Even in June we have folks come in to get planting advice for their garden beds and pots. It’s never too late to plant something! Here are a few ideas for your summer planters. Keep in mind you don’t have to make fancy plant combinations if you feel unsure of yourself. You can […]
It can be a challenge to display all the beautiful plants we have, rotating and changing displays on a consistent basis. Many times during the busiest of seasons long-time customers know to look on tables and even on the floor to be sure to see everything available. I […]
This summer’s “Better Late Than Never” pollinator garden is coming along and, as in years past, will get even more colorful as the end of summer approaches. I’m happy to see that private and public gardens and gardening for wildlife is a growing trend across the country. I recently returned from a trip back to my […]
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 […]
With warm temperatures and sunny days the evergreen ferns in the garden are beginning to unfurl their new fronds. Usually I wait another few weeks before trimming frost damaged leaves, knowing we’re certain to get another cold snap or two. One reason many say to wait before cutting off all the older, winter damaged leaves […]
It’s been a while since the last blog post, so this will be a catch up entry to give you an idea of what’s been going on the last couple of months. January and February are usually pretty quiet, and, to be honest, we’re glad of it. Aside from a big shipment of garden planters […]
Last week our first spring shipment arrived, this from a local grower in Shelby County. We can always count on them to supply us with healthy plants, all of which are chosen for our area. This shipment has treasures that you might not notice on first glance. Because of our space limitations we carry small […]
I’ve talked before of my love of foliage plants and how much I believe they add to planters and garden beds. Here is another that proves my point. I planted a few small pots of ‘Red Giant’ mustard in our sign planter out front, at the side of the shop in large troughs, and in urns […]
The first day of fall had come and gone, and, while we’d talked about doing a group project mandala design for each season, the days kept slipping away as days do. Our summer mandala had turned out to be so much fun for us, though, that we’d been looking forward to creating another one. Well, […]
Mondays are the best days to put a few container combinations together before the weekly orders begin to come in for custom plantings, arrangements for parties, and the general hectic pace of spring continues. The goal is to give inspiration to all of you who might be overwhelmed with […]
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 […]
When I started at Oak Street Garden Shop there weren’t any shop cats. This didn’t seem unusual at the time; they just hadn’t found us yet. Billy and Ellen had tried to introduce a couple of kittens the first year, but the stories I heard were of potting benches being used for…well, you possibly get […]
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 […]
This blog post picks up from the last one, showcasing more of our newest cast stone statuary and planter offerings for 2015. We’ll begin with the faux bois planters in four different sizes. They would be lovely in a rustic, shady setting, complimented with ferns, hostas, heucheras and other woodland plants to emphasize the tree bark […]
When talking about plants, what’s in a name, anyway? Well, I’m glad I asked, because the plant you might have seen around town in every garden shop and grocery store that has the catchy name of “frosty fern” really isn’t a fern at all. I know most of you don’t really care much whether it’s […]
I know the holiday season is here when the greenery bunches, garlands and wreaths we’ve ordered begin to appear – not to mention fragrant Fraser fir Christmas trees. I was looking forward to two of the boxes in particular this year – the ones the huge sugar pine cones were packed in, just 30 to […]
Plants are like people; they need food to grow…and nutritious food for best health. I would take that one step further and say that, not only should you feed the plant, you need to add organic amendments and nutrients to create healthy soil that your plants will thrive in. My friend Annie Haven of Authentic Haven Brand […]
It has been quite some time since we’ve had dwarf shrubs and tiny pots of conifers available, and, with the rise in popularity of miniature and container gardening, I decided it was time to see what might be worth getting in for fall miniature gardening projects. Truthfully, these aren’t just for that purpose but can […]
The temperatures are hopefully trending downward, and you’re thinking about redoing your summer plantings. There seem to be so many choices; it’s normal to feel overwhelmed at the garden shop, even though you probably thought you had it all figured out before you left home! I’ve seen the slightly dazed look on folks’ faces as […]
Orchids, succulents, dried pods and foliage are the common theme in these four arrangements. With the heat of summer receding (Thankfully!) and fresh material arriving to work with, it’s a happy time in the greenhouse. So, between new shipments of pots, plants, ribbon and more, these were a few of the pieces we created. Let’s […]