Hartley Magazine

All the latest news, hints, tips and advice from our experts

Written in United States

Showtime for a Victorian Greenhouse

It’s that time again! From coast to coast, indoor garden shows are offering solace to those who are winter-weary. These exhibitions are bursting with color and fragrance, great plants to buy, and great ideas to take away—especially from the extravagant display gardens that make up the heart of the shows.  And for several years now, […]

Written in United States

Small Items Give Big Help in the Greenhouse

Confined spaces, like in most greenhouses, need organization. The goal when working—seed sowing, transplanting, potting up —is to be able to grab the best tool for the job as soon as you require it, and smaller sized tools are easier to store.  You can line them up, place them on a shelf, hang them on […]

Written in United States

A Peek at New Perennials

Last month I attended the Garden Communicators International online conference. One of the presentations by the National Garden Bureau and All-America Selections featured the best new plants that will be available in nurseries next spring. These introductions are the result of years of development—chosen for better form, tougher hardiness, or disease resistance. So, as the […]

Written in United States

The Latest Greatest Shrubs – Get a Jump-start on Next Year’s Garden

Shrubs are the easy-care backbone of any garden, whether you have sun or shade. And the National Garden Bureau (NGB) knows how to pick the most outstanding. Recently, I attended a virtual Garden Communicators International conference, where we were given a presentation of the NGB’s 2023 choices, from ornamentals to edibles. The official rollout for […]

Written in United States

Support Butterflies in Autumn – Your Greenhouse Can Help

A few weeks ago, I took a day trip to the tiny town of Elkton, Oregon to visit butterflies. The Elkton Community Education Center includes Elkton’s library, community meeting area, and other historic buildings, but the Butterfly Pavilion, a netted hoop house that shares the open parkland on the Umpqua River was my goal. But […]

Written in United States

How to Garden with Your Ears – Podcasts expand your garden education

In the past two years, I’ve been listening to podcasts as part of my gardening routine. They give me companionship and inspiration, as well as new information—especially for unfamiliar gardening practices. For instance, I don’t keep bees, but I enjoy the deep dives into the world of pollinators on the podcast Pollination. An added benefit—when […]

Written in United States

Why You and Your Garden Need Hummingbirds— Ciscoe Morris Celebrates the Feisty Flyers

The Anna’s hummingbirds have been in my Pacific Northwest garden all winter. But this month the rufous hummingbirds return. And all kinds of hummingbirds are returning to gardens all over the U.S. So I’m talking with my friend Ciscoe Morris, author, garden expert, and media personality about what plants we can purchase from the nursery […]

Written in United States

Get an Online Gardening Education This Winter

The internet is loaded with gardening advice—good, bad, and atrocious. But excellent online information is available, so it’s worth spending the less-demanding gardening months poking around online. Here’s a sampler of what’s out there in the way of classes, webinars, and podcasts from reliable experts who can help you make the most of your next […]

Written in United States

Top Plant Performers—how to spot the next star for your garden

This is the time of year when we can imagine our gardens of the future. But how do we know which plants to choose? Today, I’m turning to Janet Sluis, Director of Plant Development Services and the curator of plants in the Sunset Plant Collection and the Southern Living Plant Collection. Essentially, she auditions plants. […]

Written in United Kingdom

Tropical Plants—Meet your new best friends

How do you turn a stranger into a friend? You reach out and create a relationship, of course. And if those strangers are tropical plants? Marianne Willburn, author of the book, Tropical Plants and How to Love Them, has light-heartedly and cleverly introduced tropicals by categorizing these plants into five recognizable relationship stages—from summer flings […]