Author: sunrise-frans

If gardening is a new interest, you’ve chosen the right place to begin. Amaryllis deliver huge, brilliant flowers, in abundance and in lots of jazzy color combinations. Some are even fragrant. They are also – surprisingly – among the easiest plants to grow. The amaryllis offered here don’t need any special cooling or conditioning and will come back year after year with a bit of care. Let the fun begin!

Outdoor Beds

Many people don’t think of outdoor garden sites when they consider amaryllis. But for enormous blooms, year after year, these plants really shine. Showcase 5 – 7 bulbs on either side of your front door for a display that guarantees tremendous curb appeal and prompts a satisfied smile when you step out of the car. Continue reading “Tips For Growing Amaryllis”

Modified From www.emmitsburg.net/gardens

Winter is arriving sooner than you think, and there are bound to be several cold snowy or rainy days over the next several months. Now is the time to assess our backyard gardens to see how wildlife-friendly they are – or could be – with a little human help. By providing food, water, cover, and places for wildlife to raise their young, backyard gardeners can make a difference, even during the cold winter months.

The best way to offer winter food for wildlife is by planting vegetation that produces berries, nuts, or seeds. Some good choices would be viburnums, sumac, dogwood, and the deciduous winterberry holly. Seed heads on flowers can be left on the perennials like coneflowers to provide visual interest in the winter garden as well as food for wildlife. For example, juncos, sparrows, and goldfinches eat the seeds of ragweed and native species of sunflowers, mints and thistles. Continue reading “Winterizing Your Garden For Our Wildlife Friends”

From www.emmitsburg.net/gardens; written by Linda Knox
(Adams County Master Gardener)

What makes a “winter” garden special? Or perhaps the question should be: what makes an ordinary garden a special winter garden? Quite simply, the fact that a garden appears at a time when everything else in the winter landscape is dull, plain and brown is outstanding alone.

Starting from the horizontal aspect, you may decide to build walkways or edges at various sections of the yard. Remember that pieces of walks or paths create interest if set at angles or if irregular stone shapes are used. A curved path approaching an entrance extends its own invitation to the visitor approaching your front door. The path may be stone, brick, concrete, paving blocks or gravel; even a perfectly flat front or side yard benefits by the delineation of planting areas. A small statue tucked into a corner or between beds at the edge of the garden adds interest to the design, and generally, small spaces appear larger if plants around the edges surround a wider lawn. Continue reading “Plans For A Winter Garden”