Aside from a few zinnias, I didn’t plan to have annuals in my garden this summer. Not that I don’t like them, it’s just that I have dry sandy soil and can never keep up with watering them. But guess what - they didn’t give up on me! Check out the orchestra of summer volunteers.

Want to add a little extra sizzle to your garden? Small sedums check all the boxes - easy, attractive, low maintenance, resilient and tolerant of poor soil. Read about this summers sedum experiments and find out about the many ways to use them.

Looking for inspiration for your 2023 garden? Scroll through last summers garden photos. It’s interesting how much you miss when you’re busy in the act. I’ve noticed that some of my best combinations were accidental. Lest I forget, I made a list of several that jumped out at me. Seems like a good way to begin a new year of gardening.

As I store away plant memories for the winter, there were a bunch that put a smile on my face this summer. In the interest of not forgetting what they were and to share my delights, allow me to rave about the highlights of 2022.

If there was ever a time to introduce native plants into your garden, it’s now. Maybe you’ve thought about adding few, but were unsure of which varieties to choose or how to use them. Here’s a fun and easy way to to get going.

If I only had one piece of gardening advice to give this spring, it would be to test your soil - in particular the PH. Simply put, PH refers to the acidity or alkalinity of the soil. Here’s why it’s important.

If you find yourself leafing through catalogues, not knowing what you should order or what you’ll be successful with, I feel you. Getting the same results you see on those glossy pages can be a stretch. So what can you do to ensure success? Here are some simple ways I’ve tried that make it easier.

The onset of winter makes you slow down and appreciate the little things in a garden. On dark cold days, a lingering flower or brightly colored leaf is cause to celebrate. A recent gift from a gardening friend brought this home to me even more.

Fall chrysanthemums aren’t your only option if you’re hungry for a final blast of color in your garden. If you’re thinking there isn’t much that blooms in October, let me acquaint you with a few lesser known beauties that brightened up my October garden and mood considerably.

If you want a garden that looks good all summer, you need plants you can count on. I doubly appreciate those that are useful as well as beautiful.

In June, you can sit back on your laurels and admire your garden to your hearts content. You think you’re golden, but wait - what about future holes that mar your garden in late summer?

The quest for the right plant, plotting the next project and even bemoaning my garden failures has kept me going in a year without much good news. Here's the best of 2020 in a nutshell.

Don't you hate weeding areas that don’t look much better when you're done? I call this 'stupid weeding' and I'm on a mission to reduce it. Learn more about 5 beautiful, useful perennials that will save you work.

Don't you wish you could bottle up all the smells of summer? Fragrance is memorable. Scents define the personality of the garden and etch their way into your memory bank. The aroma of petunias and nicotiana still take me straight back to childhood days in my grandmothers garden. Inspired by these memories,I've developed a mix of aromatic plants worth trying. 

Right now, we need our gardens more than ever. There's nothing more hopeful than planting, and  part of the fun is trying something new. Want to indulge in a little plant porn? Here are 10 annuals to inspire you.

Due to a badly sprained ankle and impossible winter weather, my recent activities have been confined to  the couch. When a bunch of seed catalogues arrived in the mailbox the other day, I was more than ready to indulge in a little plant porn.

Are you trying to improve your garden but find yourself floundering around? Start with the edging. If you can nail down the plants in the front border, the rest of the bed is a piece of cake. 

You roll the dice when you're a gardener, but it's all worth it for the exquisite moments of pleasure  you experience when you create a great combination (usually accidental) or discover a terrific plant. If you want to find out about some trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals that made my summer, read on.

Finding interesting annuals for a shade garden can be tough. Lots of flowers prefer full sun and sometimes foliage plants just don't hold their color. If you're searching around for something a little different, read on. 

Want to add a little bling in your garden? There's nothing like a blast of gold foliage to liven things up. Adding beauty doesn't mean more work - it's all about choosing bulletproof plants that do the job. Check out my 10 favorites.