It’s October 20th, and although we’ve flirted with temps in the low 30’s…we haven’t had a frost yet! We had reasonable summer weather, although not much rain in August and September. The containers we planted in June have held up well, although a few plants had to be edited out or cut back midseason. Once […]
It’s been over 3 months since I posted the “Before” Container Shots. We’re now into October, and luckily the weather has been mild, with a few chilly nights. All in all, the containers depicted in the early summer post are looking as good if not better. My goal each year is to come up with combos that […]
Plectranthus is a large genus from South Africa, related to Coleus. This selection, ‘Mona Lavender’, was bred at Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden in Cape Town, S Africa in the 1990’s and was introduced into the US market by Ball Horticultural. Plectranthus ‘Mona Lavender’ is a stunning plant bearing dark green foliage with eggplant purple undersides. She […]
There are some plants which you have to meet in person, as photographs just can’t convey their personality or presence. Thalictrum ‘Splendide’, a new giant Meadowrue from French breeder Thierry Delabroye, is one such specimen. Vigorous stalks shoot to the sky ( 6-9′ in height), are heavily branched and bear clouds of dime sized lavender […]
Our goal each year is to create container ensembles that hold up from the beginning of the season into September or longer. Interesting foliage is the key, with flowering plants acting as accents, rather than the other way around. Of course you know we have to do succulents…. they are so incredibly easy and look […]
My goal each season is to plant containers that are easy to maintain and will carryon summer through fall. For sunny areas, I’ve come to look at succulents as such reliable performers. They always oblige… often looking even more fabulous at season’s end. For areas with more shade, I lean towards Begonias and other plants […]
Two words sum up this summer’s weather here along the coast of southern New England: hot and dry. Here at the end of September, our parched gardens are still waiting for the rain predictions to materialize. Sigh. The gardens are looking tarnished but the container plantings held up better since their watering needs are more easily met. As […]
Are you looking for something different for a fall display in your containers? Check out Abutilon ‘Dwarf Red’…it celebrates autumn with multitudes of dark orange flowers, and can, if brought indoors and kept in a sun filled space, will continue to carry on the show. We grow a number of Abutilon selections in containers which […]
We are about to begin our 4th season as beekeepers, and it has been fascinating, heartwarming and at times, devastating. It’s too early to be assured of our hives’ winter survival but there was a whole lot of action around all 3 hives during the recent 2-day warm spell. Off “the girls” went in search […]
Here it is, the very end of September 2016, and at last we are finally getting the rain we’ve begged for all summer. Good thing, but I’ve been waiting for a cool crisp sunny day to capture images of the end of the summer containers, and with a prolonged rainy spell in the forecast I probably should not […]