After battling the forces of winter into the early part of May, it appears to finally be time for consistent warm weather here in Massachusetts! We’ve been dealing with the cold longer than normal this year, which can make it challenging to get your garden ready before the bloom season hits full swing.
As the name suggests, biennials are plants that take at least two years to go through their entire lifecycle. With multicolor bloom phases and interesting shapes, these plants make an ideal addition to any yard. Some of the best biennials in Massachusetts are hardy, growing best when they can set roots early in more mild fall or winter seasons.
Below are some of our favorite biennials suitable for the New England climate. Remember that some plants classified as biennials can last longer than two years.
One of our favorite things about landscape design is the amount of personal expression it allows. Most people associate landscape with flowers and shrubs, but there are many different styles of plants that can thrive in your garden, depending on your tastes.
People sometimes forget about ornamental grasses. They often don’t take as central of a role in your garden as flowers and vegetables, but these grasses can still add a nice touch to your yard. Grasses are also great because many of them bloom in colder weather, which can help your yard look attractive even in the offseason.
Here’s what you need to know about planting ornamental grasses in the fall.
Before the wind and early snow take away the rest of our fall foliage, make some time to appreciate the variety of color New England has this time of year. Plants that have phenomenal fall foliage colors are important to consider when designing landscapes. A few of our favorite fall beauties are: Diane Witch Hazel Hamamelis x intermedia 'Diane', Little Henry Virginia Sweetspire Itea virginica 'Sprich' and Paperbark Maple Acer griseum.
Homeowners often place lots of emphasis on creating a garden with beautiful flowers and shrubs that bloom majestically in the spring season. Unfortunately, focusing on beauty for a single season can leave your yard lacking during the rest of the year.
With some careful planning and a bit of creativity, you can create a garden that will keep your yard in color and wonderful smells for all four seasons, even during the warm months. Use the pointers below to create a garden that will delight your senses all year.
Native ornamental grass will give your garden four seasons of interest and a low-maintenance option for garden design. Creating a unique garden to fit your needs can be a challenging task, but with the help of native plants and especially ornamental grasses, it becomes enjoyable.
The timing of your garden is much more complex than simply thinking about planting, growing, and harvesting seasons. You must also think about the lifecycle of the plants in your yard. With a bit of planning and foresight, you can create spaces in your yard that are welcoming, relaxing, and colorful all year.
One of the best things about the outdoors is its ability to rejuvenate the human spirit. After a tough day at work or a difficult experience with a friend or family member, it’s nice to be able to get home to a tranquil yard to let nature sooth you.
If you’re building a space in your yard for this purpose, you need the right flowers, shrubs, and trees. Here are five of our favorites for a meditation garden in Massachusetts:
Think you can’t garden just because it’s cold outside? Think again! While you may not be able to put in the long, peaceful afternoons in the yard like you can in the summer, there are still plenty of things to be done to prepare yourself and your garden for the coming warmth.
Here are four steps to help you get ready for spring before it gets here:
Pollinators are animals that are a critical part of the ecosystem. They include bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, and many types of birds and bats; any creature that helps plants by moving pollen from one flower to another. This transfer of pollen causes germination to occur, allowing the plants to grow fruits and seeds. They do everything from promoting biodiversity to germinating plants. In fact, the population and diversity of pollinators is a good indicator of the health of an ecosystem.
Unfortunately, urbanization has hurt pollinator biodiversity because it disturbs their natural habitats. You can help reverse this trend by creating a garden that attracts them. This guide will help you understand what plants you need, how to arrange them, and other steps to create a beautiful garden to attract birds, bees, and butterflies.
Pollinators such as birds, bees, and butterflies are not only fun and beautiful to look at, they are an essential part of the ecosystem. Using plants that naturally attract these desirable creatures and complementing them with feeders will bring many pollinators to your yard. Here are five ways that will help you create a beautiful garden that welcomes these critical creatures.
Picking the right plants for your gardens not only makes your landscaping look beautiful, they can add pleasurable, relaxing scents. Choosing flower smells you enjoy is important because they can have a positive effect on your mood after a long, hectic day at the office.
Before you head to your local nursery or hire a landscaper, think about what scents you like. Some people like bright, sweet, and fruity smells, while others like more subdued, spicy, or herbal smells. From there, pick plants that have long bloom times and complement other flowers in your garden.
Here are eight popular types of flowering plants:
Creating vivacious landscape designs can be challenging, given New England’s intense four seasons. Massachusetts weather ranges from bitterly cold nights in the middle of winter to hot and humid summer days. This extreme variety of temperatures can put stress on plants. The four tips below will help you create a beautiful landscape in New England’s fickle climate.
Picking out the right permanent plants will give your landscapes great color throughout the year. They will complement your house and the flowers you chose for the rest of your garden. That’s why many considerations need to go into choosing the foundation plantings that work best for your yard. Here are some things to think about before you start planting:
Two of our favorite native perennials to plant in Eastern Massachusetts are Kim's Knee High and Bridal Veil False Spirea. The Echinacea purpurea 'Kim's Knee High' is a compact version of Purple Coneflower. It is covered in 3-inch rosy-pink flowers that have drooping petals. This Coneflower will begin blooming a week or two the other Echinacea's. It is the ideal addition to a small landscape design where birds and butterflies can access it. All Coneflowers have such good root systems that they are known as "clay busters", tough enough to handle difficult clay soils. They grow best in full sun and are known to attract birds and hummingbirds, while keeping away deer due to their rugged texture.
In Eastern MA, there are many different types of gardens that will grow and thrive, even in the finicky coastal MA weather. A few garden types you might want to consider planting are:
Many gardeners choose perennials to plant in their yards to add color and create a low maintenance garden space. Perennials are great because they have color that pops in the spring, summer, or fall, then die back for the winter and repeat the next season.
Growing plants in the shade can be a daunting task if not properly thought out. This does not mean you need to hire a professional landscape designer, but it does mean you have to do your research.
Because there are so many factors to consider, it is best to leave shade garden designs to the professionals. To get you started, here are 3 ideas to get you thinking about the endless possibilities there are for growing plants in the shade.
One of the best ways to create an ecological garden is by planting more native plants. Planting native plants enhances and supports your local ecosystem which has more benefits than we can imagine. When selecting plants think about companion planting. Many native plants have evolved along side each other and grow more naturally together. The following are two great examples of companion planting:
As you find yourself in the middle of winter with below freezing temperatures and wind chills, it is a perfect time to stay inside and look out at your yard. What do you see? What would you like to see? This is the time you want to think about how you may want to fill in and add to your landscape. There are so many plants that will liven any landscape, even in the dead of winter.
Throughout the past few years it has become a very popular trend for designers to create a native plant garden design, and for good reason. The benefits of using native plants in your home garden are extensive and long lasting.
Clients in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts presented us with a very challenging situation in their back/ side yard.
