The Best In Gardening | Problem Solvers
Gardening season is here! Whether you have a cutting garden, an herb bed, are putting in a vegetable garden or just have general landscaping around your home, this is the time it all comes to life.
It starts with bulbs and now is colorful and lush. Today I’m UPDATING my original post about some of the best products I have found in my 40 years of gardening, and why they are so great! If you do your own gardening, this post is for you.
Click on images for links to products
Collapsible rakes are great for tight spaces in the garden and you can adjust the tines to rake smaller or larger items. When collapsed, they are easier to carry around with you.
These are 4 ft tall stakes for taller, heavier plants. You can use a permanent marker to label the stake and then hammer them in. Do it before you plant your plant, so you won’t injure it. They are really sturdy and you just use twine or velcro plant ties to tie your plant to them. Great for big dahlias that get super heavy. HERE ARE taller, sturdier plastic ones if needed!
Another great collapsible item. And it has a hard plastic bottom so you can drag it, if it becomes too heavy and awkward to carry when full. These come in smaller sizes too.
Velcro plant tape - just cut to the length you need and it safely and easily connects your plant to your stake.
If you have deer, bunnies, squirrels or any kind of critter that is eating your plants, these are wonderful. They are attractive too. They work very very well. You can also buy extentions to make them bigger, when your plant grows. I love them. This is the only way I can have hosta.
These plant supports are also great for peonies and larger or taller plants. You can get all different shapes, sizes and heights of these grow thru rings and they work well.
These willow supports are great for peonies, tall floppy plants, and bushes that you want to tame a bit. They have an english garden vibe. They are not too expensive and last 2-3 seasons.
I have used these in my herb bed for passionflower vine and in a garden bed for clematis. They work well and are attractive. They are powder coated with black paint. After a few years, they will start to show rust - I just hit it with black Rustoleum paint (easy to find locally) and they are good as new. **They are backordered until the fall.
I have an old Smith & Hawkin garden tote that Whitten and Chip gave me. When it falls apart, I might try this one.
My favorite small clippers for dead heading and cutting flowers and foliage for arrangements.
I have several of these and use them to house open bags or large amounts of birdseed. They work well to keep critters out. I included a link, but I would look in town, it’s not worth shipping this, and having a huge box to break down.
My best home-made weed killer.
It won’t work for invasive things or hard to kill ground cover. (Occasionally I have to bring out the big guns. 🫤) But for your average weeds, it’s great. Let it sit for a few hours before you use it. Easy Peasy.
1 gallon vinegar
2 cups epsom salts
1/4 cup Dawn detergent
These are my favorite shears. I have had them for years. You can clean and sharpen them, and you can find some parts for them. Felco #9.
The best trowel I’ve used. It’s a nice one that I’ve had it for eight or nine years and will have it forever. I originally got it from Terrain, but they don’t carry it anymore. Very sharp and light.
The best weeder. Very sharp, very easy. I get a new one every 3 or 4 years, when the point rounds off and the edge dulls.
I have several garden hats, but this one gets the most use. It’s been around forever - you might have one! It comes in lot of colors and is washable.
I also have a pair of these on hand for when I am doing some heavy planting or digging. These are heavier and more durable than the weeding gloves.
This is my huge hose pot in the back of the house. It fits 150’ of hose. I’ve had this one for years. It has held up well and has a nice patina to it now. It is also crazy expensive now. Here is a less expensive one.
These are my best weeding gloves. They are from a company run by women. Great value and quality. I wash them and they last a long while.
This is a smaller hose pot that I painted to match the house. It sits near the front walk, so you can see it in front of the house. It’s been there probably 10 years. Still looks great.
These are the best overalls and my favorites. Made by Duluth, lots of pockets and super sturdy. Reasonably priced and come in lots of colors.
This company, Campania International, has nice things too, and are featured on Wayfair. But they have become pricey even there. The prices on these things are crazy now. And then you add shipping if you get it online. I usually look in town, but don’t find a huge selection. Terrain has nice things but $$$. There is a great place with beautiful planters and statuary in Charlottesville - Ivy Nursery. If you are local to RVA - check it out!
I have just started using this. It is working so far. I have tried all sorts of DEET free bug spray, but that is sadly the best at keeping me welp-free. We will see with this - so far so good….
This is my best large planter. It’s 24” and very big. This vendor is hard to find online, so if I needed a new one, I would look for retailers near me. Orlandi Statuary. One King’s Lane has them right now. I paint these to have a verdigris finish…
I love these sweet terracotta pot feet for my pots. I used to find little birds and lions paws, but cannot find them anywhere now. 🥲
This is the arbor I have currently from Wayfair. I am limited because of the size I need. It’s less than 4 feet. I bought and replaced cedar ones for years and I just got tired of the cost and work to replace them. This one is holding up well and looks good. And it was very reasonable.
Dahlia Sources…
I am obsessed with dahlias these days. I purchase tubers from the following…
Triple Wren Nursery
White Flower Farm
Swan Island
Eden Brothers
Longfield Gardens
This is the trellis I have over my garage, with a climbing rose on it. It has held up really well and the rose is going crazy, so it’s pretty sturdy.
Plant sources…
I try to buy everything locally, but sometimes you can’t find what you want. When that is the case, here’s where I go to find what I’m looking for…
White Flower Farm
John Scheepers - bulbs
Eden Brothers
Spring Hill Nursery
Wayside Gardens
Garden Equipment…
Here are my mosts used sources for gardening supplies that I cannot find locally…
Kingsman Garden Company
Gardeners’ Supply
Workingwomen
Terrain
Amazon
Locally - Southern States, Lowes, Great Big Greenhouse
Garden Problem solvers
Allium Bulbs. I love Globemaster and Christophii. These are reliable and add interest and beauty to the garden. Nothing will bother them and they are amazing when dried for arrangements or containers.
Lemongrass. A tiny $5 plant gets as big as a large bush by the end of the growing season. It is an annual in VA - Zone 7. It keeps away mosquitoes and nothing will touch it. It’s a great space filler and makes your space look lush.
Lambs Ear. The kind that doesn’t bloom - it’s grown for it’s foliage and is textured so that nothing will bother it and it’s relatively easy to grow. It’s great foliage for arrangements also.
Periwinkle. This delicate ground cover grows quickly, is not prone to disease and fills in spaces instead of mulch or rocks. A pretty backdrop for all your shrubs and trees. In the spring, you can’t beat the pretty purple blooms with your bright yellow bulbs. Magical.
Coleus. These come in all colors, shapes and sizes. They are great annuals to fill holes in your beds and are really great in containers. The critters will eat them though, so don’t put them where they can easily get to them.
Hellebores. These hard workers are wonderful for the early spring garden, the first things to bloom with your bulbs. They get large and are spectacular in drifts. Nothing touches them. My favorites are the Winter Series and I typically have to order them online to get what I want.
Autumn Brilliance Fern. Nothing eats it and it is hardy through the winter to Zone 7. It adds softness and a lush look to your pots and your garden beds. Really pretty with evergreens.
Carolina Jasmine. This climber is so easy to grow and will cover an arbor very quickly. It is much faster growing than a rose and does not get diseases like roses do in this area. It is also more hardy than the fragrant Confederate Jasmine. You can see mine an the image above.
Fragrant Viburnum. This smells heavenly, rivaling gardenia, but easier to grow! My favorites are Burkwoodii and Carlesii. Yum.
Peonies. Relatively easy to grow and once they like where you plant them, they will thrive! Nothing eats them, they don’t get diseased too much, and you are rewarded with GORGEOUS fragrant blooms.
Boxwood. These have been the backbone of my landscaping since the deer destroyed my flowering shrubs and perennials. I have replaced the revered English boxwood with Japanese cultivars that withstand disease better. They can stand alone, or are gorgeous and stately in the landscape. I do not trim mine into lollipop shapes - they are freeform shrubs.
Barberry. These are also now a staple in my landscaping, replacing azaleas. Nothing eats them, birds like to safely nest in them, and they provide interesting color with all the green.
Hope you got some good ideas and I answered a question or solved a problem for you. Let me know if you have any questions for me!
Next time we’ll be talking travel while I take you back out west to beautiful La Jolla!
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