Our shipments of bittersweet have begun to arrive, and on its own or combined with pumpkins, gourds, and dried pods of all sorts, fall decorating can begin! Each year we’re fortunate to have friends in North Carolina supply us with long stems of beautiful, freshly cut bittersweet that we enjoy using in many of our […]
Herbs are beautiful additions to any container garden, either on their own or combined with seasonal flowers. They add colorful leaves, texture, scent, and culinary usefulness to plantings and attract bees and other beneficial insects as well. Planting Basics: Use as large a pot as possible. Use good quality potting soil. Fertilize lightly. Maintenance of Herbs […]
The miniature gardening trend continues, and we’re sure having fun with it. From tiny gardens in glass terrariums to a saucer planted with driftwood and a place to sit along the “water”, these little gardens spark the imagination of gardeners of all ages. Two 20-something women walked in the other […]
Recently the weathermen called for a pretty decent chance of rain, which, fortunately, finally did materialize. Now, if you’re in the Birmingham area and are a homeowner or even just have a small plot to garden, you were well aware, prior to the welcome rain showers of recent days, that it was getting pretty darn […]
The other day I noticed we only had two midsize, light-weight brown planter bowls left in stock, and they were just calling to be planted. Since summer is relatively slow and we have time on our hands, we’ve been planting all sorts of mixed containers with annuals, herbs, perennials, and everything in between to tempt folks […]
Jamie put together this stunning display the other day at the front of the shop, using a beautiful mix of containers and plants. The picture doesn’t do her designs justice,,,a pony tail palm underplanted with succulents; another succulent planting in cork bark; and a gorgeous arrangement of a standing cork bark planter with brassidium, or spider, orchids. This closeup picture […]
There isn’t much time in the spring for writing and work on the computer in the nursery business, and the pictures in this post and the ones to follow will give you a glimpse why and are a fraction of what we’ve been working on recently. This year especially, with Easter falling late and the Mother’s Day holiday […]
Variegated Solomon Seal, Polygonatum odoratum ‘Variegatum’, is a favorite in my shade garden…though, if you know me, you know I have a lot of favorites. Tough as it is beautiful, it is a stalwart in many gardens, lending its graceful, arching foliage and fragrant, bell-shaped white blooms to the early spring palette. Though it tolerates […]
March brings the beginning of the spring planting season, and new arrivals will be coming in almost daily from now through June. It’s an intensely busy time, and, after this past winter, we understand everyone is more than ready to plant something…anything! The first spring deliveries bring shipments of select shrubs. Because of space limitations we […]
After this winter’s double polar vortex whammy, I’ve been a little unsure what to expect in the garden. Is the confederate jasmine alive? I scratch its bark; it’s green near the bottom of the vine so I’ll need to cut it back to live wood. Will the black elephant ears that are in the water down by […]
A stop you in your tracks plant, this one is very new to everyone, including us. Medilla magnifica’s origin is in the mountains of the Phillipines…and this is just one of 400 species! It’s an epiphyte in its native land, growing high in trees. What a sight that must be! Evidently the late king Boudewijn […]
Containers, planters, pots…whatever you choose to name them, there should be a place somewhere in your landscape for one – or more. Shown here is a sampling of our 2014 spring order of cast stone, light weight fiberglass, terra cotta, and glazed pots. Well chosen and beautifully planted containers obviously add beauty to your home. […]
The last couple of posts have taken a tour through my southern garden in the midst of winter. This is just one garden. The design possibilities of winter gardens in the south are as endless as there are plants to choose from and the creative (and physical) force to make it happen. On this walk, there […]
This summer’s wet, cool weather might have kept many of you out of your gardens, but we’ve managed to stay busy in the greenhouse putting together arrangements filled with orchids, succulents, houseplants, and so much more…here’s a peek at some of them. We regularly have folks who stop in just to see what we’ve been working […]
For all of you miniature garden folks (You know who you are!), some new tiny accessories came in recently that might be of interest if you want to rework one you already have. Some of you may want to create more of them or you may have children and grandchildren that love these tiny worlds as much as we do! […]
Mulberry weed, Fatuoua villosa, is a weed you definitely want to get rid of if you ever see it in your flower beds or any part of your landscape. Another common name is hairy crab weed – that doesn’t sound very pleasant does it? I cuss this weed out every time I see one (or more) […]
It’s summer, the heat is on, and we’re all working overtime to keep our landscapes looking as fresh as they did in the spring…thankfully we’ve been getting rainfall to help us out! I thought you might enjoy seeing some of the planters and arrangements we’ve done through the spring and now into summer – some […]
This living wreath Jamie planted the other day has plenty of WOW factor, doesn’t it? She incorporated a very cool bromeliad plant, Cryptanthus ‘Black Mystic’, and an annual trailing foliage plant used a lot in sunny containers – silver dichondra. The round, silvery foliage of the dichondra “echoes” the lighter markings in the cryptanthus beautifully. A third […]
May and June are key months to keep an eye on your perennials as they’re coming up and (hopefully) growing like gangbusters. A few tasks to do now involve some summer perennials and many of your late blooming fall plants. Of course, the following tips are not something you have to do, but are only suggestions gleaned from my gardening […]
First things first…what is a perennial? Well, a perennial is any plant that will be with you for the long haul – some will disappear completely during the coldest months of the year and reappear with the first warm days of late winter. Herbaceous perennials have a specific bloom period when they offer their largest […]