Tag: winter gardening

Helleborus Blooming at Sleepy Cat Farm!

Helleborus Blooming at Sleepy Cat Farm!

Back in 1990,  I first noticed Hellebores being used for large scale groundcover plantings. They were heralded as “Winter Bloomers” and the alternative to Pachysandra as a hardy, tough groundcover with large decorative flowers. As a bonus, it was declared a great cut flower as 

Revitalizing the Garden After Boxwood Blight

Revitalizing the Garden After Boxwood Blight

Many gardeners are now becoming all too familiar with one of the diseases which affects Boxwood, called Boxwood blight. In addition to this, Boxwood, while  proving very useful and deer resistant for us here,  has many problems. Leaf miner, Psyllid, Winter burn, finicky reactions to pruning, are 

Ground Covers that Shine in Late Fall

Ground Covers that Shine in Late Fall

Helleborus Orientalis There are numerous shade and drought tolerant ground covers available which are also deer resistant. However, many of them are mundane and don’t change much with the seasons. Vinca minor (Myrtle) makes an attractive ground cover,  fits the above criteria, but often acts 

Color from Late Winter Flowers and Bark

Color from Late Winter Flowers and Bark

Pictured: Cornis Sericea: “Arctic Fire” adds interest in Winter with its colorful bark. Plants create interest in the garden in many ways: foliage, flowers, fruit, bark, form, and so on.  Adding new plants to a mature garden sometimes means removing plants that have begun to decline. 

What to do in Winter

What to do in Winter

People often ask me, “what do you do in the winter”? Honestly, in our climate one can normally proceed with garden activities throughout the month of December: invasive plant removals, planting, mulching, cleanup, even lawn installations.  My neighbor installed a sod lawn in January. I