by Kathy Van Mullekom, a lifelong gardener and gardening writer living in York County, Virginia
Bulbs are too often afterthoughts in the garden. It’s wrong thinking, something I’ve been guilty of, too. For years, I ignored bulbs. Then, I became the energized owner of a woodsy garden where I envisioned a river of daffodils blooming in early spring.
Get fired up this fall with Autumn Embers Encore azaleas! Well known for being hardy and low-maintenance, these reblooming azaleas add vivid, multi-seasonal color unlike any other azalea. This dense, rounded shrub features an abundance of semi-double, fiery, orange-red flowers that are produced in spring and fall and sporadically throughout the summer. Autumn Embers reaches a height of three feet by three and half feet wide and is ideal planted in garden beds and borders, foundation plantings, large containers or as a focal point in the garden.
With our 20th annual Make a Scarecrow event coming up this weekend, we thought we'd give you a few fascinating scarecrow highlights to kick fall off with a bang.
Known as the world’s all-time favorite windowsill houseplant, African Violets are growing in popularity. They are one of the easiest and most adaptable flowering houseplants to grow, and the requirements for success are simple -- find a good spot, don’t over water, and they’ll shower you with blooms during any season! With literally thousands of varieties to choose from there’s something for every taste. In addition to traditional shades of blue-violet, there are also shades of pink, fuchsia, white and even bicolor.
As nights become cooler and days get shorter, it’s time to get your fall garden off and running. We love pairing mums with companion plants for a truly unique fall garden. Try some of these out-of-the-box plants along with those beautiful mums we all know and love -- and sit back and enjoy a beautiful view this fall.
