Great Garden Plants

Part V: Favorite Winter Plants (Western Washington)

November 30, 2009
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Pieris japonica ‘Flaming Silver’ Winters in Western Washington are wet … pure and simple. The final stop of this multi-part series on Favorite Winter Plants may not be as cold as the other regions, but this lovely area definitely has its challenges, reports personal garden coach Christina Salwitz.

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Part IV: Favorite Winter Plants (North Carolina)

November 23, 2009

There may be a snow storm or two, but Raleigh, N.C. (Zone 7B) enjoys more moderate winters than the first three locations featured in this Favorite Winter Plants series. In fact, you can pretty much garden all winter long, reports garden writer and coach Helen Yoest. And she should know. Helen not only owns Gardening With Confidence, she also serves on the […]

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Part III – Favorite Winter Plants (Canada)

November 16, 2009

For part 3 of “Favorite Winter Plants,” we travel to Lake Ontario, Canada.  It takes a special plant to survive these rugged growing conditions, reports award-winning garden writer Doug Green (aka @DougGreen on Twitter). His garden is USDA Hardiness Zone 4 or 5, depending on the season and whether you’re in one of the property’s microclimates. But as Doug explains,” A winter plant […]

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Part II: Favorite Winter Plants (No. Idaho)

November 13, 2009

In part two of our “Favorite Winter Plants” series, we travel to the frigid region of Northern Idaho to show some of the wonderful winter plants that can add interest to these gardens in colder months. Dan Eskelson (aka @daneskelson on Twitter) began his horticultural training in the balmy hills of Santa Barbara, California. But these days […]

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Part I: Favorite Winter Plants (Maine Containers)

November 11, 2009

Winter is right around the corner, but that doesn’t mean your garden can’t still look beautiful. Many plants provide visual excitement in the colder months with colorful berries, patterned trunks, interesting textures and fabulous foliage. That’s why I asked five knowledgeable garden writers, coaches and designers from Canada and the United States to name some […]

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Respect Your Elders

June 30, 2009

It’s true that elder (Sambucus nigra; Sambucus canadensis) grows wild in moist places through much of the United States. But to call this plant “common” is just unfair. Few plants have generated as much respect as elder over the ages. In fact, once I learned about this plant, I was hooked and just had to […]

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A Poppy Palooza!

June 23, 2009
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Perhaps it was all those cool, rainy days we had this spring. Maybe it was the love we gave the soil before we started to plant. Whatever it was, we’ve had a fantastic burst of poppies in the garden in 2009. It all started when I threw some seeds of Shirley Single Blend poppies (Papaver […]

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A Few Seeds I’m Sowing

March 2, 2009

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap,but by the seeds you plant.” Robert Louis Stevenson From purple beans to candy-striped beets to carrots of all colors, I’ve selected a number of unusual vegetables for my garden this season. Many are heirlooms known for their exquisite taste and striking appearance. Here are just a […]

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