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This is repeat story from 2010—a popular topic for those anticipating spring blooms from bulbs! As an update for 2011, the VOLES ate all of my Dutch iris bulbs over the winter. Very sad! Worse than the deer herd whose population is ever-increasing and chose only to munch a yucca in desperation over the winter. When do plants bloom? That's always an important question when designing a garden. By noting bloom times, it is easier to match up companions for the future. When selecting bulbs to bloom in mid-April, I shopped for bloom times in May or June—based on zone 5 bulb sellers. All of my bulbs were planted in late autumn for spring bloom. The bulbs that have been in my garden for several years bloomed a few days earlier than new bulbs. Bloom time was also earlier for bulbs in all day full sun— versus bulbs in sun for half of the day. Below is a recap of the dates for spring blooming bulbs in my zone 7b garden in North Carolina. Of course, warmer zones will have earlier blooms and ...

Hot colors! Dole® Plantation Oahu, Hawaii Blazing bromeliads! Ruby pineapple in the garden at Dole® Hanauma Bay Oahu, Hawaii Oahu, North Shore in a storm. High winds. High waves. Diamond Head in the background. Standing on Wakiki Beach. January 2011. Words and photos by Freda Cameron , Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel . All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

Native to the slopes of Mount Fuji in Japan, the beautiful flowering quince ( chaenomeles japonica ) 'Atsuya Hamada' boasts deep maroon-red blooms in spring. The camellia-like blooms heavily embellish almost every branch of this shrub. Most quince varieties that I have seen lean toward white, salmon pink to orange shades—whereas the deep red of this quince is almost black-red. My photo below (click to enlarge) was taken in the middle of the day with strong sun and no shade. chaenomeles japonica  'Atsuya Hamada' at the JC Raulston Arboretum, Raleigh, NC; March 2011. I spotted this gorgeous shrub on a spring walk through the JC Raulston Arboretum  (click link for more photos of this quince) in Raleigh, North Carolina. Never having seen this shrub, I searched the Web for more information on the growing conditions. The quince will grow up to 10 feet in height and is suitable for cold up to zone 5. It was introduced to the United States by Northwest plantsman, Roy Davidson...

Need an extra jolt of caffeine to get you started in the morning? It is very easy and inexpensive to make good quality espresso at home in ten minutes. Come along as The Musician demonstrates how he makes espresso coffee on the stovetop. Espresso is used for making cappuccino and lattes. All you do is add steamed milk and foam to the espresso shots. If you have a way to steam your skim milk to 140°, then you can make all three coffee beverages. An espresso cup (shot) is roughly 1/3 of a measuring cup and a regular size cappuccino cup holds two espresso shots, plus milk and foam. Therefore a 4 cup espresso maker will produce 4 espressos or 2 regular size cappuccinos. What you need to make a simple espresso: A stovetop espresso pot.   We prefer stainless steel instead of aluminum and purchased the Primula® Stainless Steel Espresso Coffee Maker, 4 cup   for around $30 USD at our local Macys®.   Good quality espresso coffee . Make sure you purchase espresso strength as regul...

Spring is in the air and gardeners anxiously await the first blooms in the garden. To boost my enthusiasm, I peruse the volumes of garden photos that I've taken in the springtime—my own garden as well as those that I have visited. I always find myself studying the hundreds of photos that I took at Claude Monet's gardens at Giverny, France in May 2009. Are you ready for more Monet?  Monet's Gardens at Giverny, France The Clos Normand, May 2009. Looking through a veil of purple.  The beautiful Tamarisk tree (can be invasive in some areas). Perfectly planted in pink. Lawn and garden merge. No doubt the foliage of spent daffodils in the grass. Another Monet moment? We're returning to France in April 2011. Monet's gardens in early April will be filled with tulips and other spring bulbs. Will we take the train out of Paris for a return trip? Sometimes seeing less can reveal more—as in the bones or structure of a garden that may be hidden behind the billowing blooms in pe...

Lantana 'Miss Huff' with salvia 'Black & Blue' in Helen's garden A big happy birthday wish to the gardener who inspired the combination in today's feature. Helen Yoest at Gardening with Confidence™  is celebrating her birthday on March 3 ! When visiting Helen's garden in September 2009, I was struck by the deep blue of salvia guaranitica 'Black & Blue' planted with the gold and orange blooms of lantana 'Miss Huff'. These are two easy plants to grow as annuals in cold zones and perennials in warm zones. Both are water-wise and can handle drought conditions with minimal water. Plant in full sun. Afternoon shade is fine in the hottest zones. Lantana camara 'Miss Huff' is a perennial in zones 7-10 with blooms of gold and orange. She can grow quite large, reaching a whopping shrub-size of 4-6 feet in height and width. Late to emerge in spring, usually May in zone 7b, don't cut back lantana in the fall. This shrub is a wonderfu...