Name: Cryptomeria japonica aka Japanese cryptomeria or Japanese cedar Type of Plant:  Large to medium (depending on cultivar) sized evergreen tree for full sun or part-sun. Hardy in zones 5 to 9 Why I love this: This needled evergreen has bright, pale green foliage in...

Name: Rosa 'Meiroupis' aka Colette climbing rose Type of Plant:  Climbing rose for full sun – hardy zones 5 -9 Why I love this: If I had to name one climbing rose as my favorite, I’d have to say it was Colette. I’ve grown this rose in full sun and part-sun over the...

So you sent your Amaryllis to summer camp (your backyard or patio) where they were fertilized and watered and had a wonderful time. Now, like all returning campers, they have come home with dirty laundry (weeds) and are in need a good rest. Most people have heard that...

Name: Bidens ferulifolia Goldilocks Rocks Type of Plant:  Low growing, almost shrubby annual for full sun. Why I love this: Although I’ve been familiar with this Proven Winners annual for years, I’ve never planted Goldilocks Rocks Bidens in my own garden. The past...

Accentuate it! That's what my mother, a retired interior designer, used to say. In other words, there are some things that are best "hidden" by calling attention to the area in some way. Do you have a bare spot in the garden? Put a brightly colored bird bath, potted...

Cape Cod Non-Profits; Wouldn’t it be great if your non-profit held a fundraiser that was promoted far beyond the Cape by professional marketers? Would you like your group to be making money, building other non-profits and businesses, all while celebrating beautiful...

Name:  Hydrangea macrophylla ‘PllHM-l’  (doesn't exactly trip off the tongue, does it?) luckily, it's aka Hydrangea Twist-n-Shout Type of Plant:  This is my favorite hydrangea from the Endless Summer series of plants. It is a big-leaf lacecap hydrangea, a shrub that...

Name:  Tuscan Kale – aka Lacinato kale, dinosaur kale, and Brassica oleracea Type of Plant:  One of the longest producing vegetables for the garden. Why I love this:  Kale has been a hot vegetable lately, and with good reason since it’s so jam-packed with nutrients....

Name:  Aster oblongifolius (syn. Symphyotrichum oblongifolium) ‘Raydon’s Favorite’ Type of Plant:  A late-fall flowering perennial that grows 2 to 3 feet tall and becomes covered with lavender-blue flowers in October. Hardy in zones 3 to 8. Grow this perennial in full...

One thing I love about speaking to garden clubs is looking at the displays of flowers that are often at the meetings. I love how the collection of different clear vases and bottles, each holding a single flower or leaf, combine to make an abridged garden. Such...