By Claire Jones
Every spring, I watch the same ritual unfold. Gardeners head to the nursery full of optimism. They load their carts with compost, fertilizer, lime, “plant food,” maybe a bright new bag promising bigger blooms or deeper green lawns. They come home and begin spreading amendments generously, convinced they are giving their plants exactly what they …
Continue reading "From the Ground Up – The Importance of Soil Testing"
What to look for in the garden after winter: check plants, soil, wildlife, winter damage, and the first spring tasks after snow melts. Weeks of extreme cold, ice, and snow, when I see the first bare ground it feels like a turning point. Most gardeners walk outside and immediately feel the urge to clean up. …
Continue reading "When the Snow Finally Melts: What to Look for First in Your Garden"
Will weeks of sub-zero cold damage hydrangeas, berries, and other garden plants? Understanding winter survival in garden plants is more complicated than temperature alone. How Winter Survival Works in Garden Plants After a stretch of extreme winter weather — nights dropping below 0°F and days stuck in the teens and twenties for weeks, combined with …
Continue reading "Snow Is Protection: Understanding Winter Survival in the Garden"
As I write this, a major winter storm is on its way, bringing the familiar mix of snow, ice, and biting cold. For gardeners, these moments always spark the same question: Should I be doing something? The answer is: sometimes yes, often no — and occasionally, absolutely not. A winter garden is not dormant in …
Amaryllis bulbs are a popular Christmas gift and with the proper care, you can have a beautiful winter/early spring blooming bulb for many years.
After months of seed trays under lights, misting, thinning, hardening off, and finally planting out, there comes the best part of all — cutting armfuls of flowers and bringing them inside. This is where seed starting turns into something tangible, generous, and joyful: the cutting garden. The phrase cutting garden can sound a bit elitist. …
Continue reading "The Cutting Garden: From Seed Trays to Mason Jars"
Originally posted in 2019, this seed-starting article has been viewed more than 3 million times over the past six years. Recently updated and refreshed, it reflects both evolving techniques and enduring gardening habits. As January arrives and garden planning begins in earnest, seed starting once again rises to the top of every gardener’s mind—marking the …
Continue reading "Seed Starting Made Easy"
Decorating the historic Manor House at Ladew Topiary Gardens in Monkton, Maryland has been a cherished tradition for more than forty years, with local designers and Garden Clubs transforming its rooms into festive holiday splendor. This December, I was honored to be invited to decorate one of the rooms and selected the elegant Dining Room—a …
Continue reading "Christmas Meadow: Bringing Ladew’s Gardens Indoors"
Repurposing a fresh-cut Christmas tree into a winter wildlife buffet is the ultimate form of recycling. Instead of hauling your tree to the curb, set it up outdoors as a bird feeding station and enjoy weeks of entertainment. I placed mine beside my existing feeder last year and spent hours watching birds feeding, chirping—and the …
Continue reading "Turn Your Christmas Tree into a Bird Buffet"
As the gardening season winds down and the first hard frosts darken the dahlia foliage, the real work begins. Dahlias won’t survive a mid-Atlantic winter in the ground, but with just a bit of care they can be saved, multiplied, and brought back into bloom next summer even stronger than before. I always think of …
Continue reading "Digging and Storing Dahlias — A Fall Ritual Worth Doing Well"
There’s nothing quite like lilies for drama in the summer garden. Towering stems topped with exotic blooms perfume the air and stop visitors in their tracks. This spring, I was lucky enough to receive a gorgeous selection of Oriental and Species lily bulbs from Longfield Gardens — and I couldn’t wait to get them into …
Continue reading "Lilies for Summer Splendor"
Floating above the border on long, willowy stems, Japanese Anemones (Anemone hupehensis) are stalwart perennials that bring elegance and longevity to the garden. Unlike many perennials that fade after only a few seasons, Japanese Anemones are dependable performers—I’ve had clumps blooming faithfully for over 30 years. Reliable and deer resistant (not deer proof!), they spread …
Continue reading "Windflowers in Fall: The Enduring Beauty of Japanese Anemones"
