Author Archives: Cindy

Many of us are a little fearful and weary of that shady spot in the yard. It’s the bane of some of our gardens, and an irritating empty space that can feel plain tricky to fill. We’re not sure where this notion of the impossible shady spot comes from, though. There’s actually a wide variety of plants that not only tolerate the shade, but will thrive in the more sheltered and cool conditions it offers! We have a few of our favorites that we’re excited to share with you and your garden:

Dirt and soil – once you get into the technicalities of gardening, suddenly they aren’t interchangeable terms. There is actually a vast difference between the two that farmers and gardeners are well aware of. When it comes down to it, the difference between dirt and soil captures many of the struggles and choices that we gardeners face regularly.

Tulips are internationally adored flowers that have charmed people everywhere for centuries. Their stunning and vibrant blooms are a cheerful start to the spring and a fantastic show of color when we’ve gotten too used to the muted grays and browns of winter. Already a classic and a favorite, it turns out that tulips have an interesting history that easily puts other spring bulbs to shame. Popular from the moment they were brought to Europe, these delightful flowers stirred up such excitement that they broke banks!

Bees are important to more of our daily life than many of us think. Without their bumbling pollination, the flowers in our gardens wouldn’t be the only casualties. Bees are responsible not only for the health of our gardens, but also for the sustainable growth of our fruit and vegetable plants as well. Their pollinating is essential to the vitality of our gardens, and also the health of our families.

We love bulbs because they are one of the easiest ways to start a beautiful garden. Some of our favorite, classic flowers start as humble bulbs and quickly have your home and yard bursting with color and fragrance. As much as we love our bulb gardens, most seasoned gardeners know that some bulbs can also be a little too pest-friendly.

Finally, on the other side of winter, and for many a roller coaster spring, warmer weather is here for many of us. With more hours of light in the day, the weather warming up, and new green growth, it’s easy to forget that our plants were out shivering in the cold all winter.

Very few flowers are as ubiquitously popular as the lily. They appear everywhere, in great number, in garden centers and backyards every spring season.  They have also been heavily featured in ancient tradition and even religious texts.

Most of us love gardening because it makes us happy. There’s so much satisfaction and joy to be found in growing plants, from planting, to the first tiny shoots of green in spring and onwards. The dirt in our hands is such a contrast to so much in our digital lives. As it turns out, the glow you feel when you have fresh soil in your hands isn’t strictly psychological.

If you’re looking for an understated or modest flower for your garden, you’ll have to find it elsewhere. Dahlia’s are radiant and bold and were once a treasured flower in Empress Josephine’s famous gardens. Now, they bring their enthusiastic blooms to our yards.

Caladiums are exactly the type of diva you want in your garden. When it comes to unapologetic and audacious color, the foliage of the caladium alone puts all other flowers around it to shame.

Some people haven’t experimented with caladiums because they are so notoriously difficult to find as starter plants. Growing from tubers gives the best selection, jumpstarts your growing season, and is easier on your wallet.

Our desire to do our part for the environment is climbing to join our desire for beautiful and healthy gardens. Some people tell us that they want to “switch” from synthetic fertilizers to organic. It is possible to make your fertilizers both environmentally friendly and effective.

Our favorite recommendation for that shady corner is a Begonia. Specialists in rich and dynamic color, begonias are beautiful, bold, and sturdy plants. You’ll rarely find another genus that has so much variety in shape, texture, color, and style. Learn about planting begonia bulbs, and how to care for these statement-making flowers.