Get Twiggy With It

Find your gardening groove with these rockin’ shrubs and trees.

THEY ROCK
YOU RULE

Choose from 100+ rock star varieties of hardworking shrubs and trees that always steal the show. Each one has been chosen to bring more success with less hassle. So, what are you waiting for? Get growing!

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Need help selecting the perfect plant for your neck of the woods? We make it easy to search by plant type, height, region and more.

Garden Gab

When questions crop up, Garden Gab has your answer. Get valuable tips and answers to common questions or ask your own.

  • Are you watering the top of the plant, including the leaves, or watering the soil? If you are getting the leaves wet when watering, it can cause problems as can poor drainage. Poor drainage will cause both the leaves to yellow and buds to drop off. Another cause of yellow leaves is soil with a high pH. Too high, and the gardenia isn’t able to take in nutrients including magnesium and iron, resulting in yellow leaves. Buds dropping off can also be caused by low humidity. It’s easily solved by placing the container on a tray of pebbles with water. One more thought, if the evenings have been cool, the buds will react by dropping off. I hope these tips help and you are able to get your gardenia healthy again.
  • When you start seeing leaves and the forecast looks like spring has really arrived in your area, it’s time to prune. First, prune out any dead branches by cutting them back to the base. The tops of the remaining branches can be trimmed back a bit. If a rose bush got too large last year and you want to cut it way back, do it. This is the best time of year for a hard pruning. Again, start by trimming out any dead branches. Then, cut back about 1/3 of the top or more.

    Try cutting branches at a 45-degree angle, just above a bud that is facing out. Luckily, a healthy flowering shrub is pretty forgiving about a pruning error or two. The most important rule when pruning is to be careful and prune the plant, not yourself!

  • If the leaves are curling, it’s probably aphids. You can tackle aphids with drenching the leaves with dish soap and water. If there are holes in the leaves, it could be beetles. Pesticides may be effective, but picking them off and dropping them in a pail of soapy water works too. If something is eating just the new leaves, look for signs of slugs. To battle them, pour some beer in a shallow dish and place it in the garden next to the plant.

Ryan from Garden Gab sitting in white chair