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Gardeners and their Gardens

One of the problems with winter garden maintenance is that many best practices are often dependent on location, weather conditions and plant species. While this makes it difficult to provide hard and fast rules for everyone, there are a few wintertime maintenance dos and don’ts that hold true regardless of where you live.  To help the newer gardeners this winter, we’ve put together a short list of some important winter 

Creating winter planters can seem like a daunting task to those of us who are not design gifted by nature. Luckily, there are some basic principles that can help the most non-creative of us put together a spectacular outdoor display that ushers in the holidays and with just a few minor adjustments now and then can bring cheer to the long winter months.

Whether it’s a seasoned expert or a novice gardener you’re shopping for, we have the perfect gift idea!

The color of a  winter garden is never going to rival the boundless vibrancy of spring and summer or even the mellow richness of fall gardens. However, adding splashes of vivid colors to the winter landscape can help lift your spirits and energize your life just when you need it most. 

By Sandra Nelson    

  Daylilies        

An almost perfect perennial for the Midwestern garden.   Don’t be fooled by their delicate appearance; daylilies are truly tough plants. They tolerate a variety of soil conditions from dry to wet and rich to rocky. They grow in full sun, partial sun and …

By Sandra Nelson  

In the last few years I have come to understand how important it is to make my garden inviting for pollinators such as bees and butterflies. Pollination by bees help support the four crops that make up 90% of the world’s food production while butterflies also act as pollinators and are …

  By Sandra Nelson  

The more I read about bees and their relatives, wasps and flies, the more fascinated I become with these tiny powerhouses and the more I understand why people are so passionate about providing for them and protecting them. As we mentioned in last week’s blog, honeybees may be the most well-known bee, …

  By Sandra Nelson   One of my favorite things to do this summer is to quietly sit on my deck, watching dozens of bees and butterflies flitting through the yard enjoying the nectar buffet I’ve planted. This is the first year that I’ve had a steady stream of visitors and it feels like the …