ABOUT SPOTTED LANTERN FLY IN THE GARDEN

By Kristina Howley for Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Shrubs

Photos courtesy of Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Shrubs

The spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) has been in the United States since 2014, but has recently gained more attention. This insect looks like a moth to many but is actually a leafhopper. In its adult form, it’s quite beautiful, which is part of the reason an invasive species can be so confusing. How can something so beautiful be a pest? Read more

HOW TO HARVEST, CURE AND STORE

ONIONS

By Kathy LaLiberte for Gardener's Supply Company

Photos courtesy of Gardener's Supply

Tips for keeping garden-fresh onions fresher longer! At Gardener's Supply we find it to be one of the most rewarding times of the year, but it's also important to make sure you're storing your harvest correctly. Check out this article to keep

your garden-fresh onions fresher, for longer! Read more

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FALL FOR STRAW FLOWERS

By Delilah Onofrey for Suntory Flowers

Photos courtesy of Suntory Flowers

Embrace Autumn with new varieties that offer lasting, high-impact color and texture. Just as sweater weather calls for a new wardrobe, it’s time to change out your plants! Garden retailers and local supermarkets are expanding their fall palettes. Mums continue to be the mainstay, but you’ll see more annuals, perennials and grasses to provide the fall harvest feeling. One plant that is a great choice to transition from summer to fall is Granvia bracteantha – the super strawflowers from Suntory. They tolerate hotter and cooler temperatures and will stay in bloom longer than mums. In fact, even after the plant succumbs to a hard frost, you will still have bright dried flowers! Read More

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PUMPKIN SPICE PERENNIALS?

By Dan Heims, Terra Nova Nurseries

Photos courtesy of Terra Nova Nurseries

Campers. Our plants are looking tired, yellowing, frayed at the edges, but the air is still warm. For most of us the first frost is two months away and we are looking forward to cool nights, a whisper of orange in the leaves and a garden that embraces autumn in color and spirit. We still want to garden, but wouldn’t it be nice to stray a little bit from the mums and kale? You can. Think of the color orange -the fallest color of all. It is made of yellow and red, perfect accents. Go to a color wheel and purple is on the far opposite side of orange providing a flawless contrast. Add some goth-black and you have a pumpkin spice combination for a container with some Halloween accents. Read more

THE NUMBER ONE PLANT TO ADD TO THE GARDEN THIS FALL

Article and photos courtesy of Monrovia

Autumn’s cooler weather doesn’t mean it’s time to give up color in the garden. Fall can be a great time to plant perennials and shrubs. The cooler temperatures and typically adequate rainfall provide the perfect growing conditions, maximizing enjoyment this season and beyond. One of the most colorful options for fall foliage is Heuchera. Commonly known as coal bells, this perennial’s wide range of colors include many lovely autumn hues. The color saturated leaves add warmth and texture to the garden. From bright chartreuse, to sparkling ruby, velvety caramel, to deep, dark purples, there is a Heuchera that works for any design style. Read more

TOP REASONS EVERY HOME NEEDS OUTDOOR LIGHTING

Article by Jason Shanabarger

Photos courtesy of Unique Lighting Systems

When a customer asks about outdoor lighting, chances are they’re looking to elevate their curb appeal or increase security around their home. These are excellent reasons to consider an installation, but with custom-designed, professional outdoor lighting there are many more benefits. When talking with customers, be sure they understand the true value of lighting their outdoor space. Read more

GETTING HEALTHY WITH FALL APPLE HARVESTS

Article and photo courtesy of Dr Earth

Many effective antioxidants help decrease oxidative cell damage by free radicals. Apples contain dietary fiber and helpful phytonutrients called flavonoids, which have many different functions. Some act as antioxidants; some help maintain blood consistency without excess clotting; others help regulate blood pressure and reduce inflammation. Fiber stimulates healthy digestion and helps moderate the bad form of cholesterol (LDL), contributing to heart health. Read more

FIVE PERENNIALS THAT REWARD YOU FOR PLANTING IN THE FALL

By Susan Martin for Proven Winners Color Choice

Photos courtesy of Walters Gardens

Rosy flowered sedums are in full bloom in many places across America right now, lighting up landscapes with their prolific blooms that help to sustain pollinators late in the growing season. If you are considering picking up a few for your own garden, now is the best time. Sedum is one of five perennials we’ll share here that actually prefers to be planted in the fall. Let’s take a closer look. Read more

FALL PLANTING PROVIDES MONTHS OF SPRING COLOR

By Melinda Myers

Photo courtesy of Longfield Gardens

Welcome spring and create continuous color for several months with a collection of spring-flowering bulbs. After planting in the fall, you’ll enjoy an array of flower colors that combine nicely with other spring-flowering trees, shrubs, and flowers. Start the season with early blooming snowdrops. As winter fades watch for the dangling white flowers on six- to ten-inch-tall plants. Include these small flowers in rock gardens, mixed borders, and informal landscapes in sunny and part-shade locations. Read more

FALLing IN LOVE WITH 5 ESSENTIALS GARDENING TOOLS

By Heidi Dramm Becker

Photos courtesy of Dramm

As cooler weather approaches, it's time to gear up for fall gardening! Whether you’re container gardening, harvesting, or doing fall clean-up, these essential tools will make the job easier and more efficient. Read more

PREVENTING AND TREATING OVERWATING INDOOR PLANTS

By Justin Hancock, Costa Farms Horticulturist

Photos courtesy of Costa Farms

Did you know overwatering is the most cause of death for indoor plants? Even experienced plant parents can fall into the trap. Learn to look for signs of overwatering, how to prevent it, and what you can do to save an overwatered indoor plant.  

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SCIENCE-BACKED HEALTH BENEFITS OF GARDENING

By Ashleigh Smith, True Leaf

Photos courtesy of True Leaf

While the many benefits of gardening have been praised for centuries, the exact benefits continue to be verified and supported by recent research. Some of the studies published over the last two years specifically call out improved mental and physical health and better access to an array of fruits and vegetables as some of the most significant benefits of regularly spending time in the garden. In one study, it was found that there is a positive relationship between gardening and increased physical movement while creating a negative relationship with disease and the effects of social deprivation. Read more

GIBBS GARDENS INVITES ENDANGERED MONARCHS FOR LUNCH

By Barbara Schneider, Gibbs Gardens

Photos courtesy of Gibbs Gardens

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)—the world’s most comprehensive inventory of biological species’ global status—added the migratory monarch butterfly to its endangered list on July 21, 2022. Migratory monarch population has shrunk by between 22% and 72% over the past decade, according to IUNC, with a 26% decline just in 2021.  

Jim Gibbs, owner/developer of Gibbs Gardens—concerned about the increased threat of extinction for these delicate creatures—decided to do something more to help. In fall 2021, Gibbs expanded his Wildflower Meadow from three to 15 acres—including a special butterfly garden—to provide more habitat within Gibbs Gardens for migratory monarchs. Read more

FALL SHOWSTOPPERS FOR YOUR AUTUMN GARDEN

Photos and article courtesy of GrowJoy

Hey there, garden enthusiasts! Are you lamenting the fading flowers in your garden as summer transitions to fall? If you think the flower show's over once summer fades…think again! Fall's got its own cast of joyful and colorful characters ready to take center stage. Let's chat about some awesome perennials that will keep your garden popping with color well into the cooler months of late fall, and in some areas, into early winter.

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GARDEN PLANNING FOR FALL: IT'S AN OLD REFRAIN

By Ethne Clarke for Hartley Botanic.

Photographs courtesy of Hartley Botanic

What does planning ahead for work in the autumn garden mean for you? Outdoors or in a conservatory does it amount to a quick tidy up? A bit of dead-heading, leaf-raking and winterizing the irrigation system? At the Clarke household, the Head Gardener (me) wracks her brain and wrecks her back to improvise and execute plans that’ve been shaping up since midsummer. Read more

GARDENING IN THE FALL: WHAT TO PLANT FOR SPRING

By Laura Root

Photos courtesy of Jackson & Perkins

No matter what time of the season, gardeners are always thinking ahead to next year. We think about places we could add more flowering shrubs or spots that would be made even more perfect with a selection of perennial plants. But an easy addition you can make to your planting schedule is spring bulbs. Spring bulbs are often the first thing to bloom in spring, and they’re a welcome hello after winter. They also can be planted around other showpieces in your garden, ensuring that you have color and visual interest before the rest of your plants are ready to bloom. Read more

REMEMBER OR GO HUNGRY

Article courtesy of Wild Birds Unlimited

Would you stake your life on your memory? For many of us…probably not! But if forced to…how would you deal with a situation where the ability to remember where you put some food would be the difference between life and death? Well, if you could mimic a chickadee, you would simply grow more memory cells to make sure you don’t forget! Amazing…and true…here’s how it works. Each fall, chickadees begin caching seeds by the thousands. By storing seeds, they ensure they will have something to eat during harsh weather and when natural foods becomes scarce in the future. Read more

TOP LANDSCAPING TIP

In this episode of GardenSMART, we get tips about how to design a dwarf conifer garden from Jim, the founder of Gibbs Gardens. Jim had 200 varieties come in on two big trailers from Portland, Oregon. He then grouped four to six plants based on their form, texture, color and sun requirements. You group in 4 to 6 plants because as you go through a garden your cone of vision only picks up about four to six plants at one time. If those four to six plants have great form, great texture, and great color, then add another grouping, that's totally different next to them, that way you're creating more interest. Watch the video...

A GARDEN THAT TRANSPORTS YOU INTO BEAUTY AND TRANQUILITY

In this episode, Garden SMART speaks with Michael Carr. The last time Eric was here, this was a bit of a steep slope that had a bunch of trees on it but the site has undergone an enormous transformation. Before, it was a wild, unmanageable, natural area. Originally, we were just going to place plants throughout to grow. This is an entirely different feel. Michael feels he is very fortunate in that he makes his living doing what he loves to do and is able to use it as a hobby. To learn more, click here.