In the gardener’s world there are two mortal enemies – deer and disease.  Or at least they are mine – if I ignore my parsnip-munching voles, Amazon-sized mosquitoes and steroidal slugs. When my show stopping Heuchera (coral bells) were cut down in their prime by rust, a fungal infection, it was almost enough to…

Narrow side gardens are the reality for many suburban homes but die hard gardeners don’t need to sacrifice height and beauty just because their footprint is small. Look for trees, shrubs  and perennials that have a columnar shape without growing too wide. Even in larger gardens there is a need for ‘punctuation’ points and these…

    We tend to think of garden walls and fences as utilitarian – simply a means of defining a space, marking a property boundary or holding back soil. Yet they can be so much more than that. Making the most of a small space I had the opportunity to visit this Seattle area garden…

I had the opportunity to visit the Denver Botanic Gardens last week. As I pulled on thermals, several layers of fleece and my thickest socks I began to doubt my sanity! Temperatures were well below zero and I was the only person outside; other visitors were safely ensconced in the tropical steaminess of the orchid…

Seed catalogs should carry a warning label "Beware, this may be hazardous to your …." You fill in the blank.   There is a certain addictive quality to them. You know that all you really need are parsnips and lettuce. OK and maybe you'll swing for those nice heirloom tomatoes you tried last year. Mind…

You've heard the saying “good things come in small packages”? Well this collection of pint-sized berry BrazelBerries seem sure to prove the point! I have all three tucked safely inside my vegetable garden (to thwart the deer) and can’t wait to snack on these treats in summer. BrazelBerries ‘Raspberry Shortcake’. I like raspberries – a lot, so…

  Forget the resolutions to eat less and exercise more. Good ideas but hardly enough to get excited about. Now if we're talking finding the hottest plants for 2013 THEN I get excited, especially if we're talking great foliage. Here are some of the best new leafy introductions to watch out for and there's not…

On the first day of Christmas the garden gave to me A wasp’s nest in an oak tree.   On the second day of Christmas the garden gave to me Two snails a-sliming and a wasp’s nest in an oak tree   On the third day of Christmas the garden gave to me Three deer a-chewing,  two snails a-sliming and a wasp’s nest in…

Rosy cheeks (and noses) are as much a part of winter as woolly scarves and mittens, but do you realize how many shrubs also take on a winter blush? A stroll around my garden this morning made me appreciate anew that the garden is never really dormant – there is always something new to discover.…

A winter garden doesn't just ‘happen’, it takes planning. Most of us visit nurseries earlier in the year when we are seduced into buying ephemeral spring beauties, colorful summer perennials and fall foliage. It takes serious restraint to look beyond those and seek plants that offer great bark, interesting silhouettes, winter flowers and bright berries. As I…