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On Gardening: This summer head to Rockapulco for shady color

Gardening / Gardening News /

The past couple of weeks gardeners have been writing to me asking for ideas for colorful combinations in baskets, window boxes and containers for shady environments. I like to quip back in humor and ask how they would like a rose? Everyone would, of course, except for the thorns, but the rose I am talking about is for the shade, has no thorns ...Read more

NORMAN WINTER/TNS

On Gardening: To avoid mixed-container stress, go mono-a-mono

Gardening / Gardening News /

The Garden Guy sees a lot of needless garden stress when it comes to choosing plant partners for your containers. After watching the excitement that Andrea Owens Schnapp created with a shared photo on my Facebook page the answer to this stress may just be to go mono-a-mono.

Obviously, I am taking a gardener approach to mono-a-mono, but Andrea ...Read more

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On Gardening: The Year of the Angelonia: Let the celebration commence

Gardening / Gardening News /

The National Garden Bureau has designated 2024 as the "Year of the Angelonia" and I am in full celebration mode. As I was preparing for my contribution to the celebration, I was however sent into taxonomic trauma.

For the last 26 years of deep love for the angelonia, or summer snapdragon, I have told everyone via newspaper, radio and TV that ...Read more

Norman Winter/Norman Winter/TNS

On Gardening: Add pop to the garden with ColorBlaze coleus

Gardening / Gardening News /

The excitement for spring planting is building at a feverish pitch and many are wondering what they can do to add more pop to the landscape. The answer just may be ColorBlaze coleus, and I am not just talking a dab.

A dab is precisely how many of you have looked at coleus. One little coleus here should do just fine. This prevalent thinking ...Read more

Norman Winter/Norman Winter/TNS

On Gardening: Superbells Coral Sun offers award-winning options

Gardening / Gardening News /

Superbells Coral Sun made its debut in 2020 and has been racking up awards from north to south. By that I mean Top Performer from Michigan State to Mississippi State and you can add Perfect Score at University of Tennessee and Director’s Select at Penn State. Now that I have grown it for a few years, The Garden Guy can give it a "Holy wow" too...Read more

Norman Winter/Norman Winter/TNS

On Gardening: Let's Dance Sky View is 2024 'Hydrangea of the Year'

Gardening / Gardening News /

The last 13-14 months of weather turned me into "The Gardening Curmudgeon." Truth be told, my garden was the most beautiful ever, and I’m not tossing blue sky to you. Well maybe I am to a point, but I’ll explain. A Polar Vortex after a mild fall in 2022 followed by a late freeze after leaf emergence took a toll on buds of many blooming ...Read more

Norman Winter/Norman Winter/TNS

On Gardening: Artist Blue Ageratums quench your thirst for garden blue

Gardening / Gardening News /

As I watch comments on my Facebook page, there is something about this winter that has everyone counting the days until spring. I know I have seen at least two countdown clocks, marking the hours and minutes. When I post a photo that shows any color of blue, particularly in combination with orange, you can feel the moaning stretching across ...Read more

Chris Brown Photography/Norman Winter/TNS

On Gardening: Cashmere for Swallowtails plus, best of show for your garden

Gardening / Gardening News /

There is a new verbena coming this spring that is like "Cashmere for Swallowtails," plus its beauty and garden charm will sweep you off your feet. It’s called Superbena Pink Cashmere and the excitement it is creating has most of us counting the days until spring.

I wrote about Superbena Pink Cashmere around seven months ago as The Garden Guy,...Read more

Chris Brown Photography/Norman Winter/TNS

On Gardening: It may be frigid now, but when summer heat hits, you'll need a little Mojave magic

Gardening / Gardening News /

By the time you read this The Garden Guy will be smack in the middle of the Arctic blast. How can this be? I'm still having drought nightmares. Such is the dilemma we face as gardeners, garden gurus and garden guys. Planning, however, is one thing we can do once we’ve protected the plants the best we can. So, I’m thinking Mojave, and while I...Read more

Norman Winter/Norman Winter/TNS

On Gardening: Pugster Amethyst takes honors in Japan

Gardening / Gardening News /

It is so much fun this time of the year as we celebrate the Pantone color of the year Peach Fuzz, Proven Winners annual of the year Supertunia Jazzberry petunia and now how about the 2024 Flower of the Year in Japan. I know you are thinking, Why would we celebrate that? We certainly do, if it is one of our guys or gals!

That’s right, one of ...Read more

Chris Brown Photography/Norman Winter/TNS

On Gardening: Shoot for the Moon in your 2024 garden!

Gardening / Gardening News /

As we start 2024 with our garden planning, I want to encourage you to shoot for the moon. The impetus for this thought is a new Proven Winners recipe that you most likely have never seen called Bloom Moon. It is so intricate and yet so stunningly beautiful that I can hardly get it out of my mind.

The moon connotation comes from Superbells Blue ...Read more

Chris Brown Photography/NORMAN WINTER/TNS

On Gardening: A Heart to Heart handoff with Caladium of the Year

Gardening / Gardening News /

This time of the year you see stories not only looking back at 2023 but of course the prognostications for 2024. This is fun to do in the gardening world too. For instance, the Proven Winners "Caladium of the Year" for 2023 was Heart to Heart Scarlet Flame. This was an eye-opener for a lot of gardeners.

You see, we think of caladiums in two ...Read more

Norman Winter/Norman Winter/TNS

On Gardening: Jazzberry garners 2024 Annual of the Year

Gardening / Gardening News /

This time of the year is fun for a garden writer as we get the opportunity to look forward to 2024. Last week I wrote about Peach Fuzz, the Pantone Color of the Year for 2024. This week the focus is Supertunia Vista Jazzberry petunia, Proven Winners 2024 Annual of the Year.

Proven Winners is a recognizable brand in the green industry. And in ...Read more

 

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