The Ginkgo Tree...Fan Shaped Leaves Are A Stunning Fall Show

 The stately tree it comes from (Ginkgo biloba) has been prized in landscapes for its beauty for centuries. It grows up to 75 ft. tall and can live for several hundred years.

     Ginkgo, also called maidenhair tree, is easy to recognize by its unique fan-shaped leaves, which turn a brilliant golden yellow in autumn. They remain on the tree until late in the season and then cascade to the ground, sometimes all in one day. This extraordinary tree can adapt to just about any climate. (It survived the last ice age, after all.) It suffers no pest or disease problems, and it tolerates a wide range of soil pH, and air pollution and salt. Ginkgo takes extreme heat and cold (to about -30 degrees F), and thrives in both the North and South, from coast to coast.

Ginkgo does need full sun and plenty of room to grow. Be sure to plant a male tree; the female fruits are messy and smelly. Male trees to look for at the nursery include 'Autumn Gold' and 'Princeton Sentry'.

The fruits are not only messy but smell terrible...however, they are considered a delicacy in some Asian countries.  I have smelled the fruits and cannot believe that people eat them but I have seen people collecting them from the ground at a nearby tree....HOLY STINK BATMAN!  Make 100% sure that you are getting a male tree!



The leaves are amazing on this tree and when they begin to turn colors in the fall they literally look like millions of fluttering butterflies!



Sky Pencil Holly...Sleek, updated style.

This popular, versatile shrub can be planted to accent your home, either in rows for a narrow hedge, or alone as an ornamental. However you use it, expect little maintenance.

You’ll be fascinated by the Sky Pencil Holly’s shape – growing skyward naturally without the need for trimming (unless you want to keep them at a desired height).

If you are looking for a sleek, updated, stylish look, use these Japanese Hollies with their tall, narrow, columnar shape.

Very few shrubs can give you this kind of height without encroaching on nearby plants. Perfect for when you want to add height or a focal point to flower beds, groundcovers, entryways, etc.

Because of this unique shape, its possibilities are endless. No matter where you plant your Sky Pencils, their spectacular form will attract attention! It's one of the few plants whose branches grow upward, which is why it got the name Sky Pencil.

Perennial Hibiscus

Perennial Hibiscus or Rose Mallow are one of the centerpieces in one of my large landscape beds.  The flowers are huge...salad plate of larger in size!

If you have always loved the looks of hibiscus, but thought it could only grow in very warm climates, you should try planting perennial hibiscus. While there is a tropical or Chinese hibiscus that does need tropical or sub-tropical temperatures, perennial hibiscus can be grown almost anywhere. And, the great thing is, it won’t be killed by winter weather.

Perennial hibiscus dies back in the winter but then comes bursting forth again in the spring. And, because it is a perennial, you only have to plant it once and it will magically reappear every spring. Only the tops of the plants die off, while the roots just take a rest and start producing new shoots in the spring.

Turn Lanudry Soap Bottles Into Handy Scoops



Rinse out very well before use!



Grab a pair of scissors and cut off the top of that detergent bottle and use have a scoop for like a thousand different uses!  These are great to take to the beach to scoop sand and water for those summer masterpieces.  You can scoop just about anything...bird feed, salt for sidewalks, potting dirt...you name it!  I have also used them for watering pots...easy watering can!  I have to say that the kids love these the best...we take several to the beach and let others have them to take home too.

Trailing Begonia...Brillant Show Stopper for Hanging Baskets & Pots

The trailing begonia is has become one of my favs in the last couple of seasons.  They are bright, colorful show stoppers that stand up and show off.  I have used them quite a bit in custom pots for customers who are looking for WOW!

This stunning semi-trailing Begonia is free flowering from April to October. Each plant is covered with 100’s of flowers throughout the growing season. Begonia Million Kisses does not require deadheading or trimming.  They can handle full sun with proper watering and do not seem to scorch.  I love using this in custom pots...fills quickly and elegantly overflows!

COLOR OF THE YEAR 2011

Honeysuckle is the Pantone color of the year.  Courageous...Confident...Vital...  This is the color that fashion, interior decorating, gardening, retail displays etc will be looking to incorporate this year!  Bold and empowering this color is said to help people face troubles and meet the challenges of everyday life!

Incrediball Hydrangea

I have at least 5 different varieties of hydrangeas in my gardens..including this one!  Incrediball Hydrangea is really amazing and puts on a great summer show.  The flower heads are ginormous!

The huge white blooms have a slight green tinge and measure an incredible 12" wide! Stems are so strong that they’ll easily support these enormous flowers, even in a rainstorm. A superb improvement over Annabelle, with giant blooms that have roughly four times as many flowers as Annabelle. The show begins in midsummer with huge round blooms clustered atop large branches surrounded by medium green oval leaves. Astonishing blooms keep coming for up to two months in this hardiest of summer-blooming hydrangeas. Cut back in spring to promote flowering on summer wood. Fantastic as a specimen shrub or in a border.  This specimen should be fairly easy to get around town at any gardening center!

The Purpose Driven Gardener

Fruits and vegetables don't only taste good--they look amazing in the garden too!  Homeowners are seeing the value in incorporating them into their gardens!  Small fruit shrubs like blueberries will be hugely popular again this year!  Enjoy your fruits and have a nice shrub with fall color!

Weeping Larch---A Dramatic Specimen Tree

Weeping Larch is a graceful, small, deciduous conifer with elegant drooping foliage and branches.  I absolutely love this unique specimen tree as it draws immediate attention to the landscape.  It does best in a well-drained open site, with cool, moist soil. It will tolerate wet soil.  Fertilize with Holly Tone once or twice a season for optimal health.  This tree may be a little more difficult than some to find but your local landscaper can get them for you.  I have two on order for customers already!

Hardy Ice Plant...Drought Resistant!



I have this planted along some boulders in the full sun and
it looks fantastic and requires little to no care during the season.

 Ice plants are drought tolerant, and experience few insect or disease problems. So they make a gardener’s life a little easier. In general the only problems might be deer damage, and possibly scale. They make excellent ground covers for banks and slopes.
It does prefer dry and sandy soil and does not like wet soil in the winter. Hot conditions keep the flowers blooming most of the summer and it requires little to no care. Delosperma looks great as a ground cover in a rock garden or in front of a perennial border.  This one may be slightly hard to find.  I always order several to keep on hand!

Russian Sage...Looking for more blues...This is a great addition.

Russian Sage is a great addition to any perennial garden.  Russian sage is a deciduous semi-woody subshrub with upright, grayish white stems and lobed, silvery gray leaves to 2 in (5 cm) long and 1 in (2.5 cm) wide. Older stems are woody at the base, and younger stems are herbaceous and square in cross section. The stems and leaves give off a pungent odor when crushed or bruised. In late summer and autumn Russian sage produces 12 in (30.5 cm) spires of small, tubular lavender flowers. Flowering persists for two or three months. Russian sage grows in a clump, 3-5 ft (0.9-1.5 m) tall with a spread of two or three feet, and sometimes falls over, especially if not positioned in full sun. This perennial is very easy to grow and requires little maintenance.   I like to mix this in with roses and cone flowers in shades of pink.  The colors jump out and it is a beautiful display.  I have also used sprigs in cut flower arrangements.  Even if it is not flowering the whitish, gray stem color provides wonderful contrast.

Love Lavender...Check This Out!

  Lavandula angustifolia rosea...Love it!  'Rosea' is a pretty, dwarf, pale pink lavender that is easy to grow and produces plenty of flowers mid spring to summer. Hedges well and makes attractive borders.Mature plant size: 40cm H x 40cm W and typically grows 35cm high in 2-3 years. Plant 25cm apart for hedge/border.

I have this already on order for this upcoming season and will have available for those of you who cannot have enough lavender or just to add to your garden collection! 

Pretty In Pink!

Cutting Back Peonies

I have customers ask me every year about cutting back their peony plants.  You can cut the foliage down after blooming...however, leaving the foliage intact will allow the plant to photosynthesize and send carbohydrate reserves to its roots, which ensures plenty of flowers the following season.  The foliage also adds fall color interest as the leaves turn a beautiful shade of russet red. 

Peony plants definitely need to be cut back before winter so they do not get peony botrytis blight which is a fungal disease that causes new shoots to mold and disfigures the flowers when foliage is left intact over the winter.  Cutting these plants back after the first frost is a good rule of thumb.  Spring is coming...I can almost smell peony blossoms while writing this...THINK SPRING!

Stop Freaking Out About Grubs So Much!!!

Grubs DO NOT = MOLES!  Yes, moles do eat grubs...HOWEVER, their primary food source is the earthworm!  The diet of the average mole is at least 80% earthworms!  I agree that grubs CAN cause damage to your lawn but the majority of you will not see actual grub damage, and keeping a healthy lawn will naturally help keep the grub population down.  As for the moles...if you live near a wooded area you will never be able to keep them out!  They will come in for the earthworms and other food sources no matter what!  At the first sign of mole runs contact your lawn service provider.  They can come and put specially treated worms in the run that will kill the mole.  These worms are made to be like candy to moles.  We have had excellent sucess with these in our customers' lawns!  They are also very affordable and even if you have several problems over the season, the cost is very budget friendly.  Stay tuned for an upcoming article about controlling grub populations with healthy lawn practices.

Butterfly Weed...Bring in the Butterflies With a Michigan Native

Asclepias tuberosa is a species of milkweed native to eastern North America. It is a perennial plant growing to 0.3-1 m (1 -3 feet) tall, with clustered orange or yellow flowers from early summer to early fall. The leaves are spirally arranged, lanceolate, 5-12 cm long and 2-3 cm broad.

This plant favors dry, sand or gravel soil, but has also been reported on stream margins. It requires full sun.

It is commonly known as Butterfly Weed because of the butterflies that are attracted to the plant by its color and its copious production of nectar. It is also the larval food plant of the Queen and Monarch butterflies.

I have several plantings of this in one of my large landscape beds. The striking orange color is an awesome contrast. I have one large plant in front of one of my deep purple butterfly bushes and I have butterflies fluttering around all summer. It is quite a sight!

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Native Michigan Honeysuckle

 Northern bush honeysuckle is slightly drought-resistant and grows in rocky, slightly acidic soils in partial to full shade in Michigan. Deep green leaves provide an autumn show by turning shades of yellow and red.  This is often seen growing wild and CAN BE VERY INVASIVE as it can attach and wind itself around other plants and trees.  The Northern Bush Honeysuckle (Lonicera) has a long life span relative to most other plant species and a slow growth rate.  The Northern Bush Honeysuckle (Lonicera) is not commonly available from nurseries, garden stores and other plant dealers and distributors. It can be propagated by bare root, container, seed. It has a slow ability to spread through seed production and the seedlings have medium vigor.  The honeysuckle plant does attract bees to the garden and the flowers have a lovely sweet fragrance.  A good choice for naturalized areas.

Repurpose Those Old Mini Blinds...For The Garden

I gave up on  mini blinds forever ago because they are major dust and dirt collectors!  I had full grown bunnies living in there.  I would rather someone be able to see in my bathroom than try to clean each and every slat...I don't have anything anybody hasn't seen before plus I try to go tanning...everything looks better tan!  Anyway, I had any old blind in the garden shed so I took the slats cut them at like 6" each and just used a Sharpie to mark.  They worked great for all of the plants that I split and for the herb seedlings that I start for my summer herb garden.