Five Easy Plants for Difficult Areas

Easy PlantsBy Guest Blogger: Madoline Hatter 

We all have areas in our yards that are just hard to deal with. They may be wet or shady or in the burning sun but they have a tendency to kill off whatever we plant there. However there are some hardy plants that love these kinds of places. Here are some easy plants to grow in difficult areas:

1. Canna

This large flowering plant has leaves similar to a banana tree. The flowers come in a wide range of colors from yellow to orange and red. Standing straight and tall they can reach heights of over seven feet. These are very hardy flowers and can grow in all kinds of soil. From underwater to hot and dry they flourish. They also reproduce quickly by sending out shoots and will take over whatever area they are planted in. Full sun or shade they just keep blooming! Read More

Gardening Benefits for a Better Lifestyle Infographic

In an effort to continue celebrating Earth Day, let’ take a look at how gardening benefits and supports a healthy lifestyle. By growing your own vegetables and using no pesticides, you will have less toxins in your body. Your home grown vegetables become tasty and healthy.By gardening, it can reduce your expenses and actually help you make a little money. With your own vegetables, you spend less money at the grocery store. You can also take your vegetables to farmers markets to make money. With gardening, you can maintain your home’s landscape and create a better view. And thus, the value of your home increases. Not to mention, gardening makes for a greener lifestyle. In support of Earth Day, making little changes can support our environment. Gardening benefits provide more value than you originally thought. Read More

Incorporating Ornamental Grasses into your Landscape

When landscaping many homeowners add shrubs, trees and definitely flowers, however homeowners often forget about using grasses in their landscape design.

Ornamental grasses can add drama and flair to any garden.  They flow in the wind, they are colorful and they are resilient.   Many feel that grasses are all green, but they are come in reds, pinks, yellows, golds, rusts, blues and so many shades of green.    Read More

Herb Gardening for a Healthy You

herb gardening

Herb gardening is a great and easy solution for making a garden look and smell good.  Herbs provide this amazing scent while also providing flavor to kitchen dishes. Herbs are also good in case you are sick.

Herb gardening can be easy if you provide your herbs with sun and good drainage. Pesticides and fertilizers are rarely needed with herbs. Herbs also can grow in close quarters like containers. Containers are actually a very good solution for intrusive herbs that can create problems like mint and lemon verbena. Regular pinching and pruning keep plants compact and avoids the leggy looking herb which could also lose flavor. Read More

Southern Gardens Inspiration: Bellingrath Gardens and Birmingham Botanical Gardens

Southern Gardens Inspiration

It is that time of year when all the flowers are in full bloom.  Some of the HomeZada founders had an opportunity to visit two gardens in the Southern United States for southern gardens inspiration. First a visit to Bellingrath Gardens in Ocean Springs, AL. Walter and Bessie Bellingrath developed Bellingrath Gardens in 1927. With over 65 acres and well over 6,000 plants including camellias, azaleas, roses, and chrysanthemums, a visitor is sure to see some of the most spectacular gardens in this country. The rose garden is home to over 2,000 plants representing 75 varietals for southern gardens inspiration. You can learn more about these varieties here www.bellingrath.org/bellingrath-rose-garden.html  The great lawn is bordered with a variety of plants, well over 4,000 annually to meet seasonal needs.  The flower bed’s bordering the great lawn are over 400 feet long.  A visit to the great lawn takes you back in time as if you would play croquet on such a lovely space.

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