What Does a 3-Gallon Plant Actually Mean?
What Does a 3-Gallon Plant Actually Mean? A Simple Guide to Nursery Pot Sizes If you’ve ever visited a garden […]
Meet the Pugster Series: The Best Butterfly Bushes You Can Grow
Meet the Pugster Series: The Best Butterfly Bushes You Can Grow If you love butterflies — and who doesn’t? — […]
Little Bluestem: The Native Grass for Every WNC Garden
Little Bluestem: The Native Grass for Every WNC Garden If you garden anywhere in Western North Carolina and you […]
Azure Snow Salvia: A Bicolor Workhorse for Asheville Pollinator Gardens
Azure Snow Salvia: A Bicolor Workhorse for Asheville Pollinator Gardens If you’re building or expanding a pollinator garden in Asheville, […]
Native Honeysuckle?? Check out Kintzley’s Ghost!
Every once in a while a plant comes along that earns a permanent spot in our recommendations — not because […]
5 Reasons to Grow Baptisia in Western North Carolina
5 Reasons to Grow Baptisia in Western North Carolina If you garden in the mountains around Asheville, you already know […]
Planting Skip Laurels in WNC
Skip Laurels: Popular Screening Trees in WNC If you’ve been searching for a fast-growing, evergreen privacy screen that can handle […]
Miss Kim Lilac for the Win in WNC
Miss Kim Lilac: The Lilac That Actually Works in Western North Carolina Lilacs are one of those plants everyone loves […]
Check out: Gibraltar Exbury Azalea
Why Gibraltar Azalea Belongs in Every WNC Garden If you’ve been browsing Asheville shrubs this season and want something that […]
Phenomenal Lavender: The One Lavender That Actually Works in WNC
Photo courtesy of Proven Winners Perennials & Herbs · Western North Carolina Phenomenal Lavender: The One Lavender That Actually […]
North Pole vs. Emerald Green Arborvitae: Which One Belongs in Your WNC Garden?
Plant Guide · Evergreens & Screening Trees North Pole vs. Emerald Green Arborvitae: Which One Belongs in Your WNC Garden? […]
Why Osmocote Is the Best All-Around Fertilizer for WNC Gardens
Garden Tips & Nursery Advice Why Osmocote Is the Best All-Around Fertilizer for WNC Gardens One application. Season-long feeding. No […]
Blue Atlas Cedar vs. Blue Spruce: Which Blue Conifer Belongs in Your Western NC Landscape?
Blue Atlas Cedar vs. Blue Spruce: Which Blue Conifer Belongs in Your Western NC Landscape? Blue spruce is the crowd […]
Don’t Let a Late Freeze Undo Your Spring Garden
Growing Tip · WNC Spring Weather · Freeze Protection Don’t Let a Late Freeze Undo Your Spring Garden How to […]
Storm Cloud Bluestar: A Show Stopping Native Perennial
Native Perennial · Proven Winners® · Three-Season Interest Storm Cloud Bluestar: A Show Stopping Native Perennial Amsonia tabernaemontana ‘Storm Cloud’ […]
Check Out: WNC Native Wildfire Black Gum Tree
Native Tree · Four-Season Color · WNC Proven Check Out: WNC Native Wildfire Black Gum Tree Nyssa sylvatica ‘Wildfire’ — […]
FoxFarm Raised Bed Soil: Everything You Need to Know Before You Plant
🌱 Soil & Growing Media FoxFarm Raised Bed Soil: Everything You Need to Know Before You Plant The premium blend […]
Creeping Phlox: A Sea of Spring Color in WNC
If you’ve ever driven past a hillside or garden wall smothered in a thick carpet of pink, purple, or white […]
How to Prep a Slope for Junipers in Asheville, NC
If you’ve got a steep or sloped yard in the Asheville area, creeping and spreading junipers are one of the […]
Check Out: Black Dragon Cryptomeria
MOUNTAIN GARDENING · WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA Black Dragon Cryptomeria: A Striking Evergreen from the Mountains of Japan Drive through any […]
The Groundcover Juniper Showdown: Blue Rug vs. Blue Pacific vs. Procumbens Nana
Three low-growing junipers walk into a garden center. Only one leaves with your credit card. If you’ve ever wandered the […]
Check Out: Gaura “Whirling Butterflies”
Gaura lindheimeri, native to parts of Texas and Louisiana prairies, is one of our summer bestsellers. There is a lot […]
Fertilizing Made Simple for Asheville Gardens
There are a crazy amount of products on the market to feed plants. Quite simply, most of it just a […]
North Pole Arborvitae: Is it Better than Emerald Green?
If you live in Asheville, NC, and are unfamiliar with Emerald Green arborvitae, look out your window at your neighbor’s […]
Quince: The Best Early Spring Blooming Shrub in Asheville
Flowering quince, Chaenomeles speciosa, is one of those plants that’s been in cultivation for a long time, and even the […]
This is One Ugly Ole’ Plant
Sorry to be a hater. I’ve tried really to like this one but just can’t pretend anymore. The Dwarf Alberta […]
Mulch in Western North Carolina: Keep it Simple
If there is one piece of advice we’d give someone wanting to be a better gardener it would be this: […]
Butterfly Bushes are Back!
Nothing, as far as this author knows, brings butterflies to your garden like buddleia. It’s a shame then that they […]
What Plant Zone is Asheville in?
So, what zone are we in anyway? It’s not a question so easily answered up in the Appalachian mountains. Or […]
Check Out: At Last Rose
Roses are a polarizing plant. Admittedly, we’ve been a little afraid to mess with them. They can be a wonderful, […]
Frame Your Entryway with Sting Arborvitae
Have you been wanting the Italian cypress look with a plant that thrives in the Southeast? Check out Sting arborvitae, […]
5 Privacy Screen Options for WNC
At first, it seems like there are lots of options to use for a plant privacy screen in the Asheville […]
DIY Potting Table Out of a Metro Shelf
DIY Potting Table Out of a Metro Shelf Here is a pretty neat project to do before the growing season […]
Native Perennial Spotlight: Monarda (Bee Balm)
Native Perennial Spotlight: Monarda (Bee Balm) Monarda, commonly known as bee balm, is a genus of North American flowering plants […]
Fizzy Mizzy: Making Sweetspire Cool Again
Fizzy Mizzy: Making Sweetspire Cool Again Itea virginica(sweetspire) is a versatile shrub native to the southeast United States. Almost impossible […]
The Littlest Sun Hydrangea
The Littlest Sun Hydrangea Hydrangea paniculata are the easiest species of hydrangea to grow in Western North Carolina, and the […]
5 Well Loved Plants in Asheville…That Deer Love Too
Oh, deer. Maybe the top garden pest in Western North Carolina. They get our vegetable gardens, they get our fruit […]
9 Tips for Designing Your Western North Carolina Landscape
January is a great time to do a little landscape planning for the spring. February can be very up and […]
Mulch: The Key to a Green Thumb in WNC
A good mulch is simply the best thing you can do for your outdoor plants as well as improve the […]
4 of Our Least Favorite Perennials in Asheville (2023)
4 of Our Least Favorite Perennials in Asheville (2023) 1. Stachys byzantina (Lambs Ear.) Admittedly, Lambs ear has some […]
What to do with Fall Leaves in the Garden
Many people put off raking leaves until well into the winter months, or even spring when the motivation for yard […]
7 of Our Favorite Evergreen Conifers of 2023
Here is the 3rd installment of a series we are doing in December as the year wraps up to look […]
Euonymous: The Worst Shrub to Plant in Asheville
Euonymous: The Worst Shrub to Plant in Asheville I want to be nasty about this one, I really do. Euonymous […]
Gaura: A Butterfly Magnet in Western North Carolina
Gaura: A Butterfly Magnet in Western North Carolina Gaura, also known as wandflower, is a genus of North American native […]
5 Tips for Growing Rhododendron in Asheville
No plant is more Asheville and Western North Carolina than rhododendron. They grow like weeds up in the mountains all […]
3 Tips for Pruning Newly Planted Trees
“The best time to prune is when you remember to do it.” That saying is basically true, particularly for large […]
The Thuja Green Giant Screening Tree in Western North Carolina
Ah, the Thuja Green Giant. Those towering giants of the evergreen world, promising privacy and peace of mind to homeowners […]
Fire Chief Arborvitae: A Winter Wonder
Fire Chief arborvitae is one of our favorite evergreens, particularly for the winter landscape. It’s a sport of ‘Rheingold’ but […]
Pruning Old Multi Stemmed Shrubs
Old crochety multi-stemmed shrubs are perhaps the most intimidating plant to prune. Here is a video where I go over […]
7 of Our Favorite Deciduous Shrubs of 2023
Shrubs are the backbone of the garden, with evergreens providing the base and deciduous flowers the pizazz. Here are some […]
10 Fertilizer Myths
One of the most confusing things about gardening is how to fertilize. There is A LOT of misinformation online about […]
6 of Our Favorite Perennials for 2023
It’s December and we thought it would be a good time to reflect on some of our favorite plants this […]
7 Tips for Overwintering New Plants
It was a pretty brutal winter this year (2022-2023), reaching -2 this December, then the usual up-and-down warm and […]
Bone Meal: Help or Hype?
One saying that stuck with me early on in my plant adventure was, “For every dollar you spend in the […]
What to do about the Darn Clay
Almost all plants prefer rich but well-draining soil. Clay is rich in nutrients but terrible at draining. Sand is great […]
11 of Our Favorite Plants of 2022
Sombrero Sangrita Coneflower It’s the middle of July, and a great time to reflect on the season while we hide […]
8 Tips for Growing Tomatoes in WNC
Some of these tips are from learning things the hard way and some are from my chats with old-timers that […]
2 Must-Have Electric Landscaping Tools
Ego 56V with turbo, baby We’ve come a long way with electric tools. Some still aren’t there yet (I still […]
The Easy Way to Prune Spring Blooming Shrubs
Electric tools have come a long way. Two of my favorites are my 40V hedge trimmer and 56V blower. The […]
To Till or Not to Till
Tardiva Hydrangea A few years ago I was lamenting my clay soil at work one day when a friend mentioned […]
How to Grow Strawberries in WNC
When it comes to growing strawberries in Asheville and WNC, it REALLY matters to your success (and sanity) which type […]
Planting Fruit Trees in Asheville: 10 Things to Know Before You Begin
Here are ten tips for planting fruit trees in Asheville and Western North Carolina. Although our climate is excellent for […]
6 of the Easiest Plants to Grow in Asheville, NC
6 of the easiest plant to grow in Asheville, NC and Western North Carolina. These will give you flowers no matter how brown your thumb is.
7 Cool Winter Plants for the Asheville Area That AREN’T Evergreens
Hellebore or Lenten Rose Most of us think of evergreens when we think of plants that give us landscape interest […]
Don’t Take Crap From Your Lilac
When in bloom, there is nothing like a lilac. They are wonderful plants, full of fragrant blooms in the spring […]
6 Bulletproof (and Beautiful) Native Shrubs
‘Aphrodite’ Sweetshrub “Mt. Airy” Fothergilla Pronounced ‘father gil a’, this is a slow to medium growing shrub that gets 5-6’ […]
Help! I have brown spots on my leaves!
I normally shy away from these topics because, well, people can be a little touchy about spraying things. But I […]
9 Great Plants for Privacy Screens in Asheville
Got some hippies next door in the hot tub smoking left handers? Once you are toweled off and back at […]
All About Butterfly Bushes
Butterfly bushes are one of those plants that straddle the line between a shrub and a perennial. They are very […]
Creating and Amending Perennial Beds
For years I felt that it was my obligation to do as much as I could to use the native […]
Make Free Plants This January!
If you are looking for something to try in the garden this winter, it’s a great time of year for […]