Gardening Tips

December can be a chilly month outdoors but it is easy to bring the warmth of a summer’s day inside by picking up some cut flowers and placing them with some greens to create an attractive arrangement. Most cut flowers arrive at the local florist and grocery stores in...

There are many lovely decorative grasses available to brighten up the Eastern Shore landscapes but with the rise of many invasive grasses, it is a better idea to look for and plant only native grasses. One of the most beautiful native grasses is the Gulf Muhly Grass...

October is a great month for planting trees that have a robust root system. The weather has cool temperatures with some rain making it a wonderful month for newly planted tree roots to get established into their new soil home. Choosing a tree should not be a spur of...

The beautiful Ostrich fern is a native fern that thrives on the Eastern Shore if it is planted in part- to-full-shade and medium-to-wet soils. If the soil is never allowed to dry out, the plants will spread and cover the ground by underground rhizomes which are a type...

Hibiscus moscheutos are native perennials that thrive in full sun and moist, organically rich soils, but also grows equally well in average garden soils or sandy soils with an addition of compost. They love moist soils and are excellent in rain gardens and along the...

The heat of summer is what helps the beautiful crape myrtles bloom so well in lovely shades of pure white, pick, rose, red, lavender and purple. The also come in various sizes, from dwarf plants of 2-3 feet tall to shade providing 30 feet tall or higher. Two lovely...

Oakleaf Hydrangeas are beautiful native shrubs that thrive in full sun to part shade and rich, slightly acidic, moist but well drained soils found in many Mid-Shore gardens. There are some varieties that can grow up to 10-12 feet tall to form wonderful summer privacy...

Amsonia hubrichtii or Threadleaf Bluestar is a wonderful native herbaceous plant that has graceful billowing branches covered with very fine soft foliage and in May it produces beautiful sky blue star-shaped flowers that grow in clusters at the tips of each branch....

Aquilegia Canadensis, otherwise known as Columbine, is a wonderful native herbaceous perennial that thrives on the Eastern Shore when planted in moist but well drained soils and sunny mornings with afternoon shade. A plant only has to live for three years to be listed...

March is the beginning of spring when the sun crosses the equator and the earth begins to tilt toward the sun. The days get warmer and the earliest bulbs begin to bloom. Some plants just can’t wait that long, like our native Oregon Grape Holly, Mahonia aquifolium....