By Norman Winter From Tribune News Service   Aqua blue pots in the landscape and staggered on the side of a hill were not my idea, but my bride’s, the person who pops up on my phone as Jan My Love Winter. I have avoided this color like the plague for most of my life….

By Norman Winter From Tribune News Service Swallowtails were early at The Garden Guy’s house this year. Thank goodness I had Superbena verbenas in full bloom. It is as if they had been given the task of announcing the arrival of spring and the butterfly season. On March 22, I photographed an eastern tiger swallowtail…

By Norman Winter From Tribune News Service Recently I stumbled across a plant recipe called “This is the Life.” Not only was it a collection of some of my favorite plants, it was a wake-up call to an old favorite: the Persian Shield. Known botanically as Strobilanthes dyerianus, it is native to Myanmar and has…

While this article applies to Rhododendrons, 99% of it also applies to planting and care for Azaleas, as they are in the same genus, Rhododendron. While all azaleas are rhododendrons, not all rhododendrons are azaleas. Leaves and flower characteristics differ, but site requirements, soil, and care are for the most part identical. Naturally, as with anything…

No sight is more welcome after a long winter than the first blooms of crocus, tulips, daffodils, Muscari, hyacinths, and other spring-flowering bulbs. Gardeners and non-gardeners alike can enjoy the view up close by layering these bulbs with container gardening methods. It’s perfect for those with mobility problems or limited space in urban areas. Bulbs for spring flowers…

The vast majority of flowers, perennials, vegetables, and fruits grow well in a neutral soil pH between 6.2-7.0. But some species – or more precisely, some varieties of those species – require an acidic soil for optimum growth and health. What pH is considered an acidic soil? pH is the measure of how acidic or…