When I awoke this morning, I realized a container of sunflowers had come into bloom. While I enjoy seeing them out the window in their staging area on the deck, I began to think about how to include them with the other flower containers that we see every day for a new look. Here’s a … Continue reading
Filed under Landscape Design …
On the Way to “After”
Unlike yard renovation on reality TV, some projects at home take a long time. Garden bloggers see many others’ beautiful results. As of mid-summer at Plant Exchange blog, we have a little progress here! The vision for this area of the yard came from a previous owner who installed cement steps and a wall of … Continue reading
Front Entrance–Aim for attractive and functional
By mid-July, the annual and perennial plantings are established and provide texture and color to the front entrance area. The north-facing entrance and small patio area have late afternoon shade complemented by a nearby Japanese maple tree. A bit of green space under the tree, foundation plantings, especially near the entrance, and movable planters add … Continue reading
Bouquet of Ideas
It’s a snowy day at Plant Exchange Blog. The kind of day to think about the yard and flowerbeds for next season and enjoy a peony bouquet of ideas. Below is a suburban city lot in the Midwest. The homeowner skillfully created a soil berm in the flat yard that displays all the flowerbed plants … Continue reading
Before We Forget Colors of Autumn
Fall color plants can be the high point of the growing season. Annuals that were stars all summer, disappear with frost, leaving space for cold-tolerant plants to take center stage. Some are easy to grow. One of many plants that display color in fall in this region is the hardy chrysanthemum. It’s a perennial commonly … Continue reading
Wayne’s Hobby Garden
We look for what adds dimension and a bit of passion to an ordinary day. Wayne Nelson-Stastny says his vegetable and ornamental gardening hobby adds to his mind, body, and spirit. The way he chooses to garden, he is involved in it most of the year. His plans for the garden include seeds from many cultures. … Continue reading
Dependable Woodland Tobacco
As the growing season ends, some plants have contributed extra for their part in the flower garden. Here, one of them is Woodland Tobacco (Nicotiana sylvestris). It’s is an ornamental plant that grows as a direct-seeded annual in this region. It’s a member of the Nightshade family (Solanaceae) that contains potatoes, tomatoes, and eggplant. Its origins … Continue reading
Yard that Celebrates Summer
Paula and Dan Hicks have generated a yard that celebrates summer. Flowers turn heads from spring to fall. Many visited their yard on the Missouri Valley Master Gardener Yard and Garden Tour in June. Salmon blossoms and bright green foliage against their white-washed red brick house, red and purple petunias cascading from a décor cart, … Continue reading
Thoughts About Garden Photos
Paul Harens is a retired Yankton High School language arts and social studies teacher who now has time to learn more about photography. His interest in plants goes back to childhood and he combines gardening and preserving what he sees. Harens is self-taught but also learns from others in the Yankton Area Photography Club. His … Continue reading
Landscape Designer’s Yard
How people make their yards one-of-a-kind, is amazing. At a regional Garden Writers Association tour held in western Michigan last summer, Cami Geschwendt, a professional landscape designer, showed her private suburban yard. Trees, perennials, flowers and sculptures are dominant elements in her design. Let’s take a peek: Among the pansies, a sculpture container wears a … Continue reading
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