Blog

Annual & Perennials Bulbs Containers Design Maintenance Shrubs Structure

Click a link above to filter for all blogs in that category. All Blogs

Christine Froehlich Christine Froehlich

Want to loosen up your garden style? Add self seeding and spreading plants to the mix

Since visiting gardens in England back in May, I’ve been obsessed with the art of letting it flow. Every garden I visited had an abundance of self-seeding and spreading plants melded together in a seamlessly exuberant fashion. I know we don’t have the same varieties of plants here, l admire the concept of a looser garden style and have been thinking about how to reproduce it with the types of plants grown here.

Read More
Design Christine Froehlich Design Christine Froehlich

Year end garden review: 6 top picks and inspiring garden tips

Yep, it’s time for year end resolutions - I’m much more successful with garden resolutions, and they’re way more fun! As I scroll through my garden photos and reflect on past successes and failures, I see plenty to provide me with the framework I need to make the coming year even better.

Read More
Christine Froehlich Christine Froehlich

Letting Nature Take Its Course: 6 Tips for Sustainable Leaf Management

To be sure, the practical aspect of what to do with the onslaught of leaves can seem daunting to anyone. I think there’s a way to strike a balance between neat and tidy and sustainability. My own approach is primarily driven by a combination of practicality and laziness. Interested in giving it a shot? Read on.

Read More
Maintenance Christine Froehlich Maintenance Christine Froehlich

Boxwoods looking stressed? Check them out for boxwood blight

All is not sweetness and light in my garden this spring. Boxwood blight has crept into four hedges of Boxwood sempervirens ‘North Star’ that outline my front beds. At first they just looked mildly stressed, but it was more than that! Blight is really hard to diagnose. Here’s how I finally identified it and what I did.

Read More
Annuals and Perennials Christine Froehlich Annuals and Perennials Christine Froehlich

Happy Accidents: Uplanned successes and surprises from my 2022 garden

Looking for inspiration for your 2023 garden? Scroll through last summers garden photos. It’s interesting how much you miss when you’re busy in the act. I’ve noticed that some of my best combinations were accidental. Lest I forget, I made a list of several that jumped out at me. Seems like a good way to begin a new year of gardening.

Read More
Shrubs Christine Froehlich Shrubs Christine Froehlich

Save the last dance for me: 5 Shrubs with staying power

Over the past decade, small deciduous shrubs have earned a special place in my garden and my heart. What began as an experiment to add more structure and reduce weeding has led me to an increased appreciation of their merits. Flowers, foliage and texture, they’ve got it all going on - especially those that go out with a bang in the fall.

Read More
Christine Froehlich Christine Froehlich

Garden tours yield creative ideas: 4 ways to manage plants, problems and space

I never get tired of garden tours. No matter how grand or humble a garden might be, I always take home an idea I can use to improve my own. Last weekend, my friend Martha and I took a tour through a bunch of small neighborhood properties. None offered anything I’d term over the top, but each one had some interesting ideas. Read about few I filed away for future use and others that spurred me into action.

Read More
Design Christine Froehlich Design Christine Froehlich

Got deer, roots and shade? Jazz it up with these 4 great perennials

Gardening nightmare 101 - what can you plant underneath a maple tree? Choices are limited by harsh fasts - shade, shallow feeder roots and obviously, you don’t want to damage the tree by severing large tap roots when you dig. It’s all about choosing the right plants. Hope you’ll find my latest planting saga useful.

Read More