If you are like me and have trouble waiting for the snow to melt and the flower bulbs to begin poking their heads up then this is the one for you.  The Apricot Beauty, Tulipa single early 'Apricot Beauty', is a fall bulb that will start your garden out in early spring with fragrant light peach colored flowers.  If you are not familiar with Single Early Tulips, they are very hardy from zones 3-8.  They flourish on 10-12 inch stems and have one flower with 6 petals.  They are a great addition to any area of your landscape.  These would be great to be planted in front of other bulbs that will begin growing after these have begun their flowering.

Peach is a color you rarely see in bulb gardens.  I think it would be quite pretty next to the purple of grape hyacinths or yellow daffodils especially.  While I'm not one to show off, I wouldn't mind having the neighbors asking me where I got such beautiful tulips.  Maybe I could start a new trend!  I'm looking forward to their early blooming so I can finally know that spring has sprung!

We just had a surprise in our landscape this August.  We moved into a home that is over 100 years old.  The original owners had done lots of landscaping although after they passed away and new owners took over, it was and still is quite an overgrown area.  We have had lots of surprises of plants that have come up that we often wonder, how they got there.  We thought we had pretty much seen everything new there was to see until this past week.

I know you won't believe this but "overnight" we looked out on the edge of our property and there were long green stems growing out of the ground.  They had no leaves and were thick stems.  They looked to have flower buds forming.  We had no clue what they were and they looked pretty odd with those leggy stems.  Within a day, the flower buds started to open and the stems continued to grow.  The third day, the flowers were opening and had beautiful pink flowers.  Each stalk had about 5 blooms. 

They are still growing and we are in the second week.   I did some investigating and found out that they are a Lily - Spider - Pink Magic (Lycoris squamigera).    Some people call them Surprise Lily or Naked Lady.  These bulbs are planted in the fall and they have foliage that comes up in late winter.  Now, we remember seeing what looked like Daffodils popping up and couldn't figure why they were there at that time of year.  My husband had mowed over them not knowing what they were!  Apparently, the leaves die away in the spring and disappear below ground in late May.  Come August, you get a real show!

They look pretty funny with just those tall (up to 36" stalks), skinny green stalks and no other foliage.  We are considering putting some type of plant or bush that would still be green around them to show them off even more.  If you get a chance to plant these beauties, you will really enjoy them.  Fall is the time to get those bulbs in!  They will definitely "surprise" you!

All it really takes is a first crisp-juicy bite out of a Honeycrisp apple and most people are hooked. In our supermarket the Honeycrisp brings around 50¢ - 75¢ more per pound than other varieties. The price alone signifies that the apple is popular enough to garner a higher price from consumers. Fruit as well as food prices in general are climbing due to higher fuel costs so many people are deciding to plant their own fruit trees and small fruit plants.   

The Honeycrisp stores up to 6 months which makes it a favorite of backyard gardeners to grow and is cold hardy to Zone 3, great for the Midwestern gardener. The variety was released in 1991 by the University of Minnesota and it took awhile for the apple to catch on with first commercial growers and then with the public. The Honeycrisp flesh texture is quite different from other apples as the cells are almost twice as large than other apples. The larger cells hold more juice and when bitten into, causes a crisp snap and abundant juice. In fact, it is not unusual to have apple juice running down your chin no matter how careful you are when eating a Honeycrisp.

Don't take my word for it, try one yourself, and enjoy!

Ignore most plants and you can be assured they will shrivel up and die. Plant a grass named  Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) and once established can be ignored often when you are doing your watering chores. This grass originates on the prairie where it can be very dry. Little Bluestem sends down deep roots to find water and needed nutrients.

There are many other reasons to plant Little Bluestem other than the sparse water requirements. The plant needs to be planted in full sun and can grow up to 3 feet in height and 1 foot plus wide. I have seen it used as a hedge and it looked great in that application.  In late fall the purple and lavender hues start to appear giving way to reddish gold colors in early winter. A great contrast for us living in snow belts. Little Bluestem can be grown in Zones 2-7 and hardly any maintenance is required. The plant looks best when planted as a mass planting.

You will have more time on the patio enjoying a cold beverage if you have some Little Bluestem planted.   

If you are a butterfly person living in Zones 4 - 8 who has an extensive butterfly garden, I would guess you have at least one Dutchman's Pipe (Aristolochia durior) planted in your garden. The Dutchman's Pipe is simply one of the best butterfly magnets there is.  The deciduous vine is a rapid grower and can reach the height of 30 feet in full sun or light shade. If training up a trellis, please make sure you have a sturdy one as the vines can become heavy. The deep green leaves are heart shaped and 6 to 10 inches in size making for a great privacy screen or a focal point on trellises, fences or posts.

The Dutchman's Pipe is a favorite for butterfly enthusiasts as the plant has such dense foliage and flowers and attracts Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor) butterflies. The Dutchman's Pipe is a larva host plant for the Swallowtail and if you have host plants such as Dutchman's Pipe, the Swallowtail will make your garden home.

I "accidentally" started growing raspberries a few years ago.  I have since moved and had to leave them behind but I'm thinking I might have to start growing them again because they are so easy to grow and every year you get a bigger harvest.  There is nothing like the taste of fresh raspberries right off the bush.  A friend of mine had several bushes and too many to handle so he gave me some of the bushes to get started.  I was hooked from the beginning.  He served them with cream and sugar or whipped cream.  Since then, I've had them in pies and jams and fresh of fthe bush is still my favorite.  They are also a good addition to smoothies either by themselves or mixed with other berries like strawberries, blueberris and cherries.

This Caroline 'Rubus Caroline' variety is a very good starter plant if you are impatient.  It will start ripening in late august and will give you a lot of berries for your money!  If you are a bird lover, just plant a few extra and they can have their share too.  Mine were always in full sun although I understand that you can grow them in partial shade.  No matter where you live from zone 4 to zone 7, these raspberries are the ones to grow!

As I'm sitting here eating my chocolate chip cookies I realized that this would be a good time to tell you about our Chocolate Chip Ajuga x 'Chocolate Chip' plant.  I have seen these used often for ground covers and it's nice to see something different from the same old typical ground covers.  It's much better looking that mulch or rocks!  And...in the spring you get the added benefit of short spikes of blue flowers that complement the chocolate colored foliage.

One of the nice things about it is that is is low spreading and it's a fast grower.  If you have little patience waiting for your flower garden to grow, which I've been accused of, you will be pleasantly surprised.  This is a great choice without the calories of a chocolate chip cookie.  So, if you're on a diet and craving a chocolate chip cookie, just wander out to your yard instead and enjoy this lovely chocolate chip alternative.

Zoysia grass is a wonderful choice for a low maintenance lawn.  It's hardiness and the fact that it doesn't need much water make it a great choice.  It has a wonderful full, dense texture and in the winter will turn a beige color and then start coming back in the spring to it's bright green again.  I have always liked the look and feel of zoysia grass and also like the beige fall color of it, unfortunately, I can't talk my husband into it as he has a different take on what a lawn should look like!

Our zoysia comes in plugs and those are planted accordingly.  This will take a little bit of planning as you will need to know your square footage of the yard and then your desired spacing as you will need to leave space in between the plugs.  The recommended spacing is 6 to 12 inches and you can vary that depending on how quickly you want to have your lawn fill in.  Zoysia is slow growing so if that's the case you'll want to look at spacing 6" and if you are in no hurry you can space them at 12".  There is a table on our website to help you determine how many trays you need to order.  This would be the time to order so that you can start planting if you are in warmer zones or get your order in to be ready to plant for the cooler zones.  Zoysia grass is zoned for zones 4-11.

This is a beautiful evergreen with soft foliage.  It's a great border for areas where you want a shorter hedge. The height on these is approximately 4-6 feet and they spread 3-4 feet.  They would make a great background for your flower garden as well as an accent to the front of your house. They are very cold hardy and sturdy plants.  Their shape is rounded and being an evergreen they need very little care. 

Their green coloring and soft foliage remind you of a soft bed of moss.  Although this bed is a lot taller than most patches of moss!  These are just great looking, fun and hardy shrubs that are so adaptable to however you want to use them.  Try them out and prepare to receive complements from your neighbors.

I'm excited about this Rosy Returns Daylily.  In my area, I'm used to seeing daylilies in only orange colors.  This would be a nice rosy color to add with them or to possibly have in different areas of a garden.  We live near a museum that has a tall steep hill and they have planted hundreds of them so they cover the whole hill and it is so beautiful to drive by in the spring and summer.  They choke out the weeds and keep the soil where it belongs, on the hill, instead of sloughing off down onto the road.

Daylilies are also easy to grow.  They are perennials so they will continue to grow year after year. This is a dwarf variety that grows up to 16" tall.  This would make it easy to use in areas where you don't want really tall daylilies.  They can be planted any time from late spring to early fall.  You'll want to space them 1-3 feet apart.  I have heard that they are edible and are great in salads, even the stalks.  I have not tried this but they say that they are high in Vitamin C and protein.  Insect and disease problems are rare. These would be an easy addition to your garden and I know you'll enjoy them.

The Tiger Eyes Rhus typhina 'Bailtiger' is a must plant to add vibrant color to your landscape or containers . Introduced by Bailey's Nurseries, the foliage is a brilliant yellow.  New growth is bronze turning to yellow gold and it holds this color late into the summer. In the fall the foliage displays shades of oranges and reds layered in the golden yellow foliage. If you're thinking sumac is just sumac, you haven't seen a picture of Tiger Eyes yet. Tiger Eyes is a compact plant that, at maturity, can reach 6 feet in height and 6 - 8 feet width. It is a slow grower when compared to other sumacs.

Tiger Eyes has an oriental look and can be viewed as a semi-weeping type plant which can liven up any landscape. A very soil adaptive sumac that can withstand drought conditions once established. It will thrive in partial shade to full sun and is hardy in Zones 4 - 8. Tiger Eyes was a new introduction for the 2007 spring season. It sold out before the spring was over. As there are so many new plant introductions every year, some plants are short lived on many peoples interest list. Tiger Eyes will be around for years to come and will continue to stir interest among people who want their containers or garden to make a statement.

The Gladiolus 'Giant Mix' is noted for it's GIANT flowers.  The flowers can get to over 5-1/2"  and their stems can hold as many as 10-14 flowers.  These mixed color bulbs will fill your garden with a beautiful showy bouquet as they bloom.  They are beautiful in large vases and other flower arrangements.  This variety can grow to 36-60 inches tall and would be a colorful background to your other low growing plants.

These are good beginner plants as they are fast growing and very adaptable to many soil types.  They do prefer moist, well drained soil so you will want to keep them watered well.  If you have a garden that grows good vegetables, that would be a good soil for your glads.  If you have a heavy soil, you can add some compost to lighten it up.  Full sun is required for them to grow and bloom well.  They are so cheerful they can bring a smile to your face whenever you see them.

Asparagus 'Mary Washington' is a hardy perennial and extremely delicious.  I was never an asparagus lover until I tried it fresh off the plant in the garden.  It takes about three years before you get your first harvest.  If you try to harvest before that time, removing the spears will weaken the plant.  Generally, you will have spears to harvest in the spring through May or June.  To remove them you'll want to either snap them off or cut them off with a knife.  Asparagus is full of vitamins A and C, folate and fiber.  You'll want to cook the asparagus as soon as you can as it will lose flavor and moisture once it is cut from the plant.  You can eat asparagus in a number of ways, there are lots of recipes, you can even eat it raw!

I'm beginning to think about planting my garden items, although here in Nebraska I have time to do that planning so the plants don't freeze.  Planting should be done in the spring as soon as you can work the ground.  You should place the plants about 9-12 inches apart.  Sometimes the crown of the plant will rise above the ground after some time and you can add a couple of inches of soil at that time.  At first the plants will look spindly but as they age they will fatten up.  After you you have a winter freeze, the tops should be removed, this will allow less chance of disease.  Enjoy growing and eating your own home grown asparagus, you'll never want it any other way.

Anemone De Caen 'Blue & White Mix' are part of the anemone family which come from the Roman and Greek time periods.  The Greek name roughly translates into "windflower".  The wind that blows the petal open eventually blows the dead petals away.  They are easy care and great for container gardening.  As a beginner, this would be a good starter plant.  You can rely on this plant to perform and charm you with their multiple blue and white flowers.  They will bloom a long time from June to August and prefer to be planted in a partially sunny area in moist, well-drained soil.

If you pinch off the faded flowers you can increase the flowering of the plant for quite some time.  These also make great dried flowers for wreaths and flower arrangements.  The flowers would really be great around a deck and they bloom season after season.  You will want to wait until the danger of frost has passed before planting these bulbs in the spring.  You could also try planting them in the fall and see them bloom in the spring to enjoy them even longer.  Blue is my favorite color and sometimes it is hard to find blue flowers.  These are such deep and pure colors that I'll have to plant some myself!  Add some red anemones to them and you would have a nice patriotic flower garden.

The Polly White or Polly peach will give you reliable crops of tasty, sweet, medium-sized, white-fleshed fruit.  It is hardy to 20 degrees below zero.  It is self-fruitful so a pollinator is not needed.  It blooms beginning in late April.  It's mature height is 18-20 feet.  You can harvest these great peaches in early August. 

This would be a good peach for smoothies and desserts as well as eaten fresh.  I remember going to my aunt's farm and fruit orchard in Iowa, and by the way Iowa is where this peach was developed, and picking fresh peaches off the tree.  The sugary sweet juice dripping down my chin and onto my formally clean clothes.  The dogs loved it as they tried to lick the juice spills off my clothes and face.  She did a lot of canning with peaches and the made the best pies, jams and desserts that I had ever tasted.  Unfortunately, we didn't get to visit often but those visits were memorable visits!