Maryland Gardening

How to Prepare Your Garden for Fall

How to Prepare Your Garden for Fall

Who doesn’t love the sight of their garden in the spring and summer? During these beautiful seasons, your garden is bursting with color and life, flowers and shrubs, bumblebees and sunshine. Fall might not typically be a season we associate with beauty in the garden, but this season can be an amazing time for your garden as well. Even though this is typically the season when many of your summer plants begin to return to their dormant state, plenty of other plants are just starting to open up and enjoy the sunlight. Think…continue reading →

How to Plant Annuals

It’s that time of year again. The trees are full of leaves. The sun is shining. And everywhere you go, the flowers are out blooming. Your neighbors have beautiful gardens featuring flowers of every shape, color and size. Even your local shopping centers probably have flowers planted along the walkways. Are you wondering how your neighbors get their gardens to look so gorgeous? They must spend hours and hours every day working on them, right? Not necessarily. You can have a beautiful garden without sacrificing hours of your time. All it takes is…continue reading →
Tips for Keeping Your Lawn Green in the Summer

Tips for Keeping Your Lawn Green in the Summer

Tips for Keeping Your Lawn Green in the Summer Summer is the time when we want our lawns to look their best. But it's also the time they undergo the most stress. Drought and hot temperatures threaten to fry our carefully cultivated, lush, green lawns. Increased traffic from pets and kids cause more wear and tear than we'd like. Warm weather can cause insect and disease issues to arise. Combined, all of these factors can leave our once-green lawns looking brown and dry. While hot and dry weather may be inevitable, a brown…continue reading →
Best Trees and Shrubs for Birds in the Winter

Best Trees and Shrubs for Birds in the Winter

During the colder weather here in Maryland, birds have to find their own food. Berries, seeds, and habitats in protected tree limbs are not as plentiful as they are during the warmer summer months. But, there’s an easy solution to this problem: planting trees and shrubs for birds to get sustenance from throughout the cooler weather. Let's talk about the best trees and shrubs for birds in the winter! Great examples of smaller shrubs that attract the birds in the winter are bayberry, winterberry holly and viburnum. All of these have berries that persist throughout…continue reading →
How to Grow A Wildflower Garden

How to Grow A Wildflower Garden

There's something timeless and carefree about a wildflower garden. Wildflower gardens are full of beautiful annuals and perennials, a celebration of natural beauty. It can be intimidating to think about creating one in your landscape but it doesn't have to be. In fact, planting a stunning wildflower garden doesn't have to be hard at all.  Sometimes it's as simple as sprinkle, water and watch the wildflowers grow. There are easy wildflower seed kits, from such companies as Encap, that include all the essentials needed - mulch, seed and fertilizer. Or, if you just need…continue reading →
What is the Difference between Pansies, Violas and Panolas?

What is the Difference between Pansies, Violas and Panolas?

Gardeners often confuse Pansies, Violas, and Panolas with each other. All are wonderful fall and winter, as well as early spring, plants but they have slight differences that are worth noting. Pansies vs. Violas In the fall, winter and early spring season there are few flowers that will bloom and produce lots of color despite the cold weather. Surprisingly, one of the sturdiest plants are pansies. Pansies look and act a lot like violas but they have a much larger flower, and larger leaves as well. Another difference between the two fall favorites…continue reading →
Easy Steps to Fall Lawn Renovation

Easy Steps to Fall Lawn Renovation

Did you know that fall is the best time of the year to make your old lawn look better than ever or to establish a new lawn? Early to mid-fall is a great time to take on the important job of a fall lawn renovation. The soil is still warm and yet the air is cool; the perfect combination for grass seeds to germinate and turf to take root quickly. Here are some simple tips to renovate your lawn. Seeding or Overseeding an Existing Lawn If you are planning to seed a new lawn or overseed…continue reading →
Mixing Annuals and Perennials for Fall Color

Mixing Annuals and Perennials for Fall Color

Even though it’s the end of Summer and the daytime temperatures are still 80+, fall and cooler weather are approaching. As the temperatures start to decrease, and the days start to get shorter, it’s time to start thinking about what to color your containers, patio or yard with. The plants will be grouped by type, annual or perennial, but all will be plants designed to be showy in the fall and winter. Annuals last only one season, either summer or spring/fall but usually have more color, while perennials will last for many years…continue reading →