Shrubs Ideas, Tips & Guides

Read on to learn about the unique Types of Yucca Plant Varieties that can add a unique appeal to your yard and home.

There’s nothing like a beautifully planted pot to bring life to the garden in late winter. Planted in early February and positioned near the back door, colourful containers give us something to focus on and appreciate, whatever the weather.

39 of the Best Companion Plants for Camellias

Making new plants from cuttings gathered in your own garden is thrilling.

Shrubs are the perfect garden plant: too small to cause problems but too big to get stepped on. Shrubs are great for windbreaks, hedgerows and foundation plantings, and many grow quite rapidly as well. This is important if you want fast growing shrubs for privacy hedges or any type of hedge for wind protections.

Is watering your garden one of your most time consuming chores? Do you wish you had a more efficient watering strategy that would save time? Ditch your old strategy and consider how to create hydrozones for smarter, more efficient irrigation.

How to Grow and Care for Bridalwreath Spirea Spiraea prunifolia, S. x vanhouttei, S. cantoniensis

Fall is an excellent time for planting and transplanting, provided there is adequate soil moisture to allow plants to reestablish their root systems. Because inconsistent watering or lack of rainfall during this crucial period can rapidly cause a new planting to fail, it is well worth your time to learn a few tricks to make watering easier, more efficient, and more effective.

The Rocky Mountain Region is stretched over 10,000 feet in elevation change and nearly over the full longitude of the Continental United States. Within this massive spread fit more than six biomes, ranging from the grasslands and prairie edges of northern New Mexico to the alpine of Montana. Despite the impressive diversity in soil and climate, many people in the area garden on our region’s namesake: rocks.

Softening tall or craggy surfaces are situations that seldom come up in my design practice, as I work in environments that are typically rather flat. There are times, however, when level changes happen to occur on the land or are created during a construction process. I get excited when there is the opportunity to use plants that naturally cascade. This is an entirely different aesthetic from plants that climb and is more interesting than plugging in some ivy. The next time you find yourself needing a plant to spill over a wall, rock, or some other elevation change, consider one of these great cascading plants.

You may have heard the word nativars and wondered what they are, but I’ll bet you are already growing a rather impressive list of nativars in your garden. Simply said, nativars are just named selections of native plants. Some nativars might be hybrids made from two selections within the same species, or they could be naturally occurring varieties that someone isolated in the field and decided to propagate. Regardless of their origin, nativars generally are selected because they offer one or more desirable characteristics in color, form, or vigor that make them stand out from the rest of their species in a wild population.

I love the natural shapes of plants in landscape design, but garden style is subjective, and it’s fair to say that gardens should be fun and expressive. We all have our own ideal “look” in mind when we envision a garden space, and who’s to say one is better than another? Some of us are collectors of anything new or unusual. Others seek a bit of nostalgia or want to seamlessly blend into their wild surroundings. Some like their plants well behaved and formal, expressing geometry and order not always found in nature. If the latter category describes you, you may find formality to be more of a challenge in the arid Southwest. There are some arid native plants that work well in formal garden design, however.

Hello! This is Deb Jedynak, a Master Gardener living in Zone 6b, Holland, Michigan. Although autumn has crept in to allow summer to fade away, I’m still planting in the garden. The soil stays warm for a while longer, and it’s the best time to plant bulbs, perennials, shrubs, and trees. I can already visualize my constantly evolving garden next spring. The foliage and flowers were abundant in 2023, and journaling my successes makes it easier to plan for next season. The winter months are weeks away, and it’s the best time to consider planting opportunities and researching which perennials and shrubs thrive best in my zone. Since I live just steps from Lake Michigan, I’m figuring out ways to create a microclimate where I can push the growing zone for abelia, beautyberry, and azalea, three shrubs I’ve just added this year. My whimsical garden featured vegetables in raised beds, a hopscotch topiary garden, a 12-foot rowboat filled with perennials, seating areas, a firepit, a plant ladder, arbors, various containers, and decor that I’ve thrifted. There’s always something to look at as you stroll the paths that wind around the flower beds. The transitions are intentional, and I don’t get too attached to my plants as I move them around or eliminate the nonperformers altogether. The idea is to have fun in the garden, and these photos show you my most memorable moments!

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Creating a natural privacy screen in the open space of your apartment or a patio can be an effective way to maintain a sense of solitude and block out dust and prying eyes. Here’s a curated list of Tall Plants for Balcony Privacy that also grow wide, offering dense foliage suitable for this purpose.

Landscape plants in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Michigan are plentiful. Choosing the best shrubs, trees, and perennials can be overwhelming. Here are some of the best options for upper Midwest gardens based on attractiveness, ease of maintenance and appropriateness for the climate.

Multiseason Garden Bed with Hesse Cotoneaster Get fall garden interest that lasts into winter with this easy-care plant combination featuring a Hesse cotoneaster shrub. Fall into winter with multiseason plants

Hesse Cotoneaster Get berries for fall and winter interest when you add Hesse cotoneaster shrubs to your garden. Enjoy year-round interest with Hesse cotoneaster

Even the smallest garden benefits from including at least one tree – if chosen well, they provide year-round colour and interest, benefit wildlife and can make a small garden seem bigger. There’s a host of beautiful trees that can be grown in a small garden, and some that will thrive in a container. Here, we share some of our favourite trees for small gardens. There are options to suit every garden style and trees that will provide fabulous autumn foliage, beautiful spring blossom and delicious fruit for you or vibrant berries for the birds. Our choices include recommendations from the Gardeners’ World team and familiar faces from across the gardening industry.

Not only do these plants have vivid stems, but many of them also have colorful foliage or flowers that will brighten up any space. In this article, we will take a look at some of the Best Red Stem Plants and what makes them so special.

Succulents With Long Stems offer a distinctive look to the yard and homes. We have made an exclusive list of the best types!

November is an ideal time to plant bare-root trees and shrubs now they have become dormant, providing the ground is not waterlogged or frozen. It is also a good time to plant spring-flowering bulbs, before the wintery weather sets in. During the colder months, gardens provide important habitats for wildlife, so remember to fill up bird feeders and leave herbaceous perennials as they die back so the dead leaves, stems and seedheads can provide shelter for animals such as hibernating insects.

Gulf Stream Nandina – a captivating plant whose fiery red foliage and lush, compact form create a spectacle in any landscape. What’s more? It also makes for a cute indoor plant!

How to Grow Magic Carpet Spirea Spiraea japonica ‘Walbuma’

Moss, lichen and algae can often be found growing on the branches of established trees, shrubs and hedges, especially in rural areas of the country with high rainfall. In particular, neglected, overgrown hedges where the branches have become overcrowded and/or those that are lacking in vigour as a result of old age or poor growing conditions can be prone to mossy growth. The good news is, however, while it may look unsightly, it’s not actually doing any damage.

How to Prune Upright Junipers

It is such a gardening triumph to put together a few plants that play nicely together and create a memorable vignette to mark the season. In this episode, Danielle, Carol, and guest Susan Morrison will talk about some plant combinations that look great as the season winds down. Listen in and get inspired to add more winning teams to your late season lineup next year.

Herefordshire forms part of the Marches, the ancient border territories straddling England and Wales. To the east lie the majestic Malvern Hills, and winding through the centre is the great River Wye, the valley of which is burnished with colour in October and November. 

As harbingers of stunning butterflies and moths, these colorful Orange and Black Caterpillars not only capture the eye but also serve as intriguing subjects of ecological importance. Get ready to delve into fascinating patterns they exude!

Tips for Growing Japanese Yews Taxus cuspidata

The color white brings peace and serenity with its subtle appearance and smell. The plants in this list of amazing Types of White Flowers can be a gorgeous centerpiece indoors or a fresh breath of air in your garden!

Anyone who has bought or sold a home is familiar with the term “curb appeal.” Your agents may have bandied about the phrase and probably suggested you trim the foundation shrubs (or add some), plant colorful flowers, and rake the leaves all in the name of curb appeal. And they were right. Attractive landscaping has the wow factor that draws people inside. We all want our landscaping to add value to our home as well as beautify the grounds.

How to Grow and Care for Japanese Spirea Spiraea japonica

How to Grow and Care for Hicks Yews Taxus x media ‘Hicksii’

In 2017 Bailey Nurseries sent me four ‘Spring Lace’ viburnums to trial. When in flower in spring, they have become one of my most asked-about plants. An interspecific cross developed at the University of Georgia by Michael Dirr, this lovely rounded selection is a relatively compact plant in the viburnum world, reaching its mature size in about 8 to 10 years. ‘Spring Lace’ thrives in average conditions and is relatively drought tolerant once established. It doesn’t skip a beat in the heat and humidity of the South and has been such an outstanding performer that we now grow it for our plant sales.

Carefully planned and designed outdoor spaces can increase the square footage of the home. Developing a cozy outdoor space is key to opening up the home and enjoying the finer weather with style. Whether it’s a cozy patio or an intimate deck setting, outdoor living ideas can get you started on the garden space of your dreams.