Shade Loving Flowers

Keep Coleus Looking its Best All Summer?

Coleus is probably one of the easiest plants to grow and propagate. In fact, the plants root so easily that you can even start cuttings in a glass of water. They can also be propagated by seed indoors about 8-10 weeks prior to the last expected spring frost.

Preventing Zika at Your Backyard Barbecue

Zika is the latest virus to garner world wide headlines, and health authorities have predicted that Zika will spread throughout the Americas. Like other debilitating viruses (West Nile, malaria, and dengue fever), Zika is transmitted by the bites of infected mosquitoes.

NATIVE PLANTS FOR THE SHADE GARDEN

Why Plant Native? It’s a great question. What benefits do native plants offer that exotics do not? First let’s define what we mean by “native”. Native plants are those that are perfectly hardy in the Horticultural Zone you are in. Here on Long Island, that’s Zone 7 and specifically 7a and 7b. Here’s a map NATIVE PLANTS FOR THE SHADE GARDEN

SHADE ALTERNATIVES TO IMPATIENS

With a little imagination you can have a beautiful flowering garden in the shade even without using wallerina type impatiens.