Author Archives: Steven Breed

Spring Cleanup – Getting your Garden Ready for Spring

It’s that time of the year when we start poking our heads out of our houses and take a first look at our gardens.  Let’s face it, most gardens don’t look their best in March.  The winter has likely taken … Continue reading

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Spring Design Projects – Make Some Real Progress This Year

Okay, spring is right around the corner and it’s time when we all start thinking of the great things we’re going to do with our yards this year.  This is a great time to think about the how’s and why’s … Continue reading

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The Best Hydrangeas – A Multi-Part Series for homeowners… Part 6 –Climbing Hydrangeas (Hydrangea anomala petiolaris) and How to Grow Them

Climbing Hydrangeas are rarely associated with their shrubby cousins.These hefty vines occupy a space in the garden all their own.These vigorous climbers can reach a height (or length) of over 40 feet and produce large white flower heads that have … Continue reading

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The Best Hydrangeas – A Multi-Part Series for Homeowners… Part 5 – Oakleaf Hydrangeas (Hydrangea quercifolia) and How to Grow Them

Oakleaf Hydrangeas are yet another under-utilized Hydrangea in backyard landscapes. Like the smooth Hydrangea ‘Annabelle’, Oakleaf Hydrangeas usually look pretty dismal in a nursery container. This is unfortunate, because most homeowners pass them by and miss out on a truly … Continue reading

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The Best Hydrangeas – A Multi-Part Series for homeowners… Part 4 – Smooth Hydrangeas (Hydrangea aborescens) and How to Grow Them

Smooth Hydrangeas are one of the great underused plants of today’s gardens.  Garden designers use this plant whenever they get the chance, but homeowners have somehow missed out on this gem. At first glance, the smooth Hydrangea looks very similar … Continue reading

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The Best Hydrangeas – A Multi-Part Series for homeowners… Part 3 – Pee Gee Hydrangeas (Hydrangea paniculata) and How to Grow Them

Hydrangea paniculata is one of the easiest ways to get a large, long lasting, dramatic show of flowers in your garden.These Hydrangeas are very different from their Bigleaf Hydrangea cousins.These are large, fast growing woody shrubs that produce large white … Continue reading

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The Best Hydrangeas – A Multi-Part Series for homeowners… Part 2 – Bigleaf Hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla) an How to Grow Them

Bigleaf Hydrangeas are the classic Hydrangeas that we all know and (maybe) love.These long blooming shrubs are staples of the American garden.The classic blue Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Nikko Blue’) is probably the most recognized and most frequently used hydrangea in … Continue reading

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The Best Hydrangeas – A Multi-Part Series for homeowners… Part 1 – Understanding the Basics of Hydrangeas

Hydrangeas are certainly one of the best loved garden plants of the American garden.Most homeowners that know nothing about plants can still identify the classic blue flowers of our most common hydrangea. As a garden designer, I get requests for … Continue reading

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Perennial Geraniums – Front of the Border Heroes

One of our favorites in the mixed border, these fragrant and versatile beauties willliven up any perennial garden. Geraniums are frequently used by garden designers, but have somehow been overlooked by most homeowners planting their own gardens.  Their dense mounds … Continue reading

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A Guide to Growing Iris Blooms All Season

For those of us that love irises, their blooms seem to come and go much too quickly in the average garden.  Most irises bloom for a week or two and then fade into the background of the garden for the … Continue reading

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