ArcaMax

It’s planting season for many and verbenas are high on the list. We had just fallen in love with Superbena Imperial Blue verbena and piled on a bunch of awards then, stop the presses! It has a new name, which is now Superbena Cobalt. Not sure if this would be similar to Shakespeare’s "what’s in a name" scenario, but one thing is for ...Read more

Q: I love red and purple bell peppers, but I can't seem to grow them in my garden. I buy them at a local garden center. They look healthy, but at the end of the summer, I only get a few peppers from each plant.

A: Bell peppers are one of the most-planted vegetables, and I have heard your complaint before. Many garden vegetables start producing ...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- At the top of a roller-coaster hill in Highland Park, Thomas Zamora and his husband, Raul Rojas, enjoy two spectacular views — of the Pasadena hills to the east and of the meandering expanse of native plants, succulents and vegetables in a backyard that once was nothing but dirt and junk cars.

It's been an evolution of nearly a...Read more

The early spring, at least in the South, has everyone drooling for new plants. The supply chain from producer to garden center somehow pulled off a miracle and the supply has never looked better. The Garden Guy wants to urge everyone to also incorporate those flowers that will still be rocking come the hottest days of summer, which is usually ...Read more

Question: I recently moved to a new home, and I thought the lawn looked like it needed some help, so I went to the store for some gypsum. Where I used to live, gypsum was added to the lawns all the time. I was told that in my new region, no one adds gypsum, but some people add limestone. What are gypsum and limestone used for? What can I do to ...Read more

The world seems to have a fascination with volcanoes and even more so with lava flow. We’ve got volcano lava cookware, lava salt lamps, lava rock mulch. Some of my favorite glazed pottery designs are called lava flow as they mimic molten lava spilling over the rim. Then The Garden Guy does a Facebook post with what looks like lime green lava ...Read more

Easter is Sunday, March 31, this year. Last year it was April 9, and next year it won't be until April 20. Even though Easter lilies have only a two-week moving sales window related to the date that Easter falls, they are the fourth-largest potted plant crop behind poinsettias, mums and azaleas. Even though we see them for such a short time, ...Read more

The National Garden Bureau has selected several plants under their "year of" program. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the Year of the Angelonia, their chosen annual. In their choice for the shrub designate, the National Garden Bureau has gone where few have dared to tread, the Year of the Buddleia. I could not be more thrilled!

No plant ...Read more

Question: Does dead crabgrass look like white dead clumps dotted around the lawn? If so, should one dig each one up and fill in with fescue seed, fertilizer and dirt?

Answer: At this time of year, all dead annual and many dormant perennial grasses look like white dead clumps. If the good grass in your lawn has some signs of green and there are ...Read more

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

Q: We have a new landscape, and we want to plant trees that will help with climate change. Any suggestions?

A: What is your definition of climate change? Do you think your area is going to get warmer or colder? What are you trying to accomplish by planting a tree? Are you planting the tree to absorb carbon or to shade the house? Will a tree ...Read more

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

Home gardeners can finally grow their own genetically engineered vegetable crop. Before I tell you what it is, we need to define the terms. "GMO" is a widely misused term. It stands for genetically modified organism. In the United States, this term has no legal definition. Many people think they are against anything that is genetically modified,...Read more

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

Q: Didn't you write about a product that could stop all the stinky ginkgo fruit from falling off my trees? I think it was supposed to be applied in the spring, and spring is coming soon. I don't want to cut down my two ginkgo trees, but the fruit makes a huge mess in the fall.

A: I think you are right. The product is called Florel, and as far ...Read more

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

Finding the red, white and blue logo of All-America Selections on seed packets, bedding plant tags or catalogs will help you find flowers and vegetables that will grow great in your garden. Last week, we discussed the three vegetable winners for 2024 and three of the flower winners. Today, we finish with five more flower winners.

The judges ...Read more

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

One way that I know a plant could work well in my garden is that I look for the red, white and blue logo of All-America Selections on seed packets, on bedding plant tags or in catalogs. Even AAS winners from several years ago are more likely to prove successful than nonwinners.

The AAS testing program is an independent nonprofit organization ...Read more

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