tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034048062236320832011-10-21T10:34:39.661-04:00Better Plants for Better GardensThe Mixed Borderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09584123102949768084noreply@blogger.comBlogger111100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-603404806223632083.post-83886156371002374372011-10-20T12:50:00.001-04:002011-10-21T10:34:39.705-04:00

Clematis are lovely and useful plants for the garden. We offer 3 different types: the familiar twining vines, and the lesser-known shrubby and trailing forms. The vines are available as the popular large-flowered hybrids as well as small-flowered hybrids and species. They are typically planted to grow up a lamppost or trellis, but are also attractive when allowed to clamber up a tree or

The Mixed Borderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09584123102949768084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-603404806223632083.post-65415455203133744492010-03-24T11:34:00.023-04:002010-03-24T12:37:20.599-04:00

Winter can seem interminable to the New England gardener, with the possibility of snow from October to April. By March, we are desperate to see the inky brushstrokes of branches against the white sheet of snow become transformed into the verdant watercolor that is spring. We long for green. We long for flowers.Hamamelis intermedia 'Pallida'For those who think that Forsythias and crocuses are the

The Mixed Borderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09584123102949768084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-603404806223632083.post-52978230663724448482008-10-07T13:28:00.006-04:002008-10-07T14:10:24.583-04:00

“Hardy” mums. I just don’t get them.Rather, I don’t understand why people continue to plant them, when there are better choices for the fall garden (more about those in a moment.) Sure, they’re colorful: bright beacons of hope that perhaps the frost-free days of early autumn will last a bit longer. But these beacons are often as subtle as airport landing lights – unblinking yellow or white gobs

The Mixed Borderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09584123102949768084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-603404806223632083.post-66022566313560376922008-10-07T13:20:00.004-04:002008-10-07T13:27:49.002-04:00

Home landscapes, whether old or new, are rarely designed or planted with the active lifestyles of today’s homeowners in mind. The same mistakes get repeated, as large-growing plants -- yews, rhododendrons, arborvitae and others -- are installed too closely together, leading to crowding and the need for regular clipping to prevent windows and walkways from being covered in green. It seems that

The Mixed Borderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09584123102949768084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-603404806223632083.post-12969537203895164592008-09-12T15:29:00.015-04:002008-09-12T16:27:02.626-04:00

Ah, September in New England, my favorite month. Cool, dewy nights melt into morning under the warming sun, its rays splashed against an azure sky. Along roadsides and in unmown meadows the brassy yellow of Goldenrod is untarnished, still gaudy yet not out of place among the clumps of restless grasses swaying in the breeze. And in the distance can be seen the early scarlets and oranges of fall,

The Mixed Borderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09584123102949768084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-603404806223632083.post-61728398497267007372007-04-10T17:37:00.000-04:002007-04-23T15:06:01.879-04:00

I have lived in southern New Hampshire all of my life (well, so far at least), and recall cold winters, mild winters, and those that fall somewhere in between. Although a rare occurrence, I do remember low temperatures on bitterly cold January nights dropping in the mid-teens below zero (that's about -26 degrees C, for you of the Metric persuasion.) More typical is the winter when the lowest it's

The Mixed Borderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09584123102949768084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-603404806223632083.post-38420363749640046032006-09-01T12:40:00.000-04:002007-04-24T13:32:12.566-04:00

This following article originally appeared in The Plantsman August/September 2006The Mixed Border Nursery and Gardens is owned by Doug and Kathy Gagne, a husband and wife team with a wealth of experience in plants and business management. The tranquil nursery they’ve built from the ground up is a tremendous accomplishment. While they are just a few miles off Rt. 101 A and the Everett Turnpike in

The Mixed Borderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09584123102949768084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-603404806223632083.post-52316300760898625192006-06-01T15:48:00.000-04:002007-04-24T13:39:59.541-04:00

Before you plant...Can't plant your purchases right away? Relax! Plants in containers will remain in good health for a long time. Just make sure that they are watered regularly so that they don't dry out before you are ready to plant them. A slightly shady spot will be beneficial. Balled-and-burlapped (B&B) plants may also be treated the same, except that a mulch around the roots will slow down

The Mixed Borderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09584123102949768084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-603404806223632083.post-38518493762832012972003-04-01T15:18:00.000-05:002007-04-24T11:48:17.092-04:00

A common landscape mistake that both homeowners and landscape professionals make is to choose the wrong plant for its intended spot. Sometimes the reason for the mismatch is due to unmet cultural needs or a lack of plant cold hardiness, and sometimes it is because the eventual size of the plant is wrong for its given spot. In the former, a sort of horticultural Darwinism applies, and the plant

The Mixed Borderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09584123102949768084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-603404806223632083.post-81209299334622099192001-03-01T15:06:00.000-05:002007-04-23T16:20:48.762-04:00

Although it has been said that the imitation of nature is the most difficult of the arts, there is much to be gained from the attempt. Indeed, it is from nature that most good garden designers receive their creative inspiration. Careful observations of how plants arrange themselves in the natural world, and how they change with the seasons, stir designers to interpret such vignettes in abstract

The Mixed Borderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09584123102949768084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-603404806223632083.post-20147250327231469982000-06-01T14:50:00.000-04:002007-04-23T16:16:58.341-04:00

"But it's too late to plant!" said my sister the other day when she asked for recommendations about what to plant around her house. "Don't I need to wait until fall?" These questions are frequently asked, indicating the widespread but incorrect belief that all plants must be in the ground by Memorial Day, or they won't survive.In fact, plants can be installed almost anytime that the soil isn't

The Mixed Borderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09584123102949768084noreply@blogger.com