Serenity in the Garden

What blooms earlier than forsythia, has a delicate fragrance and is an easy-to-care for  compact delight ?  That is also hardy to USDA Zones 6-9 and native to Japan and Taiwan? Photo by Richie Steffen - Great Plant Picks Buttercup winterhazel    ( Corylops is pauciflora)   Toward mid April (depending where you live), the bare branches of buttercup winterhazel hang with inch-long clusters of soft yellow flowers that appear as little lanterns.   The fragrance is noticeable, making it perfect near a sitting spot.   It was awarded the  Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit (AGM) in 1993.  Missouri Botanical Garden photo Winterhazel is good in a small city garden or as a woodland underplanting in open shade.  It glows in front of evergreens and is a perfect pairing with purple   Rhododendron mucronulatum  since  they flower at the exact same time. And  winterhazels look wonder...

Turn Your Thumbs & Your Backyards Green With This Book From A Gardening Expert

My backyard dry stream - Jan Johnsen If small is beautiful then....smaller must be more beautiful. At least that is what I tell myself as I survey my postage stamp of a backyard. I remind myself that some of the sweetest of serene spaces are small gardens, tucked away, out of sight. Small outdoor spaces are cherished. Each planter or plant is special. like admiring Coleus Globetrotter in a pot... Or Lantana among some rocks I add touches in summer like this flowering lantana amongst the rocks My small verdant retreat is where I can place a chair or two, sip a cup of tea, tend to the garden, admire my planters of foliage or even write my blog, ‘pleine aire’, so to speak … Small gardens call for small plants  – although normal size plants look great when first planted, in the years that ensue they may grow to overwhelm the space… To prevent that I have a few suggestions for some hardy, compact and delightful perennial plants. ...

Trees emanate a palpable energy. Stop next to a tree, be quiet, and you can feel it. In my book, Heaven is a Garden , I have a chapter titled, 'Calling on the Trees'. It touches upon the unsung aspects of our woody grand neighbors. Now, with the public's renewed focus on trees, I feel it is the right time to share a short excerpt from my book with you: "The Celts of ancient Europe believed that Nemetona, goddess of the grove, resided in the hushed atmosphere of forest glades. She could be found in a needle-covered pine forest, beneath a group of towering beech trees or in a sun-dappled birch grove. These woodland clearings were called nemetons and were seen as being awash with the enchanted energies of trees. Trees: Nature’s Recharger The Celts attributed the charged atmosphere of woodland clearings to shunnache, the life energy of trees. Interestingly, this ancient notion is similar to the invisible energy fields of modern physics, and Albert Einst...

In 2013 the  Royal Horticultural Society (RHS)  announced its " Plant of the Centenary" - the best plant introduced at the Chelsea Flower Show in the UK in the last hundred years (1913 - 2013). Top horticulturalists helped to nominate the 10-plant shortlist and the public voted and decided that Geranium Rozanne is the best overall plant.  Right now, in August, you can see why they chose this plant - it is a sturdy perennial that requires little attention and is covered with beautiful, violet-blue flowers growing atop mounds of deeply cut, green foliage. Geranium Rozanne, Euphorbia 'Diamond Frost' and Blue Annual Salvia at NYBG  - photo by Jan Johnsen  It flowers in profusion from June to frost. Midsummer heat does not deter the flowers and the plants are spreading but not sprawling. It is mounding and can be planted above rocks and walls to great effect. The blue color of the flowers deepens as the weather gets cooler. T...

Time to try some luscious flowers in a pot or in the garden....here are some for your consideration: PEONY 'SORBET' ( Paeonia lactiflora ‘Sorbet’) The unusual pink and white 5-7" double blooms of this hybrid are  delectable! The fragrant flowers look amazing in early summer and the handsome foliage turns red in autumn. These bushy plants grow up to 4' tall and require little care. Suitable for any climate and soil type. Space 36-48" apart. Zones:  3-8     Light:  Full Sun to Partial Shade Deer tend to avoid. LOLLIPOP HELENIUM    Helenium puberoleum Round, chocolate-brown flower heads with rustic yellow and bronze highlights provide a bright display that blooms summer and lasts well into autumn. Globe-shaped blooms make a pretty contrast to vertical blades of Iris. Loves sun. Zones:  4-9     Deer Resistant  'BLUSHING SUMMER VALENTINE'  DAYLILY   Bloom Period June-...

Fire Marshall Bee Balm General Beebalm  ( Monarda)   is a favorite perennial flower with a striking display of richly-colored flowers through the summer months.   The variety, Monarda 'Fire Marshall',  is a hummingbird magnet and has excellent tolerance to mildew.   A hybrid between U.S. natives  Monarda  'Marshall's Delight' &  M.  'Jacob Cline', it is more compact than 'Jacob Cline'. Its bright red, over-sized flowers add a vibrant pop to the landscape throughout the summer.  'Fire Mar shall' Bee Balm grows 24 to 36 inches tall, with bright red, shaggy  flowers.  The flowers are a favorite of butterflies and hummingbirds, growing above the foliage in the mid to late summer.  Good clump forming habit.  The leaves have a nice fragrance and are  significantly more resistant to powdery mildew than most older varieties.     Deer and rabbits largely...