This year, though, the train is even more magical and special. It’s partly because of the great theme - Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory - but mostly because of the people who made this year’s train happen. Especially one new addition to the train team, a boy named Sam. Sam is an autistic person who has specific and deep passions, one of which is Willy Wonka. He knows everything about the story, the characters, the setting. He can discuss the finer points all day long. And that’s how this year’s train took shape. So how did Sam get involved with the Swansons’ train?
The holidays are winding down and despite the desire to keep your beautifully-decorated Christmas tree as a centerpiece in your living room forever, at some point (sob!) it's gotta go. Here are 6 ways to transform your tree into a critter-feeding-bird-sheltering-kid-entertaining-garden-mulching thing of wonder this year.
Here are some quick tips for protecting your less-hardy plants from cold damage.
Few plants signal that the holidays are here quite like the poinsettia. These colorful plants have a lot going for them with lush foliage that offers instant festive holiday ambiance. Whether you opt for a traditional style or take home a new variety that boasts dramatic colors and patterns, each plant has its own cheerful flair. Keep reading to learn more about why our poinsettias are top-quality, and how you can keep them looking healthy and beautiful at home.
Many shrubs bloom in spring and there are lots of choices for gorgeous fall foliage but it can be harder to find the right stand-out shrub to highlight your garden in the summer months, especially if you are trying to complement colorful summer perennial or annual flowers. Here are a few of our favorites for summer flowers or interesting summer and fall foliage.
Happy Pride Month! Why not show your pride with a rainbow garden? Rainbow gardens can be as flashy or as subtle as you would like, depending on the design and the plants you choose. It’s a great way to add a “wow” factor to the garden and a fun project to do with kids as well! Here are a few design and plant suggestions to get you started.
We love our lilac shrubs with their exemplary fragrance in May but almost any lilac that has not been pruned for two years or more is likely to have flowers up high, out of optimal sniffing range. Pruning can help keep your lilac to a manageable size, accentuate its lovely form, and improve flowering. Sometimes, a complete refresh is needed (coppicing). In this post, we walk you through several options for pruning your lilac bush, using helpful diagrams.
The most recognizable “spring” flowers - tulips, lilacs, azaleas - have finished blooming or are beginning to fade and a host of new flowering plants are ready to take the baton for the race into summer. Here are some of our favorite late-spring flowers; some even keep blooming all summer long. Best of all, these flowers attract pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds!
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