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celebrate the dog days

The brightest of the stars in the Big Dog constellation is Sirius, the Dog Star. In the mid-summer, it can be seen rising and setting with the sun. This conjunction caused the ancients to believe that Sirius’ brightness added to the heat of the sun, creating a stretch...

all about hydrangeas

Soon it will be July, and one of our favorite shrubs will be in glorious bloom. Can you guess? I recently came across a Garden Center pricebook from 1982 and there was one hydrangea variety available! Five years later we had three. Fast forward to 2025 and we started...

ladies and gents, meet the beetles

It’s June and by the end of the month, many a gardeners’ most hated day of the entire summer will be here - the annual emergence of the dreaded Japanese Beetles. We’re hoping that this year’s cooler spring means that our Plant Information Desk will not be surprised by...

mid summer dreams

Early summer is an especially nice time to start a garden journal. Your what-to-do-in-the-garden-today lists have shortened and everything is just so achingly beautiful. Jot down plants that you’ve seen and are interested in adding to your own garden, annual container...

the seasons go round and round

Although June often ushers in a gentler garden, it looks like the kaleidoscopic colors of May might linger with us a bit longer. My peonies are just beginning to bloom and the hardy geraniums are not even yet showing flower buds. Spring temperatures see-sawed up and...

jumpin’ jack flash

Are they fireflies, glowworms or lightning bugs? It doesn’t really matter what you call them because one of our favorite sights of summer are those yellow-green orbs flashing against the backdrop of the garden at dusk. Fireflies are not flies. Nor are lightning bugs,...

why grow your own veggies?

It seems as though the pace of setting up for spring is faster every year, but this season is especially frenzied. The yoyo temperatures had all of us itching to start gardening in March, even though those chilly nights held back a lot of our plant deliveries and...

gardeners start your engines!

May is many a gardener’s favorite month, and this year even more so! The seesaw spring had spring flowers developing in fits and starts, but the warm temps late last week pushed many plants hard, all at once. My drive into work each morning is a little reminiscent of...

patience is a virtue

Gardeners are not the kind of folks who enjoy being cooped up in the house all winter. When the weather finally breaks, and plants begin to emerge from dormancy, it’s understandable that we are eager to greet every new shoot and admire every swelling bud. But, we can...

no april showers bring…

April of 2025 wasn’t particularly shower-ful, but the flowers are bursting into bloom despite the dry weather. And Monday’s unsettled weather has us scrambling to get plants under cover and protected from the storm that never was. I don’t believe that there is any...
stop and smell the violets

stop and smell the violets

written by Lisa Briggs
During the holidays, when we need stress relief the most, we turn to gardening again and again, not only because it’s our passion, but because it is also our favorite form of therapy.

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a celebration of the season

a celebration of the season

written by Lisa Briggs
Many of the traditions and legends of the winter holidays have their roots in ancient celebrations from northern Europe, where the long winter brought the longest darkness, the deepest cold and the greatest fear.

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ode to the evergreens

ode to the evergreens

written by Lisa Briggs
The indoor Holiday Wonderland has been up and running for a week or so, but this week has seen so many trucks filled with evergreen wreaths, garland and trees from up north. Our once empty nursery yard is filled with the fragrance of fir and cedar.

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classic holiday plants

classic holiday plants

I love the bustle of the winter holidays. If I regret taking on extra projects, the sight of family faces around the table at Thanksgiving makes all of the work worthwhile. You can use all kinds of things to decorate for the holidays-live plants, foraged stems, fruits...

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we’ll light up your life

we’ll light up your life

written by Lisa Briggs
There’s no snow forecasted in our immediate future. So why not add some holiday decorating to this weekend’s chore list and hang your Christmas lights? These beautiful, late fall days are perfect for getting a jump on outdoor holiday decorating.

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fall into winter

fall into winter

written by Lisa Briggs
Wow. We’re more than halfway through October and no sign of a hard frost! The old saying goes “No frost until after the full moon in October.” The long range forecasts do predict some pretty chilly temps next weekend. So we’ll see if the adage is true.

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