Author Archives: roxannward_eplwpc

In Southern gardens, August brings together the last of our summer-blooming perennials, along with annuals that have been holding it all together visually, as plants expand, bloom, and, in some cases, decline. The end of summer brings with it the hardest lesson for new gardeners — the realization that it is impossible to hold ontoContinue reading “This Week in the Garden: Looking Toward Fall”

I have a confession to make:  I don’t like gardening in late July and August. Allow me to clarify.  I love to see what is happening in my Georgia garden in late summer, but I don’t want to work in it, and by work I mean any task that leaves me soaked with sweat, andContinue reading “Lift Your Mood with Color for the Late Summer Garden”

Lately I seem to spend a lot of time asking myself, what else can I plant that the deer will find disgusting? It’s not a typical approach to garden design, but for those of us living in areas where deer are present year-round, it is the only way to enjoy flowers without heartbreak. Here’s howContinue reading “Outsmarting Bambi: Designing a Beautiful Garden Using Plants that Deer Hate”

Based on the emails I received from various seed companies and plant vendors this last week, they are overwhelmed with orders, and I think it’s fair to say that gardening, as a pastime, is on the upswing. My local garden center was, for a week or so, doing curbside pickup for customers anxious to getContinue reading “Why We Garden Today”

In this stressful time, I look forward to every sunny morning I can walk into the garden and watch my plants waking up from their winter sleep. It is spring in the South, and each day brings a new surprise. So much changes in the hours between sunset and dawn that a quick walk acrossContinue reading “Easy Perennials for Southern Gardens”

The organic gardening discussion has been going on for decades, and in 2021 the availability of organically-grown food is something we take for granted. While it is easy to pick up that container of organic strawberries to add to your morning yogurt, I wonder how many home gardeners have embraced organic practices as the bestContinue reading “Organic Gardening: Giving Up the Blue Stuff”

If you live in the city, with perhaps a ground-level paved terrace that sees a bit of watery sunshine on a clear day, you may only envision your tiny outdoor space as a place for napping on a chaise lounge, or sipping a glass of wine on a summer evening. I love both of theseContinue reading “A Shade Garden for City-Dwellers”

Garden design may seem like a mystery for anyone new to gardening. It’s a bit like trying to understand why an interior designer chooses geometric print wallpaper instead of a stripe. When making any type of design decision, it helps to know what you like and what will work for a particular situation. For thisContinue reading “Garden Design 101: How Designers Choose Plant Material”

Opposites attract. A social butterfly meets a quiet, calm soul and well,  you know the rest of the story. So what happens, along the path of life, when one of you falls in love with all things green? At this point in the story, there are two ways it can go:  either your partner enjoysContinue reading “My Life with Grass Man”

There is nothing more heart-breaking than walking through your garden with a glass of wine at the end of a long workday, and realizing that all of those exotic-looking lilies you lovingly planted as bulbs in the fall are toast. Gone. Every bud and bloom devoured. It’s a common problem in the South, and asContinue reading “Deer Don’t Eat Camellias, and Other Lies I’ve Told Myself”