Virtues: We love climbing hydrangea for its ability to act as groundcover or climb up walls and trellises, all while offering a wonderful showcase of rich, dark green foliage that contrasts beautifully against the clusters of white, fragrant flowers in … Read Article
Perpetual vegetables—these are the vegetables that, although they don’t automatically come up each year, will provide you with what you need to continue to harvest season after season without having to buy anything new.
Virtues: We love jack-in-the-pulpit for its striking and bizarre flower structure, which gives rise to its common name. This perennial also offers visual interest after its spring flowers fade.
There is very possibly not a veggie gardener out there who has been growing for at least a few seasons who has not had the “problem” of overplanting something. Years ago when we owned a restaurant, it was not uncommon … Read Article
Rhubarb, with its delicious edible leaf stalks loaded with a tangy yet sweet, crisp flavor, often serves as the perfect companion for strawberries or as the main ingredient in pies, jams and jellies. These tasty cool-weather veggies are great additions … Read Article
Virtues: We love creeping mazus for its stunning mat-like foliage that creeps over the ground in a carpet of deep green. In spring through summer, the groundcover is speckled with tiny clusters of bluish-purple, tubular flowers with white centers spotted … Read Article
Heucheras, commonly referred to as coral bells, are stunning, shade-loving foliage plants with an abundance of different varieties in varying vibrant colors. Although beautiful, these charming evergreen perennials often can become ratty after a harsh winter. However there is a … Read Article
When are hybrid varieties better than heirloom varieties? There are many gardeners I know who would respond, “Never!” But if you look at the reasons growers naturally cross two related veggies to get seed that has better characteristics, you might … Read Article
Growing your own vegetable garden is a great way to live a greener (no pun intended) lifestyle by cultivating your own food, preparing these delicious, nutritious edibles in recipes and saving you from extra trips to the grocery store.
Virtues: We love Sugar Tyme crabapple for its glossy, rich green ovate foliage and stunning pink flower buds that blossom into fragrant, snowy white flowers in spring. Masses of radiant red crabapples appear in fall and stay throughout winter.
Here in our USDA Zone 5/6 garden we have about 120 days from spring frost to fall frost. The more we can extend that growing time, the bigger the harvest. There are a number of easy ways to do this: