Perennial Flower Gardening Blog Articles

Jul 4, Agastache

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 14:27:52 GMT

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)

Jul 4, Plant perennials around holly bush

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 13:28:18 GMT

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

Jul 4, Astilbe Doesn't Bloom Properly

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 13:25:21 GMT

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

Jul 3, David Austin Roses

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:05:23 GMT

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

Jul 2, Something is eating my Jacobs Ladder

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:56:08 GMT

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

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

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:53:17 GMT

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

Jul 2, Hollyhock transplanting

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:51:15 GMT

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

Jun 27, ornamental herbs

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 17:09:36 GMT

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

Jun 23, Floppy, sloppy-looking blue lyme grasses

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:13:57 GMT

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

Jun 17, Unhappy " Becky" Shasta Daisy

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 12:18:15 GMT

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

Jun 13, Do You Trim Dianthus pixie

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 14:38:43 GMT

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

Jun 12, Perennial Hibiscus

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:24:13 GMT

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

Jun 12, Perennials after flooding

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:14:47 GMT

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

Jun 10, Myths of Ground Covers

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 18:12:34 GMT

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

Jun 6, fish in compost

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 11:33:21 GMT

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

Jun 6, Tree Peony

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 11:27:10 GMT

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

Jun 3, Moving Perennials - Moving Houses - Winter Move

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 11:52:55 GMT

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

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

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 11:37:52 GMT

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?

Jun 2, mums

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 12:37:21 GMT

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

Jun 2, Crown Vetch

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 12:34:26 GMT

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

Jun 2, Straggly purple cone flower

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 12:27:43 GMT

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

Jun 2, Invasive weed

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 12:24:53 GMT

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

May 27, pruning foxglove and coreopsis

Tue, 27 May 2008 14:20:47 GMT

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

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

Mon, 26 May 2008 11:45:00 GMT

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

May 26, Hosta growth problems.

Mon, 26 May 2008 11:42:48 GMT

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

May 22, shade perennial gardens

Thu, 22 May 2008 15:23:24 GMT

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...

May 22, perennial geranium

Thu, 22 May 2008 12:36:36 GMT

Here's how to grow the hardy perennial geranium, not those tender cosseted plants that have usurped another's name...

May 22, christmas rose, hellebore

Thu, 22 May 2008 12:35:13 GMT

The Christmas rose is one of the easiest and longest-blooming shade plants to grow if you follow these suggestions...

May 22, hibiscus in the South

Thu, 22 May 2008 12:13:00 GMT

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

May 21, transplanting lotus

Wed, 21 May 2008 11:53:13 GMT

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

May 20, Where are my black eyed Susans?

Tue, 20 May 2008 14:49:11 GMT

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

May 20, Have I KILLED my hardy hibiscus?

Tue, 20 May 2008 14:45:47 GMT

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

May 20, Hollyhock Trimming off the top

Tue, 20 May 2008 14:41:07 GMT

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?

May 20, pond rock garden

Tue, 20 May 2008 14:36:35 GMT

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

May 16, flamingo phlox, coneflowers and clay soils

Fri, 16 May 2008 12:02:21 GMT

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

May 15, best ground cover for sandy soil

Thu, 15 May 2008 11:59:07 GMT

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

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

Thu, 15 May 2008 11:56:16 GMT

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

May 13, hollyhock leaves are yellow

Tue, 13 May 2008 11:24:13 GMT

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?

May 12, Broken Purple Fountain Grass

Mon, 12 May 2008 11:41:57 GMT

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

May 9, Invasive vining plant

Fri, 09 May 2008 11:43:39 GMT

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

May 8, Do Nematodes Hurt My Garden

Thu, 08 May 2008 18:52:21 GMT

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

May 8, Planting Beneath a Cedar Hedge

Thu, 08 May 2008 11:07:35 GMT

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

May 8, Building a full sun perennial garden

Thu, 08 May 2008 11:02:07 GMT

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

May 6, Cottage Garden Design, Cottage Garden

Tue, 06 May 2008 21:21:54 GMT

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...

May 6, Cottage Garden Plants, Cottage Garden

Tue, 06 May 2008 21:18:07 GMT

Choosing cottage garden plants is a fairly simple and straightforward affair.

May 6, Hummingbird Gardens, Hummingbirds

Tue, 06 May 2008 21:14:33 GMT
Please understand that this is not an exhaustive list of plants for hummingbird gardens but just the most common plants.

May 6, placing sun-loving perennials in shade

Tue, 06 May 2008 13:05:50 GMT

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

May 6, Perennial Garden Design, Garden Design

Tue, 06 May 2008 12:52:29 GMT

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

May 5, Plants in shade in Florida

Mon, 05 May 2008 23:35:43 GMT

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

May 5, SELF SEEDING PLANTS

Mon, 05 May 2008 15:33:48 GMT

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