Monthly Archives: June 2025

Lighting Up Your Nighttime Garden

Do you work all day in an office, on the road or even in the garden, but never have the time to enjoy the beautiful plants you spend time nurturing? Evening gardens are meant to help us relax, encourage savoring a refreshing evening and wrap us in their brilliance, and one of the best ways to enhance your nighttime garden is with the right lighting to make it shine even in the darkness.

Natural Light in a Nighttime Garden

Extending the pleasure of your garden immensely, moonlight and star shine will illuminate flowers and foliage making the garden at night a different experience, almost surreal and magical. It can be especially enchanting when fireflies gently meander through the air, adding their ethereal glow to the landscape.

At nighttime, the garden develops hidden depths as the colors fade in the dusk. Red takes on a deep mysterious glow until it is lost into darkness when only the palest flowers begin to glimmer. Foliage casts shadows that soften the harsh corners of decks, sheds and structures. Scents are more apparent after a warm day as well as a calm, soothing feeling descends, and pesky biting insects retire as well – this is truly a wonderful time to enjoy your garden.

Artificial Light in the Night Garden

Enhancing the moonlight is a great way to create a spectacular night-time garden. Artificial light, besides serving a practical function, can add more interest to the evening garden, illuminating pathways and highlighting specific features.

Accent lighting creates a dramatic effect. Uplight trees, sculptures, pergolas, arbors, or large shrubs with recessed, understated lighting features to create a luminous glow. Create down-light from above to ‘moonlight’ paths or patios with either tall light fixtures or smaller pathway fixtures.

Add portable light with lanterns, torches and simple staked candles. This is great for barbeque areas, decks and entertainment areas, helping increase illumination for better visibility and evening energy. Candles are also nice because their flames flicker in the breeze and create shadows and reflections, but if it is too windy, be sure the flames are protected from vigorous breezes that will blow them out.

For the most dramatic nighttime lighting in your garden, consider specific features that will become showstoppers after dark. An elegant fire pit can be an evening gathering place and just the right spot for roasting marshmallows and chatting with friends. A waterfall or fountain can also be carefully lit to create an elegant, mystical mood with eye-catching sparkles as the light catches every splash.

To make the most of your garden lighting, position lights so they do not shine directly in your eyes as you move through the garden. If you are near a street, make sure your lighting won’t be canceled by streetlights, overwhelmed by passing traffic or distracting to drivers.

You don’t need to stop enjoying your garden when the sun goes down. With the right illumination – making the most of natural nighttime light and enhancing it with carefully chosen lighting – after dark can be when your garden really shines its brightest.

Night Time Garden
Night Time Garden
Night Time Garden

Plant a Patriotic Flower Garden

A patriotic flower garden can be a great way to show off your national pride, support a military serviceman or servicewoman, or just add decorative flair to your yard or landscaping for summer holidays. With careful steps, your flower garden can be filled with red, white and blue pride for the entire neighborhood to enjoy.

When to Be Patriotic

While a red, white and blue flower garden can be enjoyed any time from early spring through late fall, these color combinations are more popular for celebrating summer holidays. From Memorial Day in late May through Flag Day (June 14), Independence Day (July 4) and even to Labor Day in early September, a patriotic flower garden can be the perfect decoration. These designs are also popular for summer barbecues, family reunions and other celebrations. Whenever you want your garden to be in its full, colorful bloom, however, be sure to choose suitable flowers with planting times and growth habits that ensure they look their best on the desired date.

Planning the Flower Garden

You can turn an existing flowerbed into a patriotic display or plan an entirely new flower garden to show your patriotic pride. Regardless of which flowerbed you use, there are different factors that should be considered to make sure the bed looks its very best.

  • Size
    Any size flower garden can show patriotic colors, but it needs to be carefully designed so all the colors are seen equally. Larger flowerbeds are easier to design colorfully, though it does also depend on where the flower garden is positioned. If the garden is in a very visible space, a smaller garden can be just as delightful as any larger flowerbed. For mini gardens, patriotic plantings may be constructed in a single pot with one thriller, one filler and one spiller plant to give the arrangement balance and movement.
  • Shape
    Any flowerbed shape can be patriotically designed, whether it is a small, narrow bed, a larger round bed, a spot beneath a tree or alongside a house or fence. A curved bed might lend itself well to a “waving flag” type of design, while a round bed could become a star pattern. Simple color blocking can be used in any bed shape to create a patriotic color scheme.
  • Location
    It is important that a patriotic flower garden be visible, not only for your enjoyment, but also for your guests, whether those guests are neighbors passing by your yard, visitors enjoying a barbecue party or anyone else who may see the bed. Properly positioned, the flower garden can be a welcome statement for your yard as well as a focal point for your landscape.
  • Design
    There are many beautiful designs for patriotic flower gardens. You could create an image in flowers, such as planning colors and arrangements to mimic an American flag, or you might create star shapes with the different colors. Simply balancing patriotic colors in different tiers can be a lovely option as well.

Coloring Your Patriotic Flower Garden

There are many different and beautiful ways to incorporate red, white and blue into a patriotic flower garden, both with plants as well as decorative accents.

  • Red
    Popular red flowers for a patriotic bed include astilbe, gerbera daisies, cockscomb, dianthus, begonias, dahlias, poppies, camellias, impatiens, geraniums, petunias, salvia and ranunculus. Choose flowers with bold, rich red shades that aren’t too pale or pinkish. Other red accents could include red brick edging, a bright red gazing ball, red hummingbird feeders or even red mulch such as wood chips or lava rock.
  • White
    White stone edging, a short decorative fence or river rocks can frame a patriotic flower bed, and there are many stunning white flowers to fill that bed. Heliotrope, astilbe, petunias, gerbera daisies, jasmine, camellias, peonies, chrysanthemums, yarrow, ranunculus, anemone, vinca, dahlia and hyacinth are just a few options that can add a burst of white to the bed. You can also consider red and blue flowers that have white accents in their blooms.
  • Blue
    It can be difficult to find blue flowers with the proper rich hue for a patriotic flower garden. Options include cornflower, flax, globe thistles, periwinkle, salvia, harvestbells, desert bluebells, sweetpea and lobelia. To add more blue tones, consider a blue gazing ball, ceramic blue bird bath or blue containers and pots in the proper blue shades rather than having too much purple-like coloration.

More Tips for a Patriotic Flower Garden

There are many other fun ways to give your flower garden even more patriotic flair. Choose flower types that have star shapes in their blooms or coloration, or opt for big, bold blooms that resemble bursts of fireworks. Adding ornamental grasses to the bed can give it a sense of fireworks as well, or you can go vertical with a colored trellis or arbor, such as a blue structure to support red and white flowers. Add flag stakes to decorate the bed and there will be no mistaking its patriotic nature.

To be sure your garden looks its very best right before a party, holiday or other celebration, trim away excess greenery so as much red, white and blue color is exposed as possible. Also trim, prune or pinch away any blooms that have faded or discolored, especially white blooms that may be showing brown edges that can detract from the flowerbed’s beauty. With a little care and attention, your patriotic flower garden will be brimming with colorful spirit all summer long.




Watering When Away

It’s vacation time! You’re going to be gone for two weeks or more, your friends, neighbors and family members are all busy and the weatherman says it’s going to be “hot, hot, hot.” What about your houseplants?

Fear not! A few minutes of thoughtful planning and a quick trip to the garden center will ensure meeting your plants’ watering requirements even when you can’t be home for daily moisture checks. Popular and effective solutions include…

  • Pre-Watering: Before you leave on your trip, make sure your plants are well-watered. Many houseplants can withstand some watering neglect, and if you aren’t gone too long, they may not need any supplemental solutions if you’re watered them right before your trip. Take care not to overwater, however, or you could be compounding the problem.
  • Anti-Drought Solution: Prior to leaving, water with an anti-drought solution. It temporarily forces the plant into dormancy. This reduces the water requirement for roughly two weeks (effective control will vary by product and plant type) while the solution gradually wears off. This can affect blooming or growth periods, however, so read instructions carefully and use the solution exactly as directed.
  • Self-Watering Containers: Planting your houseplants in self-watering pots is truly looking ahead. A reservoir holds water under the pot, and this water gradually travels to the soil via a wick, always keeping the soil moist so long as the reservoir contains water. If you want to use a specific pot without a built-in reservoir, use a conversion kit. Various sizes are available and some use fill tubes. Consider adding liquid fertilizer to the reservoir water to ensure your plant gets proper nutrition while you are away.
  • Individual Pot Drippers: These generally hold water above the plant. Various sizes and styles provide water to small and large pots. From beautiful blown glass globes to simple plastic bottles, these allow water to drip down into the soil through a drip-tip inserted in the soil. One style even looks like a flask attached to the side of the pot with a tube dripping water to the soil. Because they show above the plant, many people only use them during their vacation.
  • Automatic Watering Systems: These are more elaborate but very effective options. A large water reservoir feeds to clustered houseplants through small tubing attached to drippers inserted in the soil. Larger pots use two or more drippers. These systems pump water on a regular basis using a battery and timer, making them ideal for regular watering when you may be taking a longer trip. These also allow liquid fertilizer in the reservoir so your plants are properly nourished.

Go ahead and enjoy your trip…your plants should be fine!

Gussy Up the Veggie Garden

A vegetable garden is the ultimate in practical landscaping, and a thriving veggie patch can not only be a bountiful supplement to a grocery budget, but also an enjoyable hobby and great exercise as you sow seeds, nurture plants and take up your delicious harvest. One thing a vegetable garden does not need to be, however, is drab, and there are many fun ways to gussy up the veggie garden to show off your personal flair and gardening charisma.

Why Beautify a Vegetable Patch?

As more gardeners expand their cultivated plots into side yards and even front yards, keeping a vegetable garden attractive is essential. Not only can a lovely vegetable garden be attractive to the neighborhood, but it increases curb appeal for your home, raises awareness about the beauty of vegetables and allows you to take just as much pride in your garden’s appearance as you do in your harvest. Adding more personality to your vegetable garden is also a fun way to discover more gardening techniques and show off your more colorful side.

Fun Ways to Gussy Up the Veggie Garden

There are many different ways you can give your garden a more colorful personality, and we have everything you need to do so. While you may not want to use every technique in your garden depending on the veggies you grow and the space you have available, trying just one or two fun tactics can give your garden a great makeover.

  • Liven Up the Lines
    Instead of planting vegetables in straight rows, embrace the twists, turns and curves of your landscape with a curvy garden. You can create a pattern of colors and shapes, or use different edging options to delineate the sections of your garden in more visible ways.
  • Pretty Up Your Paths
    You don’t have to use plain dirt paths in your garden when there are colorful mulches, unique stepping stones and other options to create more interesting pathways. Try river rocks, multi-colored gravel, crushed shells, bricks or other options to define paths more beautifully.
  • Build a Beautiful Border
    Define your garden’s edge with a beautiful border. Decorative fences can be quaint, or you can plant flowers all around the garden for extra color. Use deer- and rabbit-resistant flowers such as poppies, marigolds, zinnia and verbena to help protect your garden at the same time.
  • Create Bursts of Color
    Add more color to your garden with whimsical touches such as colorful tomato cages or painted support stakes. You can also add a brilliant gazing ball, a fun seasonal decorative flag or other colorful accents to add instant vibrancy to your veggie garden.
  • Add an Amazing Arbor
    An arbor or pergola can be an amazing architectural accent in your garden. This structure can be functional as well when it provides a bit of protection for shade-loving veggies or includes a bench with hidden storage for your favorite garden tools, hoses or other equipment.
  • Verticalize Your Veggies
    Go up, up, up with your veggie garden space when you embrace vertical gardening. You can hang baskets from an arbor, trellis or poles, or create a green wall or other vertical gardening space that climbing plants will love, and you’ll see your harvest multiply.
  • Secret Spaces to Make You Smile
    Your vegetable garden doesn’t need to be nothing but growing space, and you can add a whimsical garden gnome, fairy garden setup or other secret space to the garden. You might even include a small bench or meditation fountain for extra enjoyment.
  • Welcome Beneficial Wildlife
    Bring helpful visitors to your veggie garden when you add a bee house, butterfly feeder, hummingbird feeder or bird bath to the garden. These helpful pollinators will appreciate the assistance and will repay your generosity as they increase the yield of all your veggies.
  • Select Stunning Seedlings
    The seedlings you add to your veggie patch can go a long way toward beautification when you choose plants with colorful foliage or unique produce. This also gives you a chance to experiment with new plants, and you might discover a new favorite vegetable along the way.
  • Fill In With Flowers
    Quickly add color and texture to your vegetable garden when you fill in short rows and corners with extra flowers. This is a great way to expand your garden and avoid thin or bare patches that detract from your garden’s beauty.
  • Make Magnificent Markers
    Marking plant rows and types keeps your garden organized, and you can do it with flair when you choose colorful or whimsical plant markers. Painted rocks, fun signs, cheerful flags and other options can denote your plants while adding beauty to your garden.
  • Class It Up With Containers
    A bright pot or planter box can be an attractive addition to your veggie patch, and will add extra color as well. This is a great way to add herbs, mints, berries or other fun plants to your garden. Elevate smaller pots with plant stands or pot feet to give more dimension to the garden.

With so many fun options to gussy up your veggie garden, your gardening patch can be just as beautiful as any carefully cultivated flowerbed or meticulously groomed lawn – and more delicious!





Veggie Garden Tips for a Care-Free Vacation

Summer is the perfect time for vacations, but for gardeners, it can be a stressful period. Leaving your precious veggie garden unattended can lead to wilting plants, pest invasions, and missed harvests. Fear not! With some preparation, you can enjoy your vacation while ensuring your vegetable garden thrives in your absence. Here’s how:

Watering Solutions

Self-Watering Systems: Invest in a self-watering system, such as drip irrigation or soaker hoses connected to a timer. These systems deliver water directly to the roots, reducing evaporation and ensuring consistent moisture.

Mulching: Apply a thick layer of mulch around your plants before you travel. Mulch helps retain soil moisture, keeps roots cool, and reduces the need for frequent watering. Straw, wood chips, and compost are excellent mulch options.

Watering Globes and Spikes: These devices slowly release water into the soil over time. Fill them before you leave, and they’ll provide a steady water supply for your plants.

Pest Control

Preventive Measures: Before leaving, inspect your garden for any signs of pests and treat accordingly. Use organic pest control methods like neem oil, insecticidal soap, or diatomaceous earth to keep pests at bay.

Beneficial Insects: Introduce helpful insects like ladybugs, lacewings, and parasitic wasps to your garden. These natural predators help control pest populations.

Weed Management

Mulching: Besides conserving moisture, mulch also suppresses weed growth. A thick layer of mulch can prevent weeds from sprouting and competing with your vegetables for nutrients.

Weed Barrier Fabric: Lay down weed barrier fabric in between rows of plants. This fabric allows water to pass through while blocking sunlight, preventing weed growth.

Harvest Timing

Staggered Planting: Plan your planting schedule so that crops mature before or after your vacation. This way, you can avoid missing critical harvest windows.

Prune and Thin: Remove any overgrown or excess foliage to improve air circulation and reduce the likelihood of disease. Thinning crowded plants ensures they have enough space to grow and reduces competition for resources.

Neighborly Help

Garden Sitters: Enlist the help of a trusted friend or neighbor to check on your garden while you’re away. Provide clear instructions on watering, harvesting, and any specific care your garden needs.

Garden Exchange: Offer to take care of their garden when they go on vacation in exchange for their help with yours. This mutual arrangement ensures both gardens receive the attention they need.

Tech Solutions

Smart Garden Devices: Invest in smart garden devices like soil moisture sensors, smart sprinklers, and remote cameras. These gadgets allow you to monitor and control your garden from your smartphone, providing peace of mind while you’re away.

Preparation Checklist

  • Arrange a garden sitter well in advance.
  • Ensure automated watering systems and technical gadgets are all working.
  • Prune or support tall plants to prevent wind damage.
  • Secure all garden structures to withstand storms or heavy winds.
  • Fertilize to guarantee that your plants have vital nutrients while away.
  • Mulch to retain soil moisture and keep weeds at bay.
  • Harvest ripe vegetables to prevent them from rotting on the vine.
  • Provide your garden sitter with clear instructions.
  • Water right before you leave.
  • Check weather forecasts and plan accordingly.

These steps allow you to vacation-proof your vegetable garden and enjoy your time away without worrying about your plants. With a little planning and some help from technology and friends, your garden will be in great shape when you return.

Veggie Garden Tips
Veggie Garden Tips
Veggie Garden Tips

Insect-Repellent Container Gardens

Summer is all about outdoor gatherings, but irritating insects can dampen the fun. Creating an insect-repellent container garden is a simple, effective, and attractive way to keep bugs at bay while keeping you and your guests comfortable.

Abundant Annoyers

Any celebratory summer soiree can become a proverbial nightmare, sending attendees scattering when unwanted guests appear. The most abundant agitating and annoying insects of outdoor get-togethers are:

  • Ants
  • Flies
  • Gnats
  • Mosquitoes
  • Ticks
  • Wasps

The good news is that numerous attractive plants can be combined in planters around entertainment areas to repel these party wreckers.

Repellent Plants

The insect-repellent plants included in this list may be grown as summer annuals, in containers, in just about any area of the United States:

  • Basil (Ocimum basilicum)
    Repels mosquitoes, flies, and wasps
  • Catnip (Nepeta cataria)
    Repels mosquitoes, flies, and gnats
  • Citronella (Cymbopogon nardus)
    Repels mosquitoes, flies, and wasps
  • Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus spp.)
    Repels wasps
  • Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
    Repels mosquitoes, flies, and gnats
  • Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)
    Repels mosquitoes, flies, and gnats
  • Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus)
    Repels mosquitoes, flies, ticks, and wasps
  • Marigold (Tagetes spp.)
    Repels mosquitoes, flies, and gnats
  • Mint (Mentha spp.)
    Repels mosquitoes, ants, and flies
  • Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium)
    Repels wasps
  • Petunias (Petunia spp.)
    Repels gnats
  • Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus)
    Repels mosquitoes, flies, and ticks
  • Spearmint (Mentha spicata)
    Repels wasps
  • Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium)
    Repels wasps and flies

Container Placement

Placement is an important consideration—position pots of plants where they will be most effective in keeping bugs at bay. Combining different insect-repellent plants in the same container is a good idea for a more effective and visually appealing arrangement. Areas to consider:

  • Patio and Deck Borders: Place containers along the edges of your patio or deck to create a natural barrier against insects. This will help keep the bugs at bay while you and your guests enjoy the open space.
  • Dining Areas: Position containers around your outdoor dining area. Lavender, basil, and mint are excellent choices as they not only repel insects but also add a delightful fragrance to your dining experience.
  • Entryways: Place pots of insect-repellent plants near entryways to your home and outdoor entertaining spaces. This helps prevent insects from following you and your guests inside.
  • Seating Areas: Arrange containers around seating areas where guests are likely to gather. Plants like citronella, lemon balm, and rosemary are perfect for these spots, as their scents are particularly effective at keeping bugs away.
  • Table Centerpieces: Use small pots of insect-repellent plants as table centerpieces. Not only do they look charming, but they also create a bug-free zone right where your guests are eating and drinking.
  • Hanging Baskets: Utilize hanging baskets filled with trailing insect-repellent plants like mint and petunias. These can be hung above seating areas to provide additional protection from flying insects.

Give these insect-repellent plants a try this summer. Strategically place planters to create beautiful, functional container gardens that will enhance your summer entertaining experience. Enjoy your gatherings without the nuisance of bugs, and delight in the added beauty and fragrance these plants offer.

Insect Repellent Container Garden
Insect Repellent Container Garden
Insect Repellent Container Garden

Buddleia: Our Beloved Butterfly Bush or Not?

Buddleia, commonly known as the butterfly bush, is a flowering shrub that has won the hearts of many a gardener and pollinator lover for a very long time. Buddleia davidii, the most commonly grown species of butterfly bush, is renowned for its vibrant summer blooms, ease of care, and ability to attract butterflies. While butterfly bush is beloved for these reasons, B. davidii has a dirty little secret: it is invasive! Its ability to self-seed prolifically allows it to spread rapidly, sometimes outcompeting native vegetation. To mitigate this, gardeners are encouraged to plant sterile cultivars that do not produce viable seeds.

The Lo & Behold® and Miss Series of Sterile Butterfly Bushes

Overview of Sterile Series

The Lo & Behold® and Miss Series are notable for offering sterile varieties of Buddleia davidii, addressing concerns about the invasive nature of the species. These two series provide gardeners with beautiful, non-invasive options that maintain the ornamental and pollinator-attracting qualities of traditional butterfly bushes.

Lo & Behold Series
The Lo & Behold series offers a range of dwarf butterfly bushes that are sterile, meaning they don’t produce seeds and thus won’t spread invasively. Despite their sterility, they are still highly attractive to pollinators, especially butterflies and bees, and bloom continuously throughout the summer months.

Varieties:

  1. Lo & Behold ‘Blue Chip’
    • Color:Blue-purple
    • Size:5-2.5 feet tall and wide
  2. Lo & Behold ‘Blue Chip Jr.’
    • Color:Lavender blue
    • Size:5-2 feet tall and wide
  3. Lo & Behold ‘Ice Chip’
    • Color:White
    • Size:1-2 feet tall and wide
  4. Lo & Behold ‘Lilac Chip’
    • Color:Lavender-pink
    • Size:5-2 feet tall and wide
  5. Lo & Behold ‘Pink Micro Chip’
    • Color:Pink
    • Size:1-2 feet tall and wide
  6. Lo & Behold ‘Purple Haze’
    • Color:Deep purple
    • Size:2-3 feet tall and wide

Miss Series

The Miss series also features sterile butterfly bushes in a more standard size. It offers a larger shrub with beautiful blooms that attract a range of pollinators, including butterflies, bees, and even hummingbirds.

Varieties:

  1. Miss Molly
    • Color:Rich magenta
    • Size:4-5 feet tall and wide
  2. Miss Pearl
    • Color:Pure white
    • Size:4-5 feet tall and wide
  3. Miss Ruby
    • Color:Vivid ruby red
    • Size:4-5 feet tall and wide

Attractiveness to Pollinators
Both series are designed to maintain the key feature that makes Buddleia davidii so popular: their appeal to pollinators. The dense clusters of flowers are particularly attractive to butterflies, which are drawn to the nectar. Bees also frequently visit these plants, making them a great addition to a pollinator-friendly garden. Hummingbirds have been known to visit the larger varieties in the Miss series, especially those with bright, vibrant colors like Miss Molly and Miss Ruby.

Bayport Flower continues to provide you with up-to-date plant information as well as an incredible selection of plants to satisfy the most eco-conscious gardener.