Many people make New Year’s resolutions to carry them through and help them make changes or transformations through the new year. With that in mind, why not commit to some New Year’s resolutions for your garden? Here are some great ideas to help you make the most of gardening in 2023.
The holiday season is upon us, and giving the gift of wonderful indoor plants is a popular theme. Better yet, use holiday plants to decorate your own home during this festive time of year. There are many excellent choices that make gift giving and decorating fun.
With temperatures finally dropping, the songbirds of winter begin to move into our area, frequenting backyard and garden feeders, as well as plants left standing for the winter season. If you’ve never enjoyed the hobby of bird feeding during the winter season, this is the time to start.
As November arrives, one of the most beautiful of garden plants take center stage. Many of our ornamental grasses look incredible now in fall as the colorful blooms begin to fade.
Ornamental grasses provide wonderful texture in the garden, as well as vertical interest and, in many cases, rich coloring of their own.
Throughout the summer, ornamental grasses have been growing and growing, reaching their peak in August and September, when they begin to produce wonderfully elegant seed blooms and feathery seed heads.
By now, you’ve probably all heard the recent mantra over the past few years of “leave the leaves.“ More and more, messages like this are flooding social media and magazine articles, imploring you to skip fall garden cleanup and allow Mother Nature to do what comes naturally.
With October comes peak spring bulb planting season. October is the best time to plant as the soils are beginning to cool and the bulbs are readily available. Be sure to get your selection now, either from a local garden center or online. There are so many wonderful, colorful, delightful bulbs to tempt gardeners that are planted now for an amazing spring showcase of bloom.
The cooler days and nights of fall make this time of year ideal for planting. As soils begin to cool, this is a great time to plant a variety of garden treasures.
Perennials, trees, shrubs, bulbs and many wonderful edible crops can be planted this time of year. In fact, many gardeners and gardening experts will agree that fall is the best time for planting.
While many gardeners think of Labor Day as the end of the gardening season, the stars of September make extending your garden bloom time well worth the effort. With careful planning and the addition of key late season plants, you can extend your bloom season through Halloween, even beyond, depending upon the weather.
With all of the headlines recently about the plight of monarchs in North America, now is the time to take action here, locally, to do what we can to give them a helping hand.
One of my favorite flowering plants of the whole year is the incredible, show stopping hardy hibiscus, also known as rose mallow. Hybrids of native rose mallow found right here in Wisconsin, hardy hibiscus, believe it or not, are perennials here in this state.
Unlike tropical hibiscus, perennial hibiscus returns year after year, growing larger and larger, putting on a spectacular and flamboyant dance from the middle of July all the way through October.
Perennials, trees, shrubs, bulbs and many wonderful edible crops can be planted this time of year. In fact, many gardeners and gardening experts will agree that fall is the best time for planting.
