Nothing could be simpler than to select plants for the garden that bloom in April and May, unless you are utterly confused by the wealth of choices. Walk through your local garden center this weekend and there are dozens of blooming plants, for sun or shade, wet areas or dry, that grow ankle high or…

I am usually late for the party, if I arrive at all. I have been negligent updating what’s blooming in the garden, so today I’ll try to be as brief as possible and cover as much ground as possible. From one end of the garden to the other there are blooms, with some continuing from…

Yes, I have Japanese maples. Hundreds, thousands, perhaps millions! Or more. In the soil below the Bloodgood maple, and the Burgundy Lace, beneath the two Seriyu maples the seedlings are as thick as pachysandra. I haven’t the heart to pull them when so many people spend their hard earned dollars for these treasures, but eventually…

I’ve been gardening this one acre plot since 1988. When I look at photos from the early years I’m amazed at the open pasture land, and minuscule plants that tower over the garden today. The space filled quickly with a few shade trees (a magnificent purple beech, katsura, and black gum), flowering trees (magnolias, dogwoods, redbuds, crapemyrtles,…

In any garden there are difficult areas, poor soil, too dry, soggy, too many roots, sun baked, or dark as a dungeon. In my garden I have spots with some of all of these, often with a combination of issues that makes plant selection tricky. Mostly through trial and error I’ve discovered trees, shrubs, and perennials…

The last weekend in April is drawing to a close, and blooms in the garden couldn’t be more abundant. The flowers of redbuds (below, the glossy new leaves of ‘Forest Pansy’ redbud) and dogwoods have faded, though there are a few remaining on dogwoods in the shade, but fringetree (Chionanthus) and ‘Ivory Silk’ tree lilac…

I should not be surprised by the cool temperatures on this week’s end that are not cold, but are a dramatic change from the delightful seventies we’ve had for much of the past several weeks. The weather in the mid Atlantic region in March and April is “variable”, which is to say that there can…

They’re everywhere! Blooms, blossoms, flowers, everything that can bloom is blooming. The magnolias, cherries (above), and serviceberry blooming in March are long past, victims of the ninety degree temperatures a week ago that accelerated their cycle from flower to leaf. I feared the same fate for the redbuds (below)and dogwoods that flowered earlier than is…

Everything you plant dies? You think you have a brown thumb? I’m sorry, there’s no such thing. Anyone can grow plants, even you! In nearly four decades in the landscape business, and longer as a gardener, I’ve been amazed and confounded by the complexity that people attribute to the simple act of selecting and planting…

I think that I’m a happy person. Of course, I also think of myself as laid back, and people who hear that chuckle in disbelief, so perhaps I’m not qualified to judge. I consider myself a lazy gardener. I’m quite content to put important tasks off as long as possible, sometimes until the time to…