We must be well into the new year because I've finally stopped writing the wrong year on my checks. It's about this time every year that both professional landscapers and home gardeners start thinking seriously about spring planting. Now is the perfect time to be thinking about the characteristics of your planting site. This is particularly important if trees are on your spring planting agenda. "It pays to plan well [and to] know your planting site," says Yvonne Barkley, a forestry extension associate with the College of Natural Resources at the University of Idaho...

Groundcover: Can it really be practical as well as attractive? In a previous column, I discussed the pros and cons of adding groundcover around your trees. In fact, I asked you to imagine yourself as a tree and think how you'd feel about groundcover invading your space! But I believe that judicious planting of groundcover has many advantages for you, and even for your trees in some cases. Areas with groundcover don't need mowing and provide a welcome contrast from a wide expanse of lawn. Additionally, groundcover can grow in shady areas where grass can hardly survive...

There's grass... and then there are GRASSES! You mow the grass, but ornamental grasses get a whole different treatment. You scowl and say, "Darn it! Look how long the grass is getting!" Then smile and say, "Look at those beautiful grasses!" There's something very special about ornamental grasses than can make a fan out of the most avid lawn-care grumbler . For one thing, they are relatively easy to grow (and hard to kill) and they can be quite spectacular without requiring a lot of expertise on the part of the homeowner. Ornamental grasses add year-long garden interest. Ornamental grasses can...

For farmers, there are only two kinds of rainfall: too much and not enough. Those of us who are into gardening and landscaping can sympathize with that! However, unlike farmers, most of us don’t have thousands of acres to worry about. That means we can concentrate our efforts on finding plants that can withstand the prevailing weather conditions in our (relatively) small patch of soil. The Plant Man’s simple rule of (green) thumb? Select trees and shrubs whose characteristics match the USDA plant hardiness zone where you live and the specific moisture conditions of your landscape...

Best ways to use flowering shrubs and evergreen shrubs in any garden or landscape: Shrubs are virtually maintenance free . Our living fence shrubs and evergreen shrubs help you to maintain your privacy . Several specimens of the same variety can be planted in garden plant groupings for a stronger visual effect. Different plant varieties can be grouped together for diversity and harmony of form, foliage or flower. Use flowering shrubs to give a sense of volume in a flower bed and can be used to set off garden accessories such as statues, birdbaths, fountains...

So you have soggy soil and everything you plant seems to sink in the mud or drown? Why fight Mother Nature when you can go with the flow? Instead of trying to force unsuitable plants to adapt to your damp conditions, pick plants that love getting their feet wet! Here are plants that should be on your list if you have soil or weather conditions that is on the dry side. Today we’re at the other end of the moisture scale: looking at plants that are singin’ in the rain! Sedges and rushes You might not find Moses in your bulrushes, but if you’re familiar with the story, you remember that rushes...

Just the thought of strawberries brings to mind summer, shortcake, jelly and chocolate. Bite into a strawberry and it explodes in your mouth making your tongue tingle with delight. With the red heart shape of the strawberry, no wonder it’s the symbol for Venus , the goddess of love. Maybe that’s why strawberries go so perfectly with chocolate and champagne. A member of the rose family , it is documented that strawberries have been enjoyed as a domesticated fruit as early as the 1400’s. Now, we know the strawberries nutrition . They contain amino acids and beta-carotene as well as A, C, E, K,...

When you think of fern plants , the first thing that comes to your mind is their long attractive leaves. Fern plants are interesting for many reasons. They can thrive in the shaded areas to great heights, texture and color. Ferns flourish better in a woodland garden that requires at least partial shade. When grown in a sunny garden, they will require protection from the hot afternoon sun. If your have a large maple or an oak tree in your yard, the fern plant would be one of the best shade-loving plants you will want to include. There are different types of fern plants that can be...

Greenwood's Best 8 Sun Garden Plants: Yucca Color Guard Elijah Blue Fescue Hen and Chicks The Fairy Rose Miss Ruby Buddleia Apricot Drift Rose Adagio Ornamental Grass Blue Scent Lavender This selection of sun garden plants is our choices for beginning a colorful long blooming sun garden in most zones. Check out more plant selections for sun garden plants .

Greenwood's Best 8 Evergreen Plants: Skyrocket Juniper Boxwood Wintergreen North Pole Arborvitae Nandina Fire Power Soft Serve Chamaecyparis Spring Grove Thjua Arborvitae Good Vibrations Juniper Yucca Color Guard Greenwood's Best 8 Evergreen Plants have been chosen based on their ease of growing and their color and texture that they bring to the landscape. Check out our other evergreen plants .