The November Polar Express put a lot of good gardening folks in a funk. Consider, many of us had virtually had no frost, then the front swooped down dropping temperatures to a bone-chilling 22 degrees in West Georgia. So, if you are in a funk or simply found yourself behind in cool-season color then reach for a flat or two of ColorMax violas. I ...Read more

Euphorbias are starting to amaze in cool-season plantings whether they be in containers, or as the perfect pansy partner in the landscape. More than likely your first thought is euphorbias for the summer landscape like Diamond Frost but I'm talking Ascot Rainbow that has been the rage since it was declared a Texas Superstar in 2011 and Miner's ...Read more

Peanut butter for the holidays may elicit a 'that's for the birds' response, and, you would be right. But who doesn't like peanut butter cups and peanut butter swirled ice cream? Peanut butter, however, is a special treat for the birds, and if you like birds coming to your sunflower or thistle seed feeders, you will be in birdwatching ecstasy ...Read more

The lacebark elm met Old Man Winter's confrontation head-on and won and is now showing out in the Chattahoochee Valley area of West Georgia. While record cold took its toll by freezing leaves to the tree, these small elms are decorating neighborhoods with a soft, orange and yellow glow.

The lacebark elm is known botanically as Ulmus parvifolia ...Read more

Fatsia and pollinators don't often find themselves in the same discussion but in the last few years my eyes have been opened to the point I can give a Holy Wow to this 'Shrub of the South.' Most of us never pay attention to the blooms of the fatsia which on their own are as intricate as a bottlebrush but comprised of showy spheres or globes. ...Read more

Fall is the best time to plant trees and shrubs from the standpoint of acclimatization in the landscape. That being said, I would like to give a shout-out for an underused illicium or anise.

Throughout the South or Pacific Northwest in zones 7 and warmer, the illicium is a much-used shrub for the evergreen structure or bones of the landscape. ...Read more

October Magic camellias have captured The Garden Guy's heart in recent years with blooms that are nothing short of exquisite and of a size and vigor of plant that seems perfect for the landscape. I have had camellia sasanquas that reached the second story and took a pretty tall ladder to do a little trimming.

When you think about October, it is...Read more

A hillside of gold in the Old Town community of North Columbus not only caught my eye but enticed me to get out of the car with my camera in hand. It was a hill planted with dozens of Winterberry hollies; and despite a fall season of high heat and drought, it was creating quite a show.

Winterberry, known botanically as Ilex verticillata, is ...Read more

Monsoon Mixer and Hawaiian Big Kahuna were two plants that brought us a load of tropical joy during a long growing season that started with monsoonal rains and finished with what is now being called a flash drought.

Tropical hibiscus has a way of awakening those island thoughts that lie dormant in the hidden parts of the mind. Monsoon Mixer and...Read more

In June 2016, a woman known only as Emily Doe read a 12-page single-spaced letter inside a courtroom to the man who had sexually assaulted her behind a dumpster on Stanford's campus more than a year before.

Her statement was published online the following day and quickly emerged as a viral rallying cry for survivors of sexual violence. Now, ...Read more

Basil has stolen my heart as of late but it is probably not for what you think. It's not because the foliage such as that of Purple Ruffles as Mississippi Medallion Award Winners is as pretty as a coleus. Nor is it for the culinary delicacy provided by Siam Queen an All-America Selections Award Winner. It is for pollinators.

The fact I am ...Read more

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Engineers and executives from United Technologies Corp. got out of the office and into a Hartford community garden to celebrate a partnership with Engineers Without Borders recently.

Engineers Without Borders is a volunteer network of engineers who work to solve infrastructural and other problems in communities around the ...Read more

The most anticipated new fall flower arrived in my area and I didn't even get to see it. Let that be a warning to all of you gardeners getting ready for fall planting. The plant I am talking about is the Rockin dianthus coming out of Pan American Seed.

Though I called it the most anticipated fall flower we are talking about perennial in zones ...Read more