibrancy to your yard and many attract pollinators, such as bees, butterflies, and birds, too.

In order to gain something, you have to lose something. This is especially true with certain varieties of annuals and perennials that bloom better after their flowers are removed. In this deadheading flowers list, we present a selection of such plants that flower profusely the more you cut them! So get your shears ready, and let’s deadhead!

Cosmos flowers are for harmony and balance, so if you’re looking for these things, it would be a great choice for you. Let’s see what they represent and get into these.

From crocus to clematis, each flower on this list manifests as a masterpiece by Mama Nature! Appearing in surreal pastels and extraordinary form, our pick of Flowers that Look Like Sketches is all the inspiration you need to awaken the Picasso in you!

Hailing from hot, arid climes, such as the Mediterranean and Australia, drought-tolerant plants can withstand prolonged periods of heat with no rain. The majority thrive in full sun, with their roots in well-drained soil or gravel beds that have been enriched with peat-free compost. As our climate changes, they ensure borders are a floriferous show of colour and scent all summer long, without the need to water.

Summer is arriving and, all of a sudden, the kitchen garden is coming into its own. I am harvesting masses of salad leaves, broad beans and strawberries, and hopefully the first new potatoes. I can almost see things growing before my eyes, including the weeds, which I make an effort to keep on top of every few days (although I leave self-seeded dark pink poppies and some mauve linaria to encourage insects and add colour). To make the most of a small space, I grow salad leaves in large galvanised metal troughs, making sure that I sow a new crop every few weeks so I have a constant supply through the summer. Salad leaf mixes, including swift-growing, cut-and-come-again lettuce, rocket and mustard leaves, are available from almost any seed company, or at garden centres. Winter salad leaves, including mizuna, are best sown after midsummer, as they tend to run to seed quickly. I grow my salad leaves in the least time-consuming way, scattering the seeds thinly on the surface of the prepared soil or compost, and raking them in gently with a hand rake. Keep them watered and they will germinate within a few days and be ready to harvest in about six weeks. If you want to grow them in your vegetable beds, it is better to sow them in drills, so that the emerging seedlings are easily distinguishable from the weeds.

Most flowers are filled with grace and beauty, but even in the world of blooms, some are undisputed champions. Our exclusive pageant for the Prettiest Flowers handpicks aren’t just stunners but come with oodles of personality. Check it out!

Oriental poppies in any shade may look dramatic when in bloom, but don’t flower for long, flop unattractively and certainly don’t die back well. Somehow they still merit space in a border, but if they start thinking they can take over the world then they are OUT, although removing them is never as easy as one would like it to be. I have a basic fiery scarlet one, pale coral pink Papaver ‘Princess Victoria Louise’ and the more recent acquisition above, ‘Royal Wedding’. The blooms on this one seem particularly large, especially when the petals are splayed out like a frilly tutu – no doubt they will be gone by tomorrow!

French fries, French kisses, French perfume—how about another one for the list? Best French Flowers! Slip on your beret, and let’s go on an adventure florale through your backyard!