Perlite is an ore of ’volcanic glass’, which is formed when volcanic magma cools rapidly. In the first few decades of the 1900′s, there was a lot of investigation of this material. A patent was issued in 1938, for a method to expand the ore into the lightweight stuff we call Perlite. The [...]
Archive for February, 2012
What is Perlite?
Posted in From the greenhouse, tagged peat moss, perlite, soil, soil mix on February 29, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Annuals in the Perennial Bed, Part 2
Posted in From the designers desk, From the greenhouse, Landscaping, tagged annuals, annuals in the perennial bed, garden design, greenhouse grower, perennial bed, perennial bed design, shade garden, shady locations on February 27, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
This is the second and final part of the “annuals in the perennial bed” topic. Most people will agree that best thing about a perennial bed is the bright color that it provides throughout the summer. But even the longest blooming perennials have times in the season where they do not look like much. That is [...]
Geraniums–the Specialty group
Posted in From the greenhouse, tagged geranium, Pelargonium, specialty geranium on February 22, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
The group of Specialty Geraniums are like that drawer in your kitchen. Everything in there is interesting and useful but you don’t quite know where to put it. Specialty Geraniums have colorful foliage, unusual flowers, different growth habits or some other feature that is unique. Some are very strong growers–I use the variety Contrast as [...]
Annuals in the Perennial Bed, Part 1
Posted in From the designers desk, From the greenhouse, Landscaping, tagged annuals, flowers, Landscape design, perennial bed, perennial bed design on February 21, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
This is part one of two of the “annuals in the perennial bed” topic. Most people will agree that best thing about a perennial bed is the bright color that it provides throughout the summer. But even the longest blooming perennials have times in the season where they do not look like much. That is [...]
Geraniums–interspecies types
Posted in From the greenhouse, tagged Caliente, Calliope, geranium, Interspecies, Pelargonium on February 14, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
All annual Geraniums are probably a mix of species, from somewhere in their past. The ‘interspecies’ types we’re talking about here are crosses between Zonal Geraniums and Ivy Geraniums. These have been around for lots of years, but lately there have been some additions that are really standout varieties. The most notable of these is [...]
5 New Ideas for your Garden
Posted in From the designers desk, Landscaping, tagged Bubbling rock, Childrens garden, edible garden, Garden ideas, Landscape design, native garden, Patio design on February 9, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Have you wanted to do something new in your yard, but run out of ideas? Or maybe you just want to try something different. Here are 5 great ideas that are sure to make your yard more beautiful, functional, and enjoyable! Small Sitting Patio– A sitting patio could be as small as 30 square feet. You only need [...]
Geraniums, again
Posted in From the greenhouse, tagged geranium, ivy geranium, martha washington, Pelargonium, regal on February 8, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
There are an infinite number of ways to organize the Geranium group. Besides Zonals (see previous post), I group them as Zonal, Ivy, Regal, Specialty Geranium, and Inter-species Geranium. There are some other minor groups that are mostly known just to collectors. The Ivies are the trailing geraniums that you see in baskets and containers. [...]
