By Claire Jones
If your name is Flora Grubb, what better business to own than Flora Grubb Gardens? She couldn't have picked a better name to own a garden/nursery business! Flora Grubb Gardens is a sophisticated garden boutique, nursery and floral/landscape design business located in San Francisco. Something like I would love to own! All the elements unusual plants, design, …
Continue reading "Grubb Heaven"
Red flowers are my favorite bloomers in the garden. Just like wearing red clothing, red flowers say, "look at me!" And it sure works for the hummingbirds. I am almost guaranteed to see a hummingbird visit this flower if I wait around for a few minutes. Major Wheeler Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens)Â will bloom all summer long …
Continue reading "A Great Combination – Honeysuckle and Hummingbirds"
As any serious (and not so serious gardener) knows - Annie's Annuals is the mecca for buying some serious 'plant lust' worthy annuals. On a recent trip to San Francisco on the Garden Bloggers Fling, I had the pleasure and opportunity to visit and actually buy plants from them in person instead of on-line. My …
Continue reading "Annie’s Annuals: The Ultimate Plant Road Trip"
Catching Up My two Italian bee packages arrived in MD this weekend and I am very excited. First promised in April, a cold and wet spring in Georgia held up the delivery for an unprecedented two long months. By this time of year, the packages should have been installed, the bees settled in and raising brood, plus storing honey for …
Continue reading "Bee Packages are Here!"
Strawberries are the ultimate berry - sweet, easy to pick, and useful in tons of desserts. Healthy too! When my friends say "Let's go and pick strawberries and make jam for everyone in one day!",  I jumped at the chance. Call it strawberry bonding! The day was perfect, with a nice breeze, the temps below 80 …
Continue reading "Jam Session"
Last year, I posted about installing a stone labyrinth for a client. We started in the fall, worked through the winter, and just finished up the spring plantings. Go to Healing Labyrinth-Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3, to see how I created and implemented the design and installation. The theme for the plantings was pollinator friendly shrubs and perennials …
Continue reading "Labyrinth Plantings"
I love putting containers together and saw some especially beautiful ones this spring that stopped me in my tracks. I did not create them, but I wished I had! I took pictures and thought maybe one day I would duplicate them. I am constantly amazed at what others put together so creatively. Like a canvas …
Continue reading "Container Lust"
Grafted tomatoes has been touted as the biggest development to happen in the last 2o years in gardening. That is a really big claim! I can think of others- the popularity of container gardening comes to mind right away and how about the popularity of heirloom varieties? So, I was intrigued when I heard about this new thing come …
Continue reading "Grafted Tomatoes-What’s Next??"
I love different types and colors of potatoes and am always ready to try purple or even more exotic colors. The different hues can be expensive at farmers markets and grocery stores, so I try to grow them but have always been discouraged about how much room the plants consume as well as the labor of …
Continue reading "Leaning Tower of Potatoes"
Peonies are blooming right now and I am in heaven! I love the flowers for cutting, fragrance, and Wow factor. Plunk some peonies into a vase, and it looks like an arrangement by a master. You don't need to arrange them - they just sit in a vase and say "look at me!" No one …
Planted Furniture for the Patio I went to a cocktail party at a plant lovers house, saw his planted table and was enthralled! I was sure that I could create one just as good, if not better. I looked around for a table that I could buy and convert to a planted table, but it …
Continue reading "Plants at Your Fingertips!"
I get a lot of questions about taking care of Knock Out Roses at this time of year with people unsure of what to do with those vigorous Knock Out Roses that they are sure will be engulfing their yards soon! You really need to hack them back to stubs and people are scared to …
Continue reading "Mow Down those Knock Out Roses!"
