Smart Garden

Ten of the best I am a fully paid-up member of Snowdrops Anonymous because I have a large collection of named plants collected over the past 30 years. They are a mixed blessing because while they brighten up the winter, they are also a constant source of anxiety! Some have a death wish and will die out again and again in a short time. Others are slow-growing and can take up to 10 years for a single bulb to triple in size due to lack of vigor. Many look very similar, so a lost label is a disaster. Fortunately, there are unique snowdrops that come back year after year and make good clusters in many gardens and conditions. The RHS Bulb Expert Panel has awarded AGMs or Garden Merit Awards to about a dozen or so of the best. If they grow well, lots of bulbs will come up for sale, which will drive down the price, so the cheaper snowdrops How to care for these beautiful flowers and the varieties that deserve a place in your garden are often the best 1. G. elwesii ‘Godfrey Owen’ A...

When fashion is coming out too quickly In the high tide, in the ruins of a time when fashion is coming out too quickly, tired and saturated, cutting-edge fashion is rolling in. However, it’s not just clothes and music, as cars, colors, home furnishings and even plants are at the mercy of people who want to keep the popular stuff. Fast forward to the early 2000s and, thanks to television and social media, we can’t get enough of them again, and of course, we’ll be moving forward to revive and love again other plants that have been waiting a long time to make a comeback. These are my favorites, and please share with us any other plants you’d like to see on the road to a comeback. 1. Conifers Unfortunately, we’ve all imagined the horrors of the monster Leylandia (Cupressus × Leylandia) growing in the mountains. Erase that dream from your memory and make friends with the Japanese cedar, Cryptomeria japonica ‘Little Sonja’. This small conifer, with its 'crocheted' mid-gr...

 Ten Silver-garden Plants  That Will Add Glamour and Drama to Your Borders Whatever the Situation Andy, who works at House and Scampston Hall, now a private estate in Wiltshire, has always been a big fan of using metallic tones in the garden: “From a planting perspective, silver plants bring a lightness to a palette,” he says. “White can be a bit too hard on the eye, but silver can add sharpness to a border. Silver and grey-leafed plants generally work well in drier conditions. They don’t need much moisture, but they do best in well-draining soil, and they can like it to be warm.” Metallic plants are naturally suited to full sun locations, but Andy has added several woodlands to his list of ten favorites 1. Eryngium giganteum “The height and pointed shape of the flowers on Miss Wilmot’s Ghost are really pretty.” It grows quite tall – usually up to a metre – which makes it great in a dry garden, as some dry garden plants can be a bit tall,” Andy notes. “It’s also g...

 6 Breathtaking Blue Hydrangea Shrubs to Grow Blue is a favorite color for flowers in the garden. Try these blue hydrangea shrubs for their large blooms and eye-catching color. Blue hydrangeas are the perfect gift to give when you need to apologize or when you are apologizing. They symbolize sadness and regret. Keeping Blue Hydrangeas Blue In basic neutral soil, large-leaf hydrangeas will produce pink flowers , while in acidic soil, blue flowers are produced. So if your soil has a neutral or high pH, ​​you should treat the soil around your blue hydrangeas with aluminum sulfate to keep that blue color. Related : Small and best hydrangeas your space While there are many home remedies for acidifying soil, such as mulching with pine needles and coffee grounds or citrus peels, the best and most effective way is to purchase a ready-made soil acidifier product from your local garden center. These products will not only do the trick, but will also have long-lasting effects. T...

 Best Native Hydrangeas: Plant Test Results These unpretentious species are guaranteed to bloom, and they’re also great for cross-pollination. Everyone loves hydrangeas, but no one likes to see a year’s worth of blooms destroyed by a deep winter freeze or an ill-timed pruning session. Fortunately, there are a few closely related North American native species that bloom on new wood, meaning they can be pruned anytime from fall to early spring, or killed to the ground by frost, without sacrificing their beautiful blooms. For five years, staff and volunteers at the Mount Cuba Center in Hagesin, Delaware, evaluated the delicate hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens, zones 3–9) and two close relatives: the gray hydrangea (H. cinerea, zones 4–9) and the silver-leaf hydrangea (H. radiata, zones 3–8). We categorized this collection of native plants as “wild hydrangeas.” Most of the plants in the test were soft hydrangea cultivars (i.e., natives), with a few selections from other sp...

New Houseplants Before You Display Them Beautiful gardens aren’t just for the outdoors. You can create a lush garden inside your home by adding the right houseplants. Houseplants are a great way to bring a peaceful, natural feel indoors. Whether you have one plant or a bunch of them, it’s important to care for them properly. The right soil, the right amount of water, and the right light and temperature will vary depending on the type of plant. But there’s one task you can do for any houseplant you bring home: clean it. Give your new houseplant a gentle rinse with plain, warm water. Larger plants can be placed under a shower head for this task, while smaller plants can fit in the sink, where a hose sprayer can be helpful. After rinsing, wipe the broad leaves with a soft cloth or paper towel. This treatment will remove any dust or residue from hard water, fertilizers, or pesticides used by the previous grower or nursery. It can also kill hidden pests that you don’t want to s...

Perennials with Staying Power There’s a bewildering selection to choose from online and at garden centers, so how do you choose the right ones for your garden? One way to choose perennials is to choose perennials: This means they’re reliable, or have long-lasting blooms or foliage that makes an impact all year round. This is especially important in a small space where every plant needs to add value. This is especially useful if you’re planting in containers. Combine a small evergreen shrub, a trailing plant like ivy, and a long-blooming perennial for a mix that will look good for months. Change Up Your Garden This time of year, it’s exciting to think about plants that will change up your garden over the summer. Instead of choosing plants that look good for a month and then reusing them, choose hardy perennials like geraniums, salvias, or penstemons, which are not only low-maintenance but also bloom for months, often in early fall. This will save you time and money.  Ot...