Coral Charm peony
Peonies enchant us with their dramatic showy flowers and the good news is that they are easy to grow! There are hundreds of cultivars, with colors ranging from white to pink, red, coral, and even new yellow varieties. Flowers can be saucer-like single flowers, semi-double or even double with hundreds of densely packed petals. Some are delightfully fragrant and most make wonderful cut flowers. Peonies are very long lived plants, even surviving more than 50 years in one spot. Their foliage, rich green and glossy, has a neat compact form that can add much to the perennial border, from spring’s green to autumn’s beautiful maroon color. (more…)
May is for containers full of flowers! In general, you will want to combine plants that have height, fill in and cascade over the pot. Sometimes this will be referred to as the ‘thriller, filler, spiller’ effect. There are many choices for sun and shade beyond impatiens and petunias. Experiment with flower colors and textures to create rich combinations. Don’t forget miniatures! A charming fairy garden can be easily created in a container. Here are some ideas to help make your containers stand out from the crowd: 
Spring rains make us conscious of the wet spot in the yard or the puddle that forms near the fence. Our damp weather in April and May is the perfect time to figure out where rainwater goes on your property and to think about creating a rain garden.
Hummingbirds are delightful visitors to our gardens. They migrate north in the spring, hungry for nectar. We often see them zipping through the gardens at The Growing Place. Because of their high metabolism, these jewel-like birds need to eat almost constantly. They have narrow beaks and a grooved tongue to delve deep into flowers and lap up nectar. Occasionally they will dine on insects, so be careful of your pesticide use. 
