’Tis the season of the “Twin 95s.” Ninety-five degrees and 95 percent humidity, that is. As a result, the parsley has gone to seed in most gardens. So has the dill. The nasturtium flowers have withered away. But fear not. The hotties are here to stay, bringing forth blooms and new growth despite the Deep South’s mantle of full sun.

Adding beauty and color to the shade garden can be a daunting challenge to many gardeners. Of course, there are plenty of annuals and perennials that do well, but when it comes to shrubs, or more precisely, flowering shrubs, the choices seem to dwindle. I’m going to profile 15 shrubs that do well in shade that you may want to try in your garden ...

When Don and Sandy Logan turned over the keys of their Birmingham home to its new owners, saying good-bye to the gardens Sandy had nurtured, they moved to New York City, never dreaming that they would return to buy it again years later. But, that’s exactly what happened

One of the native ornamental grasses that has received a considerable amount of attention the past few years is muhly grass. Not likely to be noticed in the spring and summer, it puts on quite a show in the landscape during the fall.

A garden was not intended to be a flat space and certainly the right proportions of plants offering dimension, color, texture and unique forms are the mainstay of any landscape. Home gardeners sometimes neglect to make use of the space created by vertical areas in their yards. Vertical dimension creates new vistas and views, giving the landscape a three dimensional elegance ...

The cardoon is a fabulous plant that can provide plenty of interest in your garden. Cardoons form a rosette of deeply lobed, nearly 3-foot long silvery leaves. Mature specimens can reach upwards of 5 feet tall, so it is easy to see how this plant can make an impact. While the cardoon is truly an evergreen perennial for us in the piedmont of South Carolina, it really shines during the winter. We typically use cardoon at Riverbanks as a winter-interest plant, often using it as an annual to give some size and texture to winter bedding schemes.

Some gardening tasks are a lot of fun. I love picking out plants and creating beautiful container combinations, and I enjoy planting flats of pansies in early fall. Other tasks, like weeding, are tedious, but you have to do them. Then there’s another group of garden tasks many consider necessary, but I consider bad ideas. Crossing them off your to-do list will give you more time to focus on the enjoyable aspects of gardening. Here’s my list of the top three things you should NOT be doing in your garden...

Fall is the season when many of us envy our neighbor’s gardens. You know what I’m talking about. One morning, you step out the front door and stroll through your front yard, which is just about done showing off for the year. While you are picking up the morning paper, you see something through the corner of our eye: your neighbor’s garden is still outperforming the rest. Something is swaying in the breeze with its beautiful blooms, just daring you to ask the neighbor, “Where did you learn that trick? What design school did you attend?”

The idea that the landscape around our homes is a static, never-changing adornment seems to be giving way as more and more people embrace the notion of garden building. Some treat the terms landscape and garden synonymously, but they are quite different. You can have a perfectly fine landscape and never step foot outside or do a bit of the work yourself. But to have a garden is a different thing. Building a garden requires a personal commitment of time and effort, and it becomes your own living work of art, reflecting your interests, tastes and personality.

Soon, the pallet of the landscape will be transforming from subtle browns and tans and exploding into splashes of hot pink, white, yellow and purple. The sweet-smelling crabapple blossoms will shower papery petals in a gentle breeze, blanketing the landscape. The rustling chatter and singing of wildlife will fill the once still air. Soon, spring will be here!

Acer negundo is an Oklahoma native usually found in bottomland forests and populating old homesteads. Its tolerance to extreme cold and drought has made this tree a survivor through much of the U.S. It can be used as a temporary planting, providing fast growth and shade ...

There always seems to be a catch to that perfect piece of property. The views of the rolling countryside may be breathtaking, the sparkling clear creek at the back of the property might be picturesque — but, unfortunately, part of the property is so steep that it requires rappelling gear just to mow the lawn. What does a gardener do when there is an area that is “un-doable?”