headerphoto

Perennial Flower Garden Blog



I have had a love affair with perennial flowers for many years and this is the place where I share my latest articles, perennial flower gardening tips, pictures and what I'm doing in my perennial gardens.  And yes, I have more than one perennial garden because one simply won't hold all the plants I want to grow.  :-)  The fun thing in all this is that my garden is brand-new and I'm building it from scratch.  Here's what I'm up to.  

If you have a question, you can ask it here.

New subscriptions to the newsletter can be signed up on the left nav bar.  And the links section lists my other sites too - just in case you're looking for other gardening information.

In answer to the question, "What have you done for me lately?" :-)   Here it is.

All the new articles fit to print.



Jul 4, 2008, Agastache

In looking at my seedling trays in late March, I see the Golden Agastache has popped up. This is much to my surprise I note as I’ve never grown this plant before and I wasn’t sure how it would grow. To be sure, I’ve grown the old-fashioned lovely Agastache (pronounced Aga – sta – cheee)

Permalink -- click for full blog post


Jul 4, 2008, Plant perennials around holly bush

Hello, Is it sufficient to have 12 -17 inches between the stem of a holly bush and a perennial plant i want to put in it's vicinity? Thanks, Taruna

Permalink -- click for full blog post


Jul 4, 2008, Astilbe Doesn't Bloom Properly

I have grown Astilbe in the past, with good success. I recently moved and have cultivated a small shade garden. It is actually on the south side of

Permalink -- click for full blog post


Jul 3, 2008, David Austin Roses

David Austin roses are named for the breeder (David Austin who else?) :-) and this rose class is sometimes also referred to

Permalink -- click for full blog post


Jul 2, 2008, Something is eating my Jacobs Ladder

I planted 3 Jacobs Ladder plants this spring. Something seems to be eating them, one of the plants is almost gone and the other two are showing signs

Permalink -- click for full blog post


Jul 2, 2008, How to keep daylilies alive in vase longer...

I inherited a beautiful daylily garden but despite cutting stems at an angle and immediately immersing in water my lilies' blooms fold in by the next

Permalink -- click for full blog post


Jul 2, 2008, Hollyhock transplanting

We found some old hollyhock plants around an old farm house and we are wondering when we can dig them up and transplant them into our garden. Doug

Permalink -- click for full blog post


Jun 27, 2008, ornamental herbs

Can ornamental herbs be used as culinary herbs? Doug says that an herb is an herb. And they all can serve multiple uses in a garden - ornamental as

Permalink -- click for full blog post


Jun 23, 2008, Floppy, sloppy-looking blue lyme grasses

Last summer while having our yard redone, the landscaper planted 3 very pretty blue lyme grass plants. This summer they are not standing up but are

Permalink -- click for full blog post


Jun 17, 2008, Unhappy " Becky" Shasta Daisy

I have planted two shasta daisy plants, one is doing wonderful the other is obviously unhappy. The plant is druping and the leaves have started

Permalink -- click for full blog post


Jun 13, 2008, Do You Trim Dianthus pixie

Do you trim the dead flowers after bloom? Doug says - yes. Simply prune or pinch off the dead stems as low to the rest of the plant as you can. If

Permalink -- click for full blog post


Jun 12, 2008, Perennial Hibiscus

I live in Georgia and planted by Hibiscus last year. After a while, the leaves on the stems looked like they were short of water .... I watered and

Permalink -- click for full blog post


Jun 12, 2008, Perennials after flooding

Most of my perennials appear to be dead after recent flooding. Will they grow again next year or should I replace all of them? Doug says - that I'd

Permalink -- click for full blog post


Jun 10, 2008, Myths of Ground Covers

The first thing you have to understand aboutground covers is that they aren't always what they're advertised.

Permalink -- click for full blog post


Jun 6, 2008, fish in compost

Can fish and shrimp remains be successfully put in a compost pile? I remember reading in elementary school that the Indians taught the Pilgrim's to

Permalink -- click for full blog post


Jun 6, 2008, Tree Peony

I have 2 small tree peony plants. At first I didn't know what the ugly dead branch in the garden was. So I dug it up and it came apart in pieces. I

Permalink -- click for full blog post


Jun 3, 2008, Moving Perennials - Moving Houses - Winter Move

I plan to move in 6 months (December in Montana, very cold, frozen ground). Have you heard of moving perrenials to plastic pots in the spring and

Permalink -- click for full blog post


Jun 3, 2008, How do I help my Purple Fountain Grass survive the winter?

I live in VA in Zone 7. I just planted a whole lot of purple fountain grass. Is it possible for this plant to survive over the winter in my area?

Permalink -- click for full blog post


Jun 2, 2008, mums

i bought a mums plant . i want to know if i can plant it outside thank you Doug says you can plant it outside for sure but it isn't

Permalink -- click for full blog post


Jun 2, 2008, Crown Vetch

I have this growing in my soybean fields and I cannot kill it it keeps coming back. Will Roundup or something kill it before the soybeans pop thru the

Permalink -- click for full blog post


Jun 2, 2008, Straggly purple cone flower

I planted purple cone flower from seed last year and they grew tall and leggy. This spring some are much bushier, but some are still straggly and

Permalink -- click for full blog post


Jun 2, 2008, Invasive weed

When we purchased our home it came complete with a rock garden. However, there is an invasive weed that I cant seem to get rid of. It spreads very

Permalink -- click for full blog post


May 27, 2008, pruning foxglove and coreopsis

I am hesistant about pruning my foxglove and coreopsis because of such succesful growth this year. Perennial planting has become a bit of an

Permalink -- click for full blog post


May 26, 2008, how does an Oak tree affect the soil in my garden?

Hi. We have had an oak tree in the middle of our garden that was planted 27 years ago. Last weekend we finally transplanted it far away from the

Permalink -- click for full blog post


May 26, 2008, Hosta growth problems.

What would cause hosta to grow in a scattered pattern rather than in a clump? The centers of the plants don't seem to be emerging this year and the

Permalink -- click for full blog post


May 22, 2008, shade perennial gardens

Great shade perennial gardens are one of the wonders of the garden world and here are two tips to make yours better. These are the most relaxing of gardens... Permalink -- click for full blog post


May 22, 2008, perennial geranium

Here's how to grow the hardy perennial geranium, not those tender cosseted plants that have usurped another's name... Permalink -- click for full blog post


May 22, 2008, christmas rose, hellebore

The Christmas rose is one of the easiest and longest-blooming shade plants to grow if you follow these suggestions... Permalink -- click for full blog post


May 22, 2008, hibiscus in the South

My hibicus has long and spindely limbs and the limbs have very few leaves. They are tall and somewhat bare. What can I do to correct this? I

Permalink -- click for full blog post


May 21, 2008, transplanting lotus

I need to transplant my lotus and there seems to be a long runner coming from the tuber that has about 9 sprouts, each with it's own root. Can I cut

Permalink -- click for full blog post


May 20, 2008, Where are my black eyed Susans?

My newly planted black eyed Susans bloomed beautifully last year but I am still waiting for some sign of life this year. It is the middle of May and

Permalink -- click for full blog post


May 20, 2008, Have I KILLED my hardy hibiscus?

I beleive I have a perennial hardy hibiscus. My son bought it from XXXX where he works and gave it to me for Mothers Day. I live in Lyndhurst, NJ

Permalink -- click for full blog post


May 20, 2008, Hollyhock Trimming off the top

If I trim the tops of hollyhocks will I get flowers and what will happen to the plant? Doug says - you want to trim the tops off your hollyhocks?

Permalink -- click for full blog post


May 20, 2008, pond rock garden

What would you suggest for the edgin of this pond in Minnesota? Doug says that if you want a rock garden here, then you're going to have to start by

Permalink -- click for full blog post


May 16, 2008, flamingo phlox, coneflowers and clay soils

I had some flamingo phloxx and coneflowers last year and they did not do so well. They are in clay soil that gets moist often. Could these conditions

Permalink -- click for full blog post


May 15, 2008, best ground cover for sandy soil

I have an area above a retaining wall that leads into woods. It has sandy soil and I am wondering if creeping phlox would be the best grown cover or

Permalink -- click for full blog post


May 15, 2008, Ground cover for a rocky, clay slope with some erosion.

Doug, I hope you can help me find a fast growing ground cover for my very infrequently traversed backyard. I live in Missouri(zone 5 I believe)on a

Permalink -- click for full blog post


May 13, 2008, hollyhock leaves are yellow

Of my three hollyhock plants, one has yellowed, anemic looking leaves. All were in approximately the same soil and sunlight. What's up with this?

Permalink -- click for full blog post


May 12, 2008, Broken Purple Fountain Grass

We were planting and one of our fountain grasses broke off right at the soil line. Should I return it or can it be saved? Thanks, Anna. Doug says as

Permalink -- click for full blog post


May 9, 2008, Invasive vining plant

I live in Indiana.I planted two Loesener Bitteersweeet, Celastrus rostbornianus. I was told that Oriental bittersweeet, Celastrus orbiculatus is

Permalink -- click for full blog post


May 8, 2008, Do Nematodes Hurt My Garden

Do Nematodes carry Virus & Bacteria and will they infect my perenial garden? Laura B.in Ma USA Doug says that there likey hundreds of species of

Permalink -- click for full blog post


May 8, 2008, Planting Beneath a Cedar Hedge

I have an area beneath cedar trees that I would like to put something green and beautiful there. The cedars are very well established, so their root

Permalink -- click for full blog post


May 8, 2008, Building a full sun perennial garden

I am building a full sun perennial garden that is about 3m in length and 2m in width. I was wondering if you could suggest a few perennials that have

Permalink -- click for full blog post


May 6, 2008, Cottage Garden Design, Cottage Garden

Cottage garden design books have always given me a bit of a giggle. I know, I know - you're not amused but hang with me... Permalink -- click for full blog post


May 6, 2008, Cottage Garden Plants, Cottage Garden

Choosing cottage garden plants is a fairly simple and straightforward affair. Permalink -- click for full blog post


May 6, 2008, Hummingbird Gardens, Hummingbirds

Please understand that this is not an exhaustive list of plants for hummingbird gardens but just the most common plants. Permalink -- click for full blog post


May 6, 2008, placing sun-loving perennials in shade

A friend bought these wonderful flowers for me. I have no idea where best to put them. The 3 areas where I have flower-beds are mostly shaded with a

Permalink -- click for full blog post


May 6, 2008, Perennial Garden Design, Garden Design

Perennial garden design is the ultimate skill in the magical world of gardening. While my garden isn't bad, what I really...

Permalink -- click for full blog post


May 5, 2008, Plants in shade in Florida

What kind of plants will grow in complete shade under a big oak tree? Doug says that he's not a Southern gardener and really can't advise you on

Permalink -- click for full blog post


May 5, 2008, SELF SEEDING PLANTS

Will cleaning up the perennial area in the fall limit the self seeding process of the perennials that drop seed which blooms in spring? Doug says if

Permalink -- click for full blog post




Click here for gardening questions




Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Subscribe in a reader

Add to Google Reader or Homepage



shasta daisy

Shasta Daisy





Japanese Iris
Japanese Iris