Blog
Planning Plant Heights in Beds
Design your garden bed so that all plants are on display. Border beds could have short plants in front, one or two tiers of medium-height shrubs or grasses, and a backdrop of tall, vigorous viburnum, podocarpus, banana, or bamboo.
Bundle Up (Your Plants, That Is)
Don’t get caught off guard by freezing temperatures that damage or kill cold-sensitive plants. Keep your eye on the forecast, and when cold is coming, cover up your plants. Bring container plants inside or put them against a wall and cover them with sheets.
Paint Your Property with Plant Color
Splash your property with color by placing blooming plants and shrubs in beds, borders and containers. Grow shrubs with colored leaves for year-round hues and impact. Plant bromeliads—tropical shade-lovers that produce blooms from delicate to showy to phantasmagoric.
Winter Landscaping Tasks
Winter brings relief from lawn mowing and opens time for other landscaping tasks. Now leaves must be raked, beds cleaned out and mulch refreshed. It’s also a good time of year to plant rye grass and examine trees for mistletoe.
Welcome Birds to Your Landscape
Draw birds to your property by planting trees, shrubs and flowers that provide food, places to rest, and protection from wind and predators. Add water sources such as bird baths or ponds. Use pesticides sparingly and, as much as possible, keep cats inside.
Know Thy Dirt
If you want your plants to thrive, know your dirt. If it’s poor, amend it. Florida’s soil from the panhandle down through the central state contains clay or sand and must be amended to produce healthy plants. South Florida, your peaty earth makes gardening easy!
Landscape Lighting for a Safe, Beautiful Exterior
Add lights around your house to deter burglars, prevent falls, and add beauty to your landscaping. Not all lights require an electrician. For example, solar pathway lights can be put to work as soon as they come out of the box.
When You Need Outdoor Storage
If you need places to store your outdoor stuff, what are your options? We cover some of them in this article: deck boxes, outdoor cabinets, small sheds, large sheds, shipping containers, and carports. Look for solutions that resist rot and protect your belongings from weather and burglars.
Christmas Gifts for Your Gardener
What Christmas present will you give this year to the gardener in your life? In this blog, we take away the holiday gift-giving guesswork with our list of suggestions. Consider outdoor work clothes, gardening tools, and print or digital resources.
Vines to Embellish Your Landscaping
Beautify your landscaping and garden structures with climbing plants. Vines add softness, whimsy, and allure and can be trained to grow on trellises, pergolas, arbors, fences, and walls. Florida gardeners, check out our suggestions for vines that do well in sun or partial shade and salt air.