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4 weeks ago | 
gardeningknowhow.com | Susan Albert |Amy Draiss
If you’re looking for an ornamental grass to add movement and sound to your garden, why not try a blue ornamental grass? From silver blue to blue-green to deep blue, blue ornamental grass hues change with the temperature providing eye-catching color all season. Then in autumn, the colors change again to reflect the sunset. Adding a pop of blue grass to the landscape can brighten up a border or provide eye-catching color in a group planting.
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1 month ago | 
gardeningknowhow.com | Teo Spengler |Amy Draiss |Janey Goulding
Quick FactsBotanical name: Hydrangea paniculata ‘Renhy’Height: 8ft (2.3m) tallSpread: 5ft (1.6m) wideSun: Full sun, afternoon shadeSoil: Excellent drainageHardiness zones: 3-8When to plant: Spring, fallBloom time: Jul-SepIf you aren’t sure what color hydrangea you like best, a Vanilla Strawberry hydrangea (aka Vanille Fraise hydrangea) offers a gorgeous fusion of pinks and whites.
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1 month ago | 
gardeningknowhow.com | Teo Spengler |Amy Draiss
With their big, lush and beautiful flowers, hydrangeas are in a class of their own. And while whites and pinks make lovely entry points, a purple hydrangea can create a unique visual impact. The truth is there are no true purple hydrangeas – but several hydrangeas can produce purple flowers with the right soil pH. The options listed here are big leaf hydrangea varieties that flower blue in acidic soil and pink in alkaline soil.
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1 month ago | 
gardeningknowhow.com | Teo Spengler |Amy Draiss
Hydrangeas are the workhorses of both my gardens. They are tolerant and hardy, accepting both the cold winters of Basque Country in France and the mild, foggy San Francisco climate – oh, and the flowers are huge! While many gardeners gravitate towards conventional pinks or unusual greens and bright whites, some of my favorite types are the blue hydrangea varieties you can grow. One isn’t supposed to have a favorite, but I love blue hydrangea flowers more than any others.
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1 month ago | 
gardeningknowhow.com | Teo Spengler |Amy Draiss
Limelight hydrangea, (Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’) is a very popular panicle hydrangea cultivar. Its name gives you a hint at its beautiful flower color: the blossoms emerge lime-green, mature to white, then finish up as deep pink. Is ‘Limelight’ hydrangea pruning necessary? Panicle hydrangea are vigorous shrubs producing dense flowers, and most benefit from pruning. ‘Limelight’ is one of them. In fact, the cultivar produces bigger flowers on stronger branches if pruned back in winter.
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1 month ago | 
gardeningknowhow.com | Mary Ellis |Amy Draiss
Hydrangeas are popular for their large, showy flowers, shifting tones, and fall and winter interest. The fact that they are relatively low-maintenance is also highly appealing. However, if you are looking specifically for native hydrangea varieties, that's OK – because there are several types of hydrangea native to North America. If you love this versatile and showy shrub, but want to stick with native species for your garden, you’re in luck.
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2 months ago | 
gardeningknowhow.com | Teo Spengler |Amy Draiss
Peonies are not the first flowers to appear in spring, but they are undoubtedly some of the most colorful – capable of developing some truly memorable medleys. These peony colors can fill beds and borders with a broad selection of shades of yellow, white, pink, purple, violet, brown, coral and orange. Whether you are looking for classic pastels or more contemporary earthy tones, there’s something for every taste.
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2 months ago | 
gardeningknowhow.com | Teo Spengler |Amy Draiss
Are you allowed to have favorite houseplants? If it were ok to rank indoor plants in my heart, spider plants would be near the top of the list. They are lovely and resilient, with their gracefully arching leaves, they are easy care, and they are flexible about sunlight and irrigation. However, if you have a spider that is looking a little thin, limp or leggy, you may well be wondering. how to make a spider plant bushier.
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Mar 24, 2025 | 
gardeningknowhow.com | Teo Spengler |Amy Draiss
Want to make gardening easy? Raised bed gardens are the way to go. The vegetables you plant in raised beds are easy to tend since, by definition, they live in a bed that is well above the regular soil level. Raised beds are easy to access for weeding and thinning plants since they have walkways on either side. And the soil stays loamy and well-drained since nobody walks on it. If you are considering installing raised beds, be sure to think about design before you start.
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Mar 22, 2025 | 
gardeningknowhow.com | Teo Spengler |Amy Draiss
Spring has its own traditions – with fun ones like watching for daffodils to bloom, and less fun ones like spring cleaning. You can create a few more delightful seasonal traditions by planting some unique and unusual spring flowering bushes. The coolest thing about spring flowering shrubs is that they appear on otherwise bare branches, before the trees leaf out. But which work best with your climate, hardiness zone, garden and personal style?
