Cottage Gardener, Ltd.

05/08/2019

Gift for Mother's Day! Spring flowering Double Daffodils make a great and unique Mother's Day Gift. This gift requires a little planning but can be made into a fall planting party and a spring reveal party giving you two opportunities to spend time with Mom. Pictured here are 'Tahiti' Double Daffodils with yellow petals and orange accents and 'Delnashaugh' Double Daffodils with white petals and fluffy peach-pink segments. Both flower in Mid-Spring and make good cut flowers. Theses two and many others can be found on line by searching for 'Double Daffodils'. Happy Mother's Day!

05/01/2019

Happy May Day! The cool spring has delayed many of the spring flowers. Here are some Purple Hyacinths and Ice Follies Daffodils on a rainy May 1st.

04/15/2019

April Snow in 2019, this is our second snowfall in April this year! Monitor the garden for plant damage, which should be minimal with low temperatures only in the upper 20's. Start your photo journal today!

03/20/2019

Happy First Day of Spring!
Chionodoxa luciliae, commonly called glory-of-the-snow, is a bulbous perennial that is native to mountainsides in western Turkey. It is among the first bulbs to bloom in the spring, often poking its flowering stalks up through melting snows, hence its common name of glory-of-the-snow. In the Milwaukee area plants typically bloom from mid-April to mid-May. Each bulb produces 2-3 narrow, basal leaves and an upright flower stalk (to 6” tall) which is topped in very early spring by a loose raceme of 2-3 star-like, upward facing, six-petaled, lilac blue to soft violet blue flowers with small white centers.
Provides late winter to early spring color to the garden. Best when massed and naturalized in rock gardens, sunny woodland areas, slopes or in lawns under large deciduous trees. Mixes well with other early spring bulbs such as daffodils, species tulips and snowdrops. (Source: Missouri Botanical Garden)

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05/10/2018

Celebrate Mother's Day by giving Mom a Butterfly garden. Butterfly gardens can be easily created with just a few perennials in a sunny location. Site its location in a three by five foot space close to a viewing area, such as a patio, deck, or from a favorite window in the house. A mix of perennials such as Butterfly Bush (Buddleia), Coneflower (Echinacea), Bee Balm (Monarda), Butterfly W**d (Asclepias) Phlox, Catmint (Nepeta), Sedum, and Salvia are most effective when planted together. Most of these plants will tolerate dry conditions, but don't forget a water dish for the butterflies!

05/09/2018

Celebrate Mother's Day by planting a shrub with fragrant flowers. Shrubs with fragrant flowers can make any garden enchanting and will make you smile. My favorite spring flowering shrubs include Fragrant Viburnum's (Viburnum x juddii) and Lilac's (Pictured Syringa vulgaris 'Katherine Havemeyer'). Both of these shrubs benefit from full sun exposure and occasional pruning. Plant them in a location close enough to enjoy their fragrance with room to grow.

05/07/2018

Mother's Day is celebrated on May 13 this year. We will be highlighting some plant gift ideas this week that can be enjoyed in the garden year after year.
The Spring flowers of a Magnolia can be a show stopper. The Midwest can grow many varieties, my two favorites are Leonard Messel Magnolia (Magnolia x loebneri 'Leonard Messel') with its fragrant pink flowers and Royal Star Magnolia (Magnolia stellata 'Royal Star') with its white fragrant waterlily-like flowers. Both are medium to small trees that do well once established and require only supplemental watering during dry spells.

05/01/2018

Happy May Day! This Golden Glory Corneliancherry Dogwood (Cornus mas 'Golden Glory') Celebrates the day in full bloom.

04/20/2018

Winter In April...
Our recent April snowfall has put a 'Delay of Game' on Spring!

03/20/2018

Celebrate the first day of Spring! Start a photo journal to record your gardens progress through the seasons. The daffodils will be opening soon...stay tuned!