The Bruce Company Blog

written by Lisa Briggs
Fireflies are not flies. Nor are lightning bugs, bugs. And no one would think that a glowworm is actually a worm. These creatures are classified as beetles and inhabit areas like meadows, open woods and of course, Midwestern backyards.

written by Lisa Briggs
Although June usually ushers in the gentler garden, the kaleidoscopic colors of May might linger with us a bit longer. Spring temperatures seesawed up and seesawed down, but it finally feels like the weather has caught up to the calendar!

written by Lisa Briggs
Butterfly gardens can be any size, from a small window box to a large, untended portion of your landscape. They can be as simple as you’d like, from a mono-planting of coneflowers to a constantly blooming border of host plants and nectar-rich perennials.

written by Lisa Briggs
Late May is usually a gardener’s favorite time of year! Every yard reminds me of Technicolor Munchkinland when Dorothy leaves that fallen house.

written by Lisa Briggs
There are many commonly-planted trees, shrubs and perennials that are slow to emerge in the spring, especially after this roller coaster of early spring. We like to think of these plants as teenagers, lolling about in the garden bed late on a Saturday morning, while the rest of the plants in our borders are up and flaunting spring color.

written by Lisa Briggs
Many gardeners use Mother’s Day weekend as permission from Mother Nature to plant all of their tender annuals and vegetables. But you should keep your ears tuned to your favorite forecaster.

The plant buyers at the Garden Center take many things into consideration when they evaluate what new varieties to introduce to our customers. We are gardeners ourselves and are as excited as anyone when the catalogs start arriving touting the best of what’s new.

Those days in the 70s gave us hope that spring would be early this year, but this week’s temperature nosedive has felt like Old Man Winter is delivering a last one-two punch.