Shrubs Ideas, Tips & Guides

Mention bougainvillea to almost anyone, and their first images may be of sun-drenched stucco walls festooned in the neon colors of the tropics. From beachside to desert to lush tropics, their exotic vibe proclaims, “I love warm weather!” In the relatively small Nyctaginaceae family, Bougainvillea is likely the best-known member, with Mirabilis (four-o’clock) and Abronia (sand verbena) being runners up. With bougainvilleas, the color is provided by papery bracts that enclose a small white bloom that is the true flower. Flowering occurs in cycles: as a burst of new growth matures, a bloom cycle begins, repeating many times over the course of a long, hot season. Learn the basics of growing bougainvillea here.

Plants need a certain amount of specific nutrients to grow well. Most of the time, garden and houseplants do fine without any help from you. But fertilizing actually gives plants a boost that helps them flourish. “Photosynthesis is how plants make food,” says Stacey Hirvela, horticulturalist withSpring Meadow Nursery andProven Winners Color Choice Shrubs. “But fertilizer is like giving them vitamins.”

Years ago, I was introduced to honeyberries (known to me as haskap berries) via a delicious jam from the province of Saskatchewan. Little did I know back then that growing honeberries is pretty easy. Though it’s not a fruit commonly known in North America, the shrubs thrive in most of the U.S. and Canada—even Alaska—and make a beautiful garden addition. Once established, the plants can produce for 30 years or more. With a flavor that can be described as a cross between a blueberry and a raspberry—with a bit of a zing—honeyberries are versatil

There is no plant in the landscape as stunning as hydrangeas. There, I said it, and I stand by it. They're a truly show-stopping (yet surprisingly low-maintenance) option for so many different environments, from coastal to mountainous.

It’s late-July and we’re officially HOT. And so are our gardens. Now is the time that we start to truly sit up and take notice of the plants that seem to be gliding through summer’s worst without skipping a beat. Today’s episode pays tribute to all those perennials and shrubs that take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’. We found some stars that thrive in heat, lean soil, and even some selections for the most dreaded of conditions: dry shade. If these plants do well in awful situations, think how much better they might do in slightly better ones?   

No matter if you’re a gardening novice or avid planter, we all make mistakes whether it’s neglecting our blooms while away on vacation or accidentally overwatering them. While flower beds and shrubs can be a bit more forgiving, container gardening takes a little more attention. We called on two plant pros to share container gardening mistakes that should be avoided, along with easy solutions to combat them.

Moss is a primitive green plant with threadlike stems and tiny leaves and can form a spongy, dense mat over the soil surface. While it’s pretty in certain settings, such as a shady forest trail, you may not like the looks of it in your lawn. But is it hurting your grass? And will it eventually take over your whole yard?

While you can decorate and enjoy a private backyard just the way you like—or at least within the confines of an HOA’s rules—the elements of a shared courtyard or patch of grass should consider the group rather than the individual homeowners. «While some may not find this ideal, fostering a sense of community in these shared outdoor spaces can provide a sense of enjoyment,» says Joe Raboine, VP of Design at Oldcastle APG, parent company of Belgard Here are some tips on how to make the most of communal space. 

It’s often challenging to get some seeds even to sprout, if not quickly. But with our list of plants that grow from softwood cuttings, you’ll have clones packing up your garden in no time!

Most of us consider plants to be docile living creatures capable of no harm, but they must also protect themselves from threats while rooted in one place. This list of the most painful plants to touch will reveal their secret weapons of defense.

If you have the good fortune to travel to other countries and see how other parts of the world garden, you know that it can be inspiring. I usually return from travel wanting to incorporate what I have seen into my own garden. Often, foreign travel takes us to climates vastly different than what we experience in the Southeastern United States. Our unique combination of hot humid summers and wet winters makes this a singular place to garden. One of the best parts of gardening is experimentation. I have both succeeded and failed in many garden endeavors. This often happens when I try and replicate something I have seen during foreign travel that cannot be done in my climate successfully. Here I’ve compiled a few memorable lessons and ideas I’ve gained after visiting more than 20 countries on a quest to see the best gardens on the globe.

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.

Roses are some of the most beautiful and versatile garden plants. They come in a variety of forms, from patio roses to shrub roses, ramblers and climbers. Nearly all of them make an excellent cut flower. Single-flowered roses are great pollinator plants, while some species are used by leafcutter bees to make their nests. Most roses need sun and heavy soils to thrive, but some will grow well in partial shade and poorer soils. There really is a rose, or three, for every garden.

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.

How to Grow and Care for Fothergilla Fothergilla spp.

Monoculture and non-native landscapes harm our natural ecosystems in more ways than one, which is why it’s important to keep balance! A good way to minimize this is by growing more endemic and native plants and herbs in your garden. Not only will this give you abundant harvests of these special herbs, but it will also help restore essential life to your biome.

While pruning a neighbor’s much neglected Hydrangea paniculata recently, I found myself musing on the history of this genus in American gardening, whose popularity has waxed and waned through the years. Grown throughout the country in its many forms and employed in countless ways, Hydrangea has found prominence in every style of garden. Often, hydran­geas have been taken for granted and left unattended, like this one I was pruning. Yet even among such disregard, this versatile ornamental lives on, winning over new generations of fans.

The botanical realm is quite pliable like that. Take, for instance, these plants—complete shapeshifters! From spicing up a dull entrance in a standard pot to emerging as behemoths in your backyard, here are plants that can be trained as vines, shrubs, or trees!

With garden openings over for 2024, my ramblings around the garden involve a combination of “this is gorgeous!”, “aren’t we fortunate?”, “thank goodness that’s over” and “how can I improve this?”. Already thoughts have turned to potential ‘tweaks’, nothing major, and ways to improve things I don’t feel have really worked – perhaps I will write a post on them in due course…

The time for long evenings and summer parties in our backyards is finally here. If your backyard is needing some rejuvenation this season, you’re probably itching to get started.

The term ‘low-maintenance gardening’ has been kicking about since the 1970s. But people’s perception of what that means varies wildly. To some it’s concrete slabs and gravel with not a green leaf in sight. To others it’s lawn and shrubs or geotextile cloaked with gravel and topped with pots. In essence it’s about having an outdoor space that requires minimal input while looking consistently smart. But the question really is: is there such a thing as a low-maintenance garden that is also attractive?

Planting fast-growing evergreen shrubs in your landscape is an easy way to create a privacy screen, reduce noise, and add beauty to your space. Evergreens provide year-long foliage so you don't have to worry about losing leaves in the late fall and winter seasons. Plus, many evergreen shrubs are native to the Southern region and provide food and habitat for bees and birds. Consider these expert recommendations for fast-growing evergreen shrubs to grow in your yard.

Boxwoods can be fantastically formal hedges or the basis of whimsical topiaries on their own, but, if you know what to plant in front of boxwoods, they’re also the perfect backdrop for a dazzling mix of companion plants. You can pair boxwoods with a combination of smaller shrubs, perennial plants, herbs, and even flowering bulbs. This supplies winter interest, attracts pollinators, keeps deer away, and more. No matter what effect you’re after, the plants you choose should play nicely with your boxwoods and fit in with your growing conditions as well as the size of your landscaping area. Keep reading for lots of beautiful ideas of what to plant in front of boxwoods. Why boxwoods are so popular Hailed as “man’s oldest garden ornament,” boxwoods have served as the “bones” or foundational plantin

A rose garden used to mean a garden planted only with roses.

Powdery mildew is among the most widespread plant diseases and is easily recognized by its white growth that covers foliage like a dusting of flour. This group of fungal pathogens affects hundreds of plants, from important food crops to trees, shrubs, and flowers. Even some turf grasses are susceptible to powdery mildew. Gardeners find infected plants unsightly, and severe infections can cause foliage to turn yellow and drop prematurely. Heavily infected plants experience reduced growth, flower production, and fruiting, which is particularly problematic for food crops.

33 of the Best Red Rose Varieties to Grow at Home

Fuchsias originate from South America

Hydrangeas are gorgeous shrubs that add color and interest to your garden from spring to fall. But if your hydrangeas aren’t looking their best, you may want to deadhead, or remove, spent blooms. “Hydrangea flowers usually age gracefully,” says Stacey Hirvela, horticulturalist with<a href=«https://www.provenwinnerscolorchoice.com/deer-proof-plants/?utm_term=evergreen%20shrubs&utm_campaign=Deer+Resistant+-+Cool+Climate&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=ppc&hsa_acc=3521681200&hsa_cam=21288392595&hsa_grp=162457515796&hsa_ad=699560893845&hsa_src=» https: data-component=«link» data-source=«inlineLink» data-type=«externalLink» data-ordinal=«1» rel=«nofollow»> Proven Winners Color Choice Shrubs

Q: I recently repotted my acer into a bigger pot, however it now is looking dead. Can you offer any advice? WT, England

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Nothing like a dash of passionate red to instantly liven up your space with warmth and freshness! You can grow these plants to create a contrast and accentuate their beauty among other plants of usual green foliage. And the best part, almost all of them can be grown in pots as well.

Happy Monday, GPODers!

A lilac bush can be a bit dull when not in bloom, but the larger forms can be livened up by sending a climber through them.

June has some of the finest weather we experience in the UK. The nights are at their shortest, which means that those in the most northerly parts of the country may never get full darkness, and even at the most southerly points, the evenings are drawn out, long and balmy. This is lovely for us gardeners and crucial to many of our plants. These short nights influence flowering in summer flowering plants, helping fill our gardens with colour and the buzz of pollinators.

Love it or hate it, the chorus of humming cicadas is a soundtrack to summer evenings. In most years, the buzzing is more like white noise. But, thanks to the double cicada brood we're expecting this year, this sound is promising to be much louder in certain regions of the U.S.

Many years ago, when our children were young, my husband built an in-ground pool. It provided many hours of fun and relaxation for my family.