As strange as it sounds, my secret garden is a daylily garden. This doesn’t mean I am a closet daylily enthusiast, quite the opposite. It started a couple of years ago when my wife, Jan, said the side of our house was an embarrassment, and we needed plants. To be honest it was rather a sort … Read more

Sitting on the couch sometime last winter with my trusty perennial catalogue in hand, I gawked over the Pyromania Red Hot Pokers, or torch lilies. We grew Red Hot Pokers at the Columbus Botanical Garden and at the Coastal Georgia Botanical Garden in Savannah. Why not at The Garden Guy’s house? Read more

Shadowland Autumn Frost is an award-winning hosta that will stop you in your tracks. Read more

The answer given when the mayor asked a friend of mine in the nursery industry how best to improve the image of the small but growing city? "Plant flowers." You might think this would be the obvious answer from someone in the greenhouse industry as they would stand to benefit from this beaut… Read more

Stop the presses and throw all of your preconceived notions about the monarda or bee balm out the door. I swear, I have had marigolds taller than these new monardas. I have more flowers now on my monardas than I normally get from an entire season’s bloom. I am talking about the Leading Lady series. Read more

If there were a color that represents happiness in the garden, it would have to be yellow. One of the three primary colors, it has the power to evoke hope and excitement. When the forsythia breaks forth in the early spring, it not only catches your eye, it invigorates your step. Winter is ov… Read more

There are gardens of untold beauty for whom the coral bells show — and I know many of you in the South desperately want them. Just think all of those pages of gorgeous heuchera varieties (coral bells) have their DNA forever linked to natives in the United States. Read more

Spring has been incredible at The Garden Guy’s house, and I am absolutely thankful for the Superbena Stormburst verbena. Swallowtails and hummingbirds came really early this year, not only in Georgia but throughout the Southeast. Read more

Petunias for pollinators could be paradise. Read more

The Garden Guy traveled for a few days to speak in Lafayette, Louisiana, LA and returned home to see my "punch" had exploded in color. I am referring to Superbells Calibrachoas Pomegranate Punch, Grape Punch and Tangerine Punch. There are seven punch selections in what has now become a whopp… Read more

Dad, you’ve got to come look at this spring combination, said my color deign guru son, James. It made me want to scream wow because it was so beautiful. He chuckled, saying it was kind of an accident. The stunning partnership featured Double Play Candy Corn spirea and Primo Wild Rose heucher… Read more

On more than one occasion I have been guilty of warning gardeners about the perils of being out phloxed by their neighbors. If this happens your neighbors will certainly have the MOST dazzling landscape in the neighborhood. Should you feel that this danger is creeping upon you and your flowe… Read more

Machu Morado is one of the most intriguing new plants in both name and performance. In reality it is a dream come true but I’ll explain. First it is a Mexican petunia or Ruellia, the gregarious "Uncle Buck" of the Acanthus family. A lot of gardening folks think it is a petunia. Read more

CHICAGO – First, the bleak butterfly news: The population of monarchs passing the winter in Mexico appears to have fallen. Now, the good news for Illinois’ state insect: The Field Museum in Chicago is trying to figure out what makes a successful urban monarch garden, and it’s not too early t… Read more

It’s fun to see what all of the horticultural pundits write about after the plant trials run their course across the country. I can tell you that Medusa was, and still is, the talk of the town. I know you are already wondering Medusa who, and does she have snakes coming out of her head? The … Read more

A quinceanera is a celebration of a girl’s 15th birthday, with its cultural roots in Mexico and throughout Latin America. While I am not exactly sure of the birthday, it was 15 years ago that our girl of the plant world Senorita Rosalita cleome won her first award. Today she has won 237 of t… Read more

The Garden Guy was looking at photos of last year’s trials and I was struck by one of a Mecardonia. I have never written about this plant and was thinking there is a great chance for my readers who do not know about how wonderful and tough as nails this flower is, particularly the award-winn… Read more

The National Garden Bureau has declared 2021 "The Year of the Hardy Hibiscus" and The Garden Guy thinks this is absolutely terrific. Actually, I would go a-step further and say it is Summerific! Read more

Two Garden Treasures have come together for a magnificent purpose and that is getting food to those who need it most. It is a story that is still being written and one that will tug at gardeners' hearts across the country. Read more

Last summer as my wife Jan and I were relaxing on the patio, a little breeze suddenly placed us under the spell of a smell, a most tantalizing fragrance. If you have ever heard that old phrase "does your nose know what my nose knows," I can tell you her nose knows a lot more than most and sh… Read more

Just saying the word coral sun warms the spirit and makes one forget the impending split of the polar vortex and plunge into a deep winter. Yes, coral sun conjures up a vision of a South Pacific sunset, sitting on a beach with an adult fruit drink with one of those tiny umbrellas. Read more

Rainbow Rhythm King of the Ages day lily has the gardening world abuzz with anticipation for spring 2021. This is a 38-inch-tall new day lily making its debut and offering the rarest of colors in the garden world. It is a combination of butter yellow, peach and apricot blend. That would be e… Read more

Pantone, the gurus of all things color has selected Ultimate Gray and Illuminating Yellow for the 2021 colors of the year. Some headlines call it "Pandemic Gray" but The Garden Guy loves it and you will see it opens the door to one of the toughest, persevering and award-winning plants of all… Read more

The Garden Guy fell in love with calendulas a long time ago and then suddenly they became like the four-leaf clover, at the garden center. Hopefully Lady Godiva will change all of that. If you have never grown this Aster family member you are in for a treat. Read more

Fall planting of petunias was a great idea. The period right after Christmas has always been kind of like a breather for garden gurus as we pause to evaluate plants and ideas that we have put into place in our landscape or perhaps watched other seasoned professionals try Read more

The floral world has been turned upside down in 2020 and thankfully not by COVID challenges but by an idea long in coming to fruition. I’ll call it a Heart to Heart Christmas. Indoor decorating for Christmas 2020 has been given a new jolt and that appropriately involves a plant that has long… Read more

In Georgia we had a year that was pretty much miraculous for butterflies. As you might guess, The Garden Guy had an abundance of plants making sure pollinators of all sorts felt welcome in the garden. In May I wrote a column telling you about a new Sunstar pentas series of making their debut. Read more

This year with all of its challenges many gardeners have experienced a "Call of the Wild" type moment. It's not a call to plant a jungle, or a xeriscape, but to plant with an eye toward the environment and nature. If you find yourself in this category then I would like to give a shout out to… Read more

Blue Moon on Halloween, Northern Lights creeping south, and now Jupiter and Saturn snuggling close for the first time since the Middle Ages. So goes the year 2020 and all of its memories. To The Garden Guy all of these "Twilight Zone" moments may pale in comparison to the Halley's Comet-type… Read more

The cool season becomes like a garden celebration as much of the country changes out the old tired color of summer for the fresh new flowers of fall and fragrance. There is a White Knight leading the charge that opens up the door with endless companion possibilities. Read more

There is an excitement in the air about Christmas this year and it appears to be as contagious as....... you know. Right now, it doesn't seem to be about presents or shopping, though that will probably come. It seems to have a focus on tradition, on family, a return to what is important. The… Read more

As if 2020 couldn't get more challenging, I have now run head on into a conundrum on coleus or to put it more succinctly a perplexity on pinching. First a little jaunt into my history with coleus. Read more

If the plant world celebrated Oktoberfest, lantanas would be front and center leading the party. As far as The Garden Guy is concerned, it could be a fall lantana fest. Read more

If I could paraphrase some lyrics from the musical Chicago it would be "Come on, why don't we paint the garden, with all those Jazz." That is what I feel every time I see Jazz Hands Variegated loropetalum. This award-winning shrub simply puts a song in your spirit and will add that artist's … Read more

The Price is White looks to be one of the hottest new coneflowers making its debut in the spring and you need to line out your sources now, for not only it but the entire Color Coded series. The size of coneflower blossoms is not something we tout as horticulturists but with The Price is Whi… Read more

The mornings have become like "flower glow" at The Garden Guy's house thanks to three new panicle hydrangeas making their debut in the spring of 2021. I have been amazed at what I am seeing, and to an extent what I am feeling, with these new introductions. Read more

This is the time of the year we revel in the Golden Delicious, of course The Garden Guy is referring to the Rocking Golden Delicious pineapple sage. While we have been loving every minute of it through the long hot summer, it is the short days of early fall that bring on the added cause of c… Read more

Oh, the possibilities with that Wicked witch! Son James dazzled me again with a combination planting featuring this year’s hot new coleus ColorBlaze Wicked with coleus and Canary Wing begonia. Immediately I noticed his carefully intentioned design of having the lime green margins of the cole… Read more

The weather forecast has several days with morning lows in the 50s, which is a cause for celebration. We can look for those long-lost fleece vests and, even better, it gives horticulturists like The Garden Guy the ticket to forget flowers for a week and write about a new golden conifer calle… Read more

There has been an azalea bloom-a-thon at The Garden Guy’s house for the last six weeks and looks to not be stopping anytime soon. This has all been taking place in temperatures that have sometimes made me the irritable garden guy. Read more

There is a Quick Fire, summer crescendo happening in Columbus, Ga. Quick Fire hydrangea has put the spark back in summer-tired gardens and brought a touch of magic to mixed containers. The Garden Guy’s comfort zone has once again been challenged by James, my color design guru and son. Read more

Labor Day weekend is upon us and perhaps you would like to head to the mountains, hike on the Appalachian Trail or lay on a white-sand beach — but love for your mixed containers trumps everything. The solution to this recurring dilemma? AquaPots. Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — When a suspicious-looking sprout appeared in the St. Paul garden of LeAndra Estis, she plucked it. The willful plant popped up again. Instead of pulling it out a second time, the new gardener fired up Google. The would-be intruder was spinach. Read more

Whether you’re begging summer to linger or toasting autumn’s arrival, now’s the perfect time to give your outdoor spaces a little — or a lot — of TLC to ensure bright blooms and blades of grass, and the perfect palette for next year’s garden.   Read more

The first spray opened up in my Oso Easy Peasy rose and I thought, “Wow, they have captured the essence of a fine heirloom.” This was like a breath of fresh air as I had fallen in love with antique and heirloom roses when becoming the director of the American Rose Society years ago. Read more

Truffula Pink gomphrena has already been hotter than the proverbial $2 pistol, but The Garden Guy is here to tell you it is even better than we thought. It has been the champion of all butterfly plants at my house and if your peak butterfly season is September/October and you find them for s… Read more