Even an ordinary day can bring pleasant surprises. Every now and then people stop by, peddling items they’ve created, hoping we’ll carry them. We try some, hoping they’ll be a good fit for our location and things our customers will like. Some work for us; some don’t. The other day a gentleman stopped in with […]
With the spring planting season approaching, the nursery will be a plant lovers dream, filled with the best of everything we can find. These include fragrant, ornamental, and edible herbs, including the popular oregano ‘Kent’s Beauty’, sun and shade loving perennials for your garden, bright, flowering annuals for pots and planting beds, and shrubs expressly selected for […]
WOW! A customer brought this in the other day and I was the lucky one that got to plant it up! This clam shell is the real deal…a beautiful, large piece of natural art that had found its way to us. Before it was even planted, I was bringing customers back to the work area […]
This latest offerings of sedums, echevarias, aeoniums and more from the west coast are, in a word, simply stunning. To be honest, had we known the quality, size and unbelievable color on these exceptional succulents, our order would have been much larger! For you lucky folks who nab these now, […]
This planter shows what we did with some of the succulents we’re beginning to get in – this definitely means spring is coming! Echevarias, rhipsalis, sedums, cryptanthus, these are all plants that take our summer heat in stride. Some are annuals and only grow through the summer, while others will survive winters for us as well. Mix […]
Don’t overlook the huge variety of succulents for bursts of color! Although blooms may sometimes be small and inconspicuous, the amazing array of their foliage colors can brighten your day. Add to that, low maintenance, long lasting, sun-loving…and many are perennial! They are year-round winners! Be sure to take a look at the posts on succulents […]
Fall is almost here (wish it would hurry up) and we’re all ready to finally start putting up our fall decor! And nothing says fall quite like pumpkins. We have our faux pumpkins in stock and I’ve already made a few arrangements that I’m very excited to share. Our variety this year includes some cool […]
August and September are usually hot and dry, but even so the transition into a new season has begun. Many summer garden beds are tired and planters are overgrown or just plain gone. In the nursery business we look forward to October and new offerings of plants, as well as the beauty of pumpkins and […]
You’re no doubt familiar with the brightly colored bracts and strap-like leaves of bromeliads. Extremely long lasting and colorful alternatives to orchids and other flowers, they can’t be beat for a touch of tropical beauty and their ease of care in our homes and offices. These bright plants are distinguished by their rosettes of leaves […]
If you’re of a certain age, you well remember when houseplants were a mainstay in most houses. The home I grew up in in the 1970’s was filled with plants. My mother tended them, each week working her way through the house with her watering can and sometimes a sponge to wipe dusty leaves. I […]
Fall seems to have arrived, at last! When temperatures slowly drop after the sweltering long, hot days of summer, we all breathe a collective sigh of relief. This year the heat felt like it would never let go, and we were unloading the harvest coming in from Tennessee as […]
Early spring in Birmingham….the temperatures fluctuate up and down, and it’s still early to be planting the real heat lovers like caladiums and vinca in the ground – oh, but your fingers are itching to dig in the garden again… Happily, you can begin planning […]
Kokedama: Kokedama is a Japanese bonsai planting technique, dating back hundreds of years. These unique hanging gardens are also called string gardens or moss balls and are incredibly easy and fun to create. Almost any plant can be used, so it’s a great project for experimenting with different plants. A kokedama garden is created […]
If you’ve never stepped into a lush greenhouse in the middle of winter on a rainy, cold day (or any day for that matter), you’re in for a real treat. January was a turn the greenhouse upside down month, as pretty much every last thing was moved and rearranged, including one entire area that held […]
It’s difficult to keep up with blog posts through the busiest stretch of spring, but now the pace has slowed and there’s time to show a sampling of the plantings we’ve done. This is by no means all of them, so there will be another post documenting more soon! Cork bark containers continue to inspire […]
It all began with my Mother’s 85th birthday in early October. She has macular degeneration and would rather stay close to home now. Since I am in Birmingham and she is in Wisconsin, unfortunately, with this a busy time in the garden shop business, getting together on her birthday doesn’t happen anymore. But she is […]
I’ve seen some interesting head planters on Pinterest and other social media sites over the past few years, and decided this spring it was time to get in on the fun. Since these pieces are heavy cast stone, they’re not going to tip over in winds and consequently won’t break easily either. The planting space […]
Have you found a spot this year to try a few succulents? These tough plants will make any sunny spot more interesting, come in all shapes and sizes, and can be combined with air plants and others that don’t mind dry feet. Think about […]
One of our favorite things to do at the shop when there’s a little extra time is to create imaginative and creative plantings to give people ideas for their own planters. The trick is using the right plants for our southern climate, and maintaining them well. So there just happened to be quite a […]
Outside the greenhouse can look a little drab this time of year, but, if you’ve just passed us by, have you ever missed out! The greenhouse has been packed full with blooming beauties and with Valentine’s Day just past, we’ve been putting together the prettiest arrangements for gifts and filling containers with all […]