Have you looked into a garden and seen beautiful, delicate bell-shaped flowers dancing with their heads high above the foliage and other surrounding plants? Heuchera, Alumroot, or coral bells—a fabulous plant for any garden bed of just about any style and theme.

Blooms begin in the spring and continue into the summer. There are so many different varieties of Heuchera, and the choices are wonderful. Flower colors range from scarlet, coral or pink to white or buff.

The foliage colors and textures vary, too. Foliage colors range from different shades of green, bronze, burgundy, or gold. The evergreen heart-shaped leaves can even have ruffles! The Heuchera variety that you choose may be to complement another dominate foliage color in your garden.

For example, if you have predominately silver green foliage, try planting the contrasting burgundy colored foliage Heuchera. Not only will your silver green foliage plants 'pop', so will the burgundy colors. If you have an abundance of dark green foliage, try adding in Heuchera with the apple green foliage color or the bronze or gold. Remember that you can add color interest to your gardens through not only the flower colors, but also foliage color contrasts.

Heuchera likes well-drained soils, so if your soils are clay-like, be careful not to overwater. Although this plant prefers part shade in warmer zones, it can tolerate full sun in cooler climates. When planting, use a 50/50 ratio of planting mix to your native soil and a good starter fertilizer.

How to use this wonderful perennial in your garden, you ask. The evergreen foliage grows into a neat 1-2 foot mound and the flowers are borne on long stalks above the foliage. Individual Heuchera plants can complement a rock garden, form a lovely border along a garden walkway, or co-mingle with other perennials in an English garden or woodland garden. This is quite the versatile flowering perennial. With Heuchera you add texture, color, height. What more could you ask for?

Shrub roses include all roses that just do not seem to fit into the major rose categories. They're not a hybrid tea, a floribunda, miniature, climbing, Romantica, English. You get the picture. These roses are excellent as a hedge or beautiful enough as a specimen. Many shrub roses resulted from crossing old-rose types with modern roses and therefore combine the best traits of each: repeat flowering, a great range of colors, and fragrance. Shrub roses also have a wide range of flower styles, growth habits, and also the delicate colors that come from the Old Garden Roses. Virtually all shrub rose bushes are repeat blooming. What more could you ask for?

Knockout roses are the most disease resistant and winter hardy shrub roses on the market today. We have a large selection available for your gardens:

Knockout (The Original of the Knockout roses)—Bears fluorescent cherry red blossoms completely covering the shrub all summer long. Just when you think a rose might be done, its foliage offers deep purple fall foliage coloring your garden. Don't waste time removing old flowers from this fabulous bloomer—this one is self-cleaning. Hardy and drought tolerant upon establishment, this rose is a carefree, show-stopper.

Pink Knockout—Pow! Pink! Another "easy as can be" shrub rose. Not sure about pink? This shade of pink will complement any color scheme. This rose thrives in humid climates where most other plants require spray and maintenance. It is self-cleaning and offers non-stop blooms, the perfect companion to other flowering shrubs, roses and perennials.

Blushing Knockout—Blushing is a beautiful soft light pink color, and like other Knockout rose, the shrub never stops blooming. This bloom fades, but into a wonderful shell pink color. You can't ask for much more from a rose, but to fade into beauty! It thrives in humid climates and is disease resistant, drought tolerant and naturally mildew resistant.

Double Knockout—If you love Knockout, you'll "doubly" like this one! The fluorescent double, cherry red blooms have twice as many petals. And, like Knockout, the foliage becomes deep purple every fall, giving you fall garden interest. The Double Knock Out® Rose is a self cleaner, so don't waste time deadheading. It is hardy and drought tolerant upon establishment.

Rainbow Knockout—Coral pink blooms painted with rich yellow at the base. This one is a more compact grower, and has a petal count of only 5-7. Never you mind that—it is more flowering than other Knockout roses!

Home Run—This rose is flame-red in color and an offspring of the famous Knock Out. In addition, it is highly disease resistant. Home Run has a phenomenal fortitude against the dreaded black spot (like its parent rose). And it is also completely resistant to powdery mildew, and has a much higher level of tolerance to downy mildew as well. It's name is well-chosen; this rose will be a "Home Run" in your gardens.

Need a groundcover that blooms all summer long? Try Flower Carpet Roses. These beauties only grow 12-15" high and spread 3-5' wide. They come in every color to accent any landscape. From bright yellow to coral to classic red or pink, or try 'Scarlet,' a new color for 2007.

Now that we have introduced you to our favorite roses, are you ready for spring rose planting? If not, we would like to help you!

Rose Planting Guide:
Once you have chosen a location, plant your rose carefully to ensure a healthy start. Use a quality soil mix like Miracle-Gro Garden Soil to blend 50/50 with your existing soil. Dig a hole 1.5 times as big as the container size you are planting. Use your soil blend in the bottom and handle the root ball carefully, using two hands to place it inside the hole. Next, using your soil blend, fill in around the sides of the root ball. Water the root ball thoroughly and let the soil settle naturally. Begin fertilizing in 2-3 weeks using Bayer 3-in-1 Rose and Flower Care.

Have a wonderful time selecting a few fabulous roses for your 2007 gardens. And please, do us a favor. Take pictures and bring them so that we might enjoy your gardens, too!

Imagine a beautiful container garden display right on your patio. Instead of flowering ornamental plants, perennials and annuals, substitute into the plant palette (or palate!) herbs, vegetables, a citrus tree and even a sweet bay (Laurel nobilis). "Where do I begin?" you ask. We shall tell you.

What are your favorite vegetables and herbs? Make your list. Whoever said that they all had to grow only in the ground? Not at all. Picture this. Instead of growing a flowering vine in a pot, grow green beans, peas or even squash in espalier fashion.

The beans and peas are "twiners" and will easily grow up a trellis or other structure. Don't be afraid to plant an entire 6-pack of pole beans in your pot—or maybe even two 6-packs. The bean plants will grow upward and intertwine. Dinnertime arrives and you simply harvest what you need for that evening. You may even have so many beans, you'll need to share with friends.

But you can also tie up the vines of your favorite squash. The only trick with squash is that, once it begins to fruit, you will need to add further support for each squash. That is easily done creating a sling from panty hose or a similar material and tying the sling onto the trellis.

In the pots with your beans or squash, consider planting garlic and/or your favorite onions. You'll know when they are ready to harvest once the green foliage begins to turn brown.

Do you love to cook and use fresh herbs? An herb garden is perfect in containers. We have many herbs that are classic cooking standards and grow happily in pots. Many of the herbs need full/part sun to thrive. Some can tolerate a little more shade. Arrange them on your patio accordingly. And if you have a little time (or thyme!), move the containers to follow the sun. It is easier to move large pots if they are placed on a plant dolly. (That's a plant stand on wheels.)

Rosemary and thyme are good examples. Grow these two together in one large pot in full sun. Rosemary needs space to get a plant of decent size, and both prefer less water than other herbs. There are so many different thymes to choose from—English and lemon thymes come to mind. Another thing rosemary and thyme have in common is they do not have a great need for fertilizers.

In another large container, grow sage, oregano, nasturtium, and/or lavender. Again, these have similar watering/light needs. Oregano and nasturtium can get a bit invasive. But if they are a "must have" for your cooking, of course you will plant them anyway. And the nasturtiums offer a spectacular flower display. Who needs petunias when you can have nasturtiums? This combination also does not have a great need for fertilizer.

Onward to our next combination: basil, French tarragon, parsley (variety of choice), and perhaps even chives. These herbs can take a little less sun and each needs more water than the previous groupings we have discussed. Also, apply an organic fertilizer .

Do you love tea, cold or hot? Add another container and grow lemon verbena, lemon grass and a mint or two. Remember that mint can take over, so as it is becoming established, don't be afraid to thin it out.

And did we mention the tomato or the potato? You can plant both in a pot together. The tomato will occupy the space above your pot and provide you with beautiful colorful fruits! The potato will happily grow around the roots of the tomato.

Whether you choose to grow everything we have suggested or just a few of them, you are on the road to creating a beautiful and bountiful patio culinary vegetable garden.

Bon appétit!