Root & Bloom

03/13/2018

I love low maintenance perennials like coreopsis, salvia, echinacea and astilbe. Not only do these blooms make it easy to have lots of color, without spending a lot of time on care, but they help support birds and pollinators as well.

03/08/2018

We love creating cohesive garden looks by using a unifying color throughout garden beds and containers. Typically, we choose the most striking color, like bright purples or pinks, and repeat these shades throughout the garden to tie everything together.

02/17/2018

I Love tulips for their spring color and great shape but I am not a fan of having to replant bulbs every few years. I find a great alternative is the Species Tulip. Species Tulips offer unusual flowers in varying heights and dazzling colors. Known to perennialize better than most tulips, there is no need to replant bulbs. They are wonderful for front of garden borders, sweet clusters and naturalized drifts!

02/11/2018

A gnarly out of control slope can be a garden nightmare. It seems almost impossible to establish any plantings. Heavy rains flow like a river, carrying away any topsoil not held down by roots. Then the soil goes bone-dry and is inhospitable to desirable plants trying to make headway, while weeds seem to grow bigger and better. A few helpful hints for taking on this garden challenge. 1) Never till soil on a slope. This will loosen the soil and promote erosion, and 2) Top-Dress plantings with 1 inch of humus, followed by 2-3 inches of mulch.

02/07/2018

Frost heaving is usually the culprit for damaging some my favorite perennials during winter. Wide temperature fluctuations, with repeated cycles of freezing and thawing, cause the water in the soil to expand and contract. This results in the plant’s crown being pushed up out of the soil, breaking some roots and exposing other roots above soil level. The elevated crowns and roots are exposed to cold temperatures and drying winds. I find the best way to fight frost heaving is by planting in well drained areas, planting no later than early fall, mulching and monitoring plants. If you see an exposed heaved root just cover the root with soil and mulch!

02/01/2018

Good things truly do come in small packages. Our pollinators, small only in stature, shoulder the herculean task of nurturing 90% of all flowering plants on earth, and about one third of all our crops.

Their task is much more challenging now, as fewer feeding and nesting habitats has resulted in their decline.

We can easily do our share to help bring pollinators out of peril, by offering:

Shelter. Vast open spaces of lawn leave birds and bees no place to breed, nest, or rest safe from predator's eyes. Shrubs, perennials and ground covers all help pollinators thrive.

Water. Birds, bees and butterflies all need a ready source of water to sustain life. If it’s not naturally available in your yard, offer up some birdbaths or fountains.

Food. Pollinators do best when they have easy access to plants that provide a lot of sustenance for little effort.

Here is a link to a great article offering 5 simple ways you can make your garden more welcoming to pollinators!

https://www.gardeners.com/…/attracting-butterflie…/7265.html

Five ways gardeners can welcome pollinators into your garden and landscape.

02/01/2018

A gorgeous, green, and weed-free lawn uses up a lot of resources. Time, water and fertilizer are needed to keep most lawns looking in top shape. Never mind that lawns have nothing to offer our friends, the birds and the pollinators! You can have more sustainable landscaping by reducing the area planted in grass and replacing it with easy-care perennials, ornamental grasses, low-growing shrubs, or ground covers.

01/28/2018

I just order my Dahlias today from Swan Dahlia in preparation for Spring! I love Swan Dahlia for their large healthy bulbs and the large variety of Dahlias offered! There's simply no flower you can grow that will reward you with more blooms for as little work as the Dahlia. In just a single season, Dahlia plants will grow as full and lush as a mature rose bush, opening their brilliant blooms towards summer's end. You can find them in a variety of sizes, unique colors, and unexpected flower shapes. The hard part is deciding which lovely cultivar should grace your garden! Above all else, Dahlias are productive - so be sure to have your garden shears on hand for creating impromptu bouquets!

01/26/2018

Japanese rose (Kerria japonica) is a great early spring flowering shrub, bursting into bloom when we need it most! This bush puts on a magnificent display when in bloom in early spring, but its contribution hardly ends there. During the winter, when we Northerners look for the slightest of crumbs that our landscaping throws us, the Kelly green of Japanese rose's bark provides color and interest to our winter landscapes.

01/21/2018

It may be January but we are thinking SPRING at Root & Bloom! Winter is a great time for garden planning. Root & Bloom can help with your garden planning and design. We specialize in working with what nature has provided; rocky areas, sloped landscapes, poor light, you name it! And all of it within your budget.

Found this helpful article on winter garden planning from the Garden Design Magazine and wanted to share. Great reading for a cold winter day!

WINTER PLANNING
While your garden lies asleep for the winter, take a step back and spend some time on planning you garden. Landscape designers in Los Angeles, Connecticut, and Chicago share helpful insights on what you can do now to enjoy your garden this summer.

Take a page from landscape designers in Chicago, Connecticut and Los Angeles on where to start with your garden planning this winter. Your future self this summer will thank you!