Hello fellow readers, While the fall planting season is wrapping up, there’s still time to plant most species of woody plants. Good thing as Gail and Rich of Sparta NJ have a naked garden dilemma since a new neighbor moved in who opted to take down a glorious stand of Canadian hemlock

Some of the most beautiful bulbs you plant in the spring are like flowering pets such as freesia, dahlias, and most gladiolas. Then there are care-free hummingbird magnets such as crocosmia.

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green, “Is there such a thing as wild hydrangea?” asked Tammy of Marshalls Creek, PA. There is. Hydrangea arborescens is commonly known as Smooth Hydrangea or Wild hydrangea, and it’s native to the woodlands of the northeast, but it

Hello, fellow readers, A visit with Jacquie, a dear design client, leads to sharing life stories and an introduction to her newest favorite plant – Beautyberry. It’s a marvel how life brings people together. It’s one of the joys gained from the work I do. Especially when I

Hello, fellow readers, Anthracnose (Ann-thrack-nose, my phonetics) is the most discussed and severe among the doggone dogwood dilemmas. Though powdery mildew, leaf and flower blight spots and crown cankers also rank high. Never mind the dogwood borer, which can run amuck. Discula dest

Hello fellow readers, I’m back from the Woody Plant Conference held at Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore College PA, always a treat. While not nearly as knowledgeable as the scientists and arborists in attendance, I have a love affair with trees, especially those that have lived far longe

Hello fellow readers, Last Sunday, we visited Big Pocono State Park, which sits atop Camelback Mountain Resort in Tannersville, PA. I’ve coined it the Top of the World, where you can see eastern Pennsylvania and portions of New Jersey and New York. More than that, there’s

Hello fellow readers, Last year I missed the opportunity for annuals, then scrambled to doll up my empty pots with perennials late in the season. Overwintered in the garage, I loved when their little faces emerged. This year I made time for the annual trek in time to find my favored a

Hello Fellow Readers, (Excuse the late posting of this week’s column. I’ve been hobbling along without internet since last Tuesday’s Wizard of Oz storm. Humbling!) We have the green light for annuals based on the wisdom to wait until after the last frost date, typica

Hello Fellow Readers, Just before our gardens kicked into gear, I attended a succulent event hosted by A&J Messina Greenhouses in Blairstown, NJ, which served as a mini-gardening warmup. What a lively group of over seventy guests learning how to make a terrarium. Trays of succulen