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Articles by Betty Montgomery
Overcome those fears of pruning before the spring growing season kicks in
February is a busy month in the garden for me. I dress up warm and out the door I go on a sunny day. I am either planting trees or shrubs, dividing snowdrops or pruning. Pruning may not be the most glamorous garden task, but it is one of the most important. Done correctly, it improves a plant’s health, strengthens its structure and enhances its appearance. Despite this, many gardeners — including me at times — hesitate to prune.
Even in the dead of winter, the sight of snowdrops can bring about a gardener's smile
The sight of snowdrops poking bravely up through a carpet of soggy, fallen leaves brings cheer to us gardeners in the winter. These dainty little flowers are understated and refined. They are one of the winter garden’s greatest small miracles. When most of the garden looks like it has given up and gone to sleep, these little white flowers show up uninvited, nodding politely as if to say, “Good morning.
Turn to your garden for your own natural Christmas decorations
The spirit of Christmas comes to each of us in its own way. The traditions we share with family and friends become the memories we cherish most. Whether it’s decorating with fresh greenery, putting up the tree or simply catching the scent of cedar and cinnamon, these familiar moments bring the season to life. Wreaths, garlands and centerpieces are timeless Christmas decorations, and creating them with fresh greenery adds an elegant, natural touch to the home.
Fall is the perfect time to plant daffodils and dream of spring
Fall is one of the best times to work in the garden. The air is cooler, the humidity lower and there’s a pleasant crispness that makes being outdoors a joy. It’s also the perfect time to plant trees, shrubs and — perhaps most exciting of all — spring-flowering bulbs. Garden centers and hardware stores are now brimming with boxes of bulbs, waiting for you to take them home, tuck them into the soil and enjoy their cheerful blooms next spring.
Hardy chrysanthemums require a gardener's patience, yet are well worth your effort
For splashes of warm autumn color, few plants rival the fall-blooming perennial chrysanthemum — better known to most gardeners as garden mums. When planted in spring, these reliable perennials quickly establish themselves and, if given the proper spot and nutrients, will reach a nice size by fall and possibly flower in their first fall. Hardy mums have been selected for both their vibrant color and their ability to tolerate cold, making them one of the true treasures of the autumn landscape.
Your patience will be well rewarded if you plant these spring flowering bulbs in your garden
When many people think of spring flowering bulbs, daffodils come to mind. Their cheerful yellow blooms are a welcome sight after winter’s gray days, and they never fail to brighten my mood. Tulips, too, are often at the top of the list, with their bold colors and elegant shapes. But daffodils and tulips are only the beginning. Spring bulbs offer an entire palette of color and fragrance, unfolding from late winter into early spring, each one adding its own charm to the garden.
Panicle hydrangeas are the stars of any late summer garden
Hydrangea paniculata, one of my favorite types of hydrangeas, has earned its place as a staple in gardens. Admired for its large, cone-shaped blooms, hardiness and remarkable versatility, this species has undergone a significant transformation over the past few decades. Thanks to plant breeders' innovations, today's panicle hydrangeas offer gardeners a dazzling variety of colors, sizes, bloom times and resilience.
Stop and smell the roses: The beauty and purpose behind garden benches
A well-placed bench in a garden is more than just a piece of furniture; it’s an invitation. It asks visitors to slow down, pause for a moment and take in the beauty that surrounds them. It also can act as a focal point, decorative element or welcoming space where people can stop to appreciate the landscape and the care that went into its creation. Yet, ironically, many gardeners rarely pause long enough to admire their own work.
Ferns: Bring these prehistoric wonders to your shaded garden
Ferns — these ancient, feathery wonders — bring an unmatched sense of grace, mystery and lush texture to any shaded garden. These fascinating plants, with their delicate fronds and rich diversity, are more than just ornamental. They are survivors, storytellers and the quiet stars of the understory. Ferns have graced the Earth for over 300 million years, predating even dinosaurs. With around 12,000 species worldwide, they are a botanical group all their own.
This flower is a stunning, low-maintenance perennial for your Charleston garden
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You'll be surprised that this springtime beauty is not actually a hydrangea
As spring arrives, one particular shrub in my garden never fails to catch the eye of visitors. Without fail, someone will remark, “That’s the biggest hydrangea bush I’ve ever seen!” Others might say, “My hydrangeas haven’t even started blooming yet.” But here’s the surprise — it’s not a hydrangea at all. It’s a viburnum. More specifically, this particular variety is Viburnum opulus, commonly known as the snowball bush.
Shade-loving perennials that shine in early spring gardens
As spring awakens and the days begin to stretch, gardeners eagerly anticipate the first blooms of the season. However, for those with shady gardens, it can sometimes feel like the options are limited. Fortunately, there are several shade-loving perennials that not only thrive in less sun but also bloom early, filling the garden with color when many other plants are still emerging. These plants blend beautifully with hostas, ferns and grasses, creating a lush, layered look.
Why are we talking about daffodils now? It's time to plant them
What flowers herald the start of spring more than daffodils? These sunny yellow and creamy white trumpets are a reminder that spring is coming. But why are we talking about daffodils now? Well, when fall is in the air, that is the time to plant spring blooming bulbs. Daffodils, along with tulips, are spring flowering bulbs that need to be planted in the fall. Daffodils are critter-proof, easy to care grow, and look cheerful in beds, borders, containers, and bouquets.
Plant your tulip bulbs in November for a beautiful spring season
I love tulips! They are a real symbol of spring when they bloom in April and May and light up my garden with their stately presence and vivid colors. They are bright and cheerful with colors that make an imposing presence. They make a garden come alive with their color. While red is a classic tulip color, the flowers may also come in every color except true blue and some are even two-toned. Some tulips are a traditional cup shape with one flower per stem and others have a ruffled or fringed edges.
Plant your tulip bulbs in November for a beautiful spring season
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The timeless charm of violas and pansies
Pansies and violas are a great addition to the winter garden. These happy-looking plants with their sweet, subtle scent can add a cheerful appearance to your fall, winter and early spring gardens. Pansies and violas have a distinctive asymmetrical five-petal arrangement and come in a plethora of colors, giving you options. They can be planted in a mix of colors or planted in a graceful drift of a single color. I have seen some of the most creative color combinations.
Late bloomers: How to keep your summer garden blooms in fall
At the end of the summer, have you ever wished your garden could last into the fall? There are many late bloomers you can plant that will make your garden continue to be beautiful as the weather cools a bit. Some of these plants start blooming in late summer and continue until frost, while others only bloom in the fall. I have hydrangeas blooming now that will continue until frost. These are the newer varieties like Bloomstruck and Twist and Shout, which bloom each fall until we have a heavy frost.
Could grafting tomato plants be the way of the future?
Betty Montgomery August 31, 2024 at 5:00 AM·4 min read Recently, I was visiting my sister at Wrightsville Beach and we were invited to a tomato tasting party. Because I love tomatoes, I was looking forward to attending this summer party. When we arrived, people mingled on the wonderful porch overlooking the water. We were encouraged to taste the appetizers which were five difference tomatoes; Celebrity, Red Duce, Dark Star, Cherokee Purple, and German Johnson.
Preparing your garden for springtime splendor in the fall with alliums and other bulbs
When fall rolls around, people start thinking about planting bulbs for a lovely show in the spring. Now is the time to decide what bulbs you want to plant to have that early show of color that will brighten your garden after the gloomy days of winter. Tulips and daffodils come to mind first and are the traditional spring bulbs to plant. However, there are other bulbs that make a wonderful addition to any garden that will fill a corner of your garden or carpet the ground.
Gardening: Brighten up that shady spot this summer.
Gardeners often lament that they have a shady yard and there are only a few plants that will grow in this situation. They love the coolness that trees provide, especially when they are enjoying being outside when it is warm, but they also want to enjoy a pretty setting. They want a lush perennial border that takes sun that they do not have. My shade garden is a constant source of joy to me.
4 types of popular hydrangeas for your Charleston garden
Hydrangeas are a long-lived shrub that are easy to grow and can provide your garden with gorgeous blooms all summer long. With all the new selections available today, you can choose from shades of white, cream, pink, blue and red, plus have them in lace-cap, mopheads and panicle shapes. Once you have learned a little about the different kinds of hydrangeas, you can have one of them flowering from late spring to fall.
How to grow vegetables and advice on growing perfect tomatoes.
Summer time means delicious vegetables and it is not too late to plant a few vegetable plants for your own enjoyment. There is nothing that taste better than fresh tomatoes that are vine ripe that you have grown. There is a flavor and juiciness that makes your tomatoes taste the best. Plus, you have the pleasure of growing and picking them yourself. You might say; “I do not have any room.” Well almost everyone has room for a few vegetable plants.
Invite hummingbirds into your garden with vibrant flowers
A garden is not only a collection of plants, it is also a haven for a variety of wildlife. I have tried over the years to make sure I have plants that are inviting to all kinds of birds, particularly hummingbirds. This started out a little by accident because I did not realize they liked all colors; I had heard they loved red the best. I planted different plants that were colorful and ones I loved, not thinking that these plants might attract hummingbirds.
Lilies bring color and fragrance to the garden
What a joy it is to see the lilies breaking the ground this time of year. It makes me realize it will not be long before I have an abundance of lovely flowers. There are many different kinds of lilies and over the years, I have added a few more here and there to have some lilies blooming most of the summer months. The perfusion of color and fragrance they exude gives me great delight as they adorn my summer garden.
Hardy perennials planted this spring will bring color well into the fall
I love the magazines and catalogs I get this time of year with all the beautiful photos of new plants that have been introduced. There are some wonderful new plants out there, and I am one who loves to try them. The marketing is working. However, there are also some tried-and-true perennials that will help carry your garden through the summer months. I know I have mentioned brunnera before for the shade garden. Jack Frost was the first one I planted, and I treasure it.
Agapanthus will add a topical look to your garden
When looking in magazines or catalogues, you see more tropical looking plants offered these days to give your garden a more exotic look. For many years, as I would visit gardens in very warm climates, I fell in love with Agapanthus or Lily-of-the-Nile. They grew in places like Florida and California but not where I live in USDA hardy zone 7. The ones I loved had a big, blue, round head on top of a sturdy stem.
How to create a vignette in your garden
What a glorious day when you can gaze across the landscape and be happy with what you have created. You have removed all the weeds, put down mulch, picked up the sticks that were downed from the last windstorm and now you can sit back and relax and enjoy the perfect garden. Very few gardens look perfect all at once. This is why you create the right combination of plants for a vignette where the plants will be just right at the same time. So, what is a vignette?
Clematis vines are the queens of climbers
Clematis, often called the “Queen of Climbers,” produces masses of flowers in a wide range of shapes and colors. Clematis plants can be trained to climb trellises, fences, arbors and obelisks, plus they can even scamper up trees. There are varieties today that are shorter and can be grown as a small shrub or in a container. With careful selection, you can enjoy blooms over a long season. These lovely flowers come in a plethora of dazzling colors.
Early blooming perennials signal arrival of spring
What a joy to see some perennial color in early spring. I have a few early blooming perennials that are lovely now while others are just beginning to break through the ground. I have several perennials that will take some shade and which fit in nicely with hostas, ferns, and grasses. I have had several of them for years and in recent years have discovered two newer ones that I have added to my garden.
Spring Emphemerals offer a short but breathtaking show
Taking a walk in the woods in early spring is an exciting time to venture out. There are wonderful wildflowers that decorate the forest floor and give a touch of beauty to the brown leaves as they emerge from dormancy. Some of these delights can be lumped together in a group called Spring Ephemerals. Emphemeral refers to perennial plants that emerge quickly in the spring and then die back, to rest until the following spring.
Use the elements of design to create a cohesive garden
If you want to create a garden or make some changes to your existing garden, here are a few things to think about that can help. I have gardened for a long time and can tell you that gardening is not only rewarding for me, it is a labor of love as well as a work in progress. One thing you want to do is to make it an inviting place where people will want to come and linger. When getting started, it is helpful to know the kind of garden look you want to achieve. Do you want to have an English garden?
Pruning helps maintaining the look we want in our gardens.
Betty Montgomery Garden columnist Much has been written over the years about pruning, yet many people, including myself, are nervous about pruning. Pruning seems confusing to many of us gardeners. Yet, pruning is very helpful in maintaining the look we want in our gardens. We might need to control the size of a shrub or to remove dead limbs or to let air and light inside a particular plant.
Camellias: The jewel of the garden | Gardening
Camellias are a popular plant that shine in the winter and are said to be the “sophistic of the plant world”. These evergreen shrubs, with their glossy, dark green leaves are a staple in many Southern gardens and are ranked as one of the best flowering shrubs. This time of year, they produce red, pink or white blooms and they can be a solid color, stripes or combinations in-between.
Enchanted garden lighting can enhance the evening ambiance
I asked my sister, who has a fabulous garden, what she was doing this time of year in her garden. She said that at this time of year she does a lot of garden design from her windows. She said she would look out and think, “Wouldn’t it look nice to do this or that?” Well, I think it is a great time to look outside and think about outdoor lighting and improving the illumination in your garden.
New Year's gardening resolutions
It is that time of year again: New Year’s resolution time. Will you be one of the many that will set a New Year’s resolution? Of the goals people set, according to Forbes, three of the top five are: improve fitness, improve mental health and lose weight. If any of these are your goal, why not start the new year in the garden? Gardening is a way to accomplish these goals and more. And, if you are a gardener already, think about goals you want to achieve in your garden this year.
New to buying seeds for the garden? It helps to follow these rules.
Growing flowers and vegetables from seed can be fun, save money, and give you a lot of satisfaction. Right now, if you are a gardener, you probably have a number of seed catalogs that have just arrived. The vibrant and colorful pictures are enticing and can make you want to plant everything you see. If you are new to planting seeds, you might feel a bit overwhelmed by all the choices you have. It is tempting but you need to know a few rules before you start getting too excited.
Shrubs and trees that keep winter the garden interesting
As the leaves fall and the winter landscape is unveiled, the beauty of winter takes on a dramatic look all its own. Intriguing shapes and silhouettes are suddenly visible now that the leaves have fallen. When you include some evergreen plants or plants with eye-catching features you can turn a bleak garden into a winter wonderland. By adding some plants with bright berries, colorful or exfoliating bark, or weeping trees, these can turn that ordinary garden into a winter wonderland.
Decorating for the holidays? Look no further than your garden
Betty Montgomery Garden columnist There are many types of greenery that you can grow that can be used to decorate your home for Christmas. Boxwood, Holly, Cedar, Smilax, Juniper, Rosemary, Mt. Laurel, Ivy and the list goes on. Bringing greenery from your garden into your house to decorate is a tradition that has been used since colonial times. Using fresh greenery and seasonal fruits, nuts and berries still has appeal today.
Gardening advice. Why hardy plants are good for the garden. Original
What is more beautiful than seeing the work of a passionate gardener, the creativity and loving care that one puts into crafting an everchanging work of art. To achieve this goal, every gardener has challengers that they must tackle in order to have a lovely garden. For some it is too much sun, and others it is too much shade, some have deer problems, some have vole problems and some have to deal with temperatures that drop quickly, causing some plants to die back to the ground.
Holiday decorations from Mother Nature
We are all touched by the Christmas spirit in different ways. It is a very special time when traditions are carried out and memories are made. Getting the house ready should be a time of reflection and a way to create some new traditions and remembrances. Many of these traditions have been created by the way you decorate your home at Christmas. Using gifts from Mother Nature is a good place to start as you decorate your home for the holidays.
Fall charmers and winter wonders
With fall in the air, cyclamen start peeking through the leaf litter, giving the woodland garden a splash of color when most plants have finished blooming. As those pink, white or magenta blooms unfurl and appear, it is a memorable sight to see. The first time I encountered cyclamen, I was captivated. I was traveling in England and we had stopped for lunch, and along the path to the restaurant, I saw these enchanting, dainty, pink flowers which were growing under several trees.
Gardening advice: Be on the lookout for boxwood blight
By Betty Montgomery Gardening columnists My heart sank when a neighbor told me that her boxwoods had boxwood blight. Boxwood blight is a fungal disease that is spreading rapidly across North America. Boxwood blight causes black spots on leaves, stem cankers, and rapid defoliation. Symptoms often start low in the canopy or from the interior of the plant, where leaves and stems remain moist for longer periods of time.
Betty Montgomery: 'Moon Gardens' create sense of mystery, romance
By Betty Montgomery Garden columnist Have you ever thought of having a “Moon Garden”? A garden with plants that shine at night by reflecting the light of the moon or other outside lights. As night falls, our senses are heightened, and we become more aware of outdoor surrounds. In the dark, our eyes only see a limited spectrum of color. White flowers seem to float in the night since the green foliage tends to disappear in the darkness, creating a sense of mystery and romance.
Betty Montgomery: 'Moon Gardens' create sense of mystery, romance
By Betty Montgomery Garden columnist Have you ever thought of having a “Moon Garden”? A garden with plants that shine at night by reflecting the light of the moon or other outside lights. As night falls, our senses are heightened, and we become more aware of outdoor surrounds. In the dark, our eyes only see a limited spectrum of color. White flowers seem to float in the night since the green foliage tends to disappear in the darkness, creating a sense of mystery and romance.
Betty Montgomery: 'Moon Gardens' create sense of mystery, romance Original
By Betty Montgomery Garden columnist Have you ever thought of having a “Moon Garden”? A garden with plants that shine at night by reflecting the light of the moon or other outside lights. As night falls, our senses are heightened, and we become more aware of outdoor surrounds. In the dark, our eyes only see a limited spectrum of color. White flowers seem to float in the night since the green foliage tends to disappear in the darkness, creating a sense of mystery and romance.
Betty Montgomery: Annuals provide that finishing touch to gardens Original
By Betty Montgomery Garden columnist Colorful flowers brighten a garden and add excitement to your yard like nothing else can. Some of the most colorful flowers are annuals which are easy to grow and give you a long display of color. Adding color to your garden can give you the same effect that is made when an artist puts the finishing touches to a painting. You are putting the finishing touches on the canvas of your garden, the finishing touches that will make your garden come alive.
Betty Montgomery: Annuals provide that finishing touch to gardens
Colorful flowers brighten a garden and add excitement to your yard like nothing else can. Some of the most colorful flowers are annuals which are easy to grow and give you a long display of color. Adding color to your garden can give you the same effect that is made when an artist puts the finishing touches to a painting. You are putting the finishing touches on the canvas of your garden, the finishing touches that will make your garden come alive.
Betty Montgomery: Annuals provide that finishing touch to gardens
By Betty Montgomery Garden columnist Colorful flowers brighten a garden and add excitement to your yard like nothing else can. Some of the most colorful flowers are annuals which are easy to grow and give you a long display of color. Adding color to your garden can give you the same effect that is made when an artist puts the finishing touches to a painting. You are putting the finishing touches on the canvas of your garden, the finishing touches that will make your garden come alive.
Betty Montgomery: Meet Zinnias, the friendliest flowers Original
By Betty Montgomery Garden columnist In the movie “You’ve Got Mail”, Megan Ryan describes daisies to Tom Hanks: “I love daisies. They’re so friendly. Don’t you think daisies are the friendliest flower?” Well, Zinnias need to be added to the list of friendliest flowers. They are bright, cheerful, easy to grow and you know it is summer time when you see them. As a child, I remember walking down to the grocery store and seeing buckets of zinnias for sale.
Betty Montgomery: Meet Zinnias, the friendliest flowers
By Betty Montgomery Garden columnist In the movie “You’ve Got Mail”, Megan Ryan describes daisies to Tom Hanks: “I love daisies. They’re so friendly. Don’t you think daisies are the friendliest flower?” Well, Zinnias need to be added to the list of friendliest flowers. They are bright, cheerful, easy to grow and you know it is summer time when you see them. As a child, I remember walking down to the grocery store and seeing buckets of zinnias for sale.
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