Frost Warning Issued for Early Friday Morning

Temperatures will drop into the 30s, so frost is likely overnight.

It's hard to believe with the bright sunshine we've enjoyed today, but there's a frost advisory in effect overnight. Temperatures won't go quite as low as they have the last couple of nights, but will dip into the 30s. So from 2-8 a.m. Friday, conditions will be favorable for the formation of frost late, the National Weather Service says. Damage to unprotected vegetation is likely, so cover up your sensitive outdoor plants. This should be the last night for frost and freeze warnings for a while. Friday there's a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 a.m., with a low around 46 degrees. Showers and thunderstorms are likely Saturday but it'll be warmer, up to the mid-60s. 

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Home & Garden

Plants Need Pruning, but When and How is Important

Bad trims equal plant ruin, gardeners say.

When it comes to pruning, garden designer Deborah Friedman of Bloomfield Hills-based Deborah Friedman Designs looks at her client’s yards in much the same way as a doctor observes a patient. “Pruning is necessary for a plant’s overall health,” Friedman said. With good pruning techniques (as important as regular check-ups at the doctor), you’ll get a good quality of flowers, branches and leaves, she explained. “It also serves to keep a plant contained to its place in the garden or to a shape or look desired by the gardener.” Timing is everything when it comes to a good trim, Friedman noted. “All plants are not to be pruned at once or at the same time of year,” she said. “Different plants have different needs, bloom times, shapes, sizes, etc…

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Mark Blackwell

6:49 am on Saturday, September 24, 2011

Excellent article, and just in time. Thank you!   more ›

Home & Garden

Garden Harvest: Delights and Duds

Area gardeners learn lessons as they review this year’s harvest.

When Kathie Ninneman of The Community House in Birmingham told me about her favorite spot to purchase fresh Michigan vegetables, I felt I’d won the corn lotto. As a kid, my mom always sent me out to roadside stands in August and September to purchase just-off-the-stalk sweet corn. Lately, I was thinking of those days and wondering where during the week I could find sweet corn as good as those golden kernels of my youth.  Living in suburbia has its drawbacks. Not so, said Ninneman of Bloomfield Hills. She pointed me in the direction of Farm Boy Produce on Auburn Road in Auburn Hills. Run by the VanHoutte family of Romeo, the market features everything from tomatoes, corn and cucumbers to eggplant, watermelon and flowers. Owner Al VanHoutte…

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Home & Garden

Inspect Gardens as Summer Winds Down

How do your flowers and bushes grow in August? Assess the outcome and you’ll be inspired for changes next year.

In a few weeks, summer will be all but a memory. For gardeners, this is the perfect time to take stock and plan ahead. It was one hot summer and one rainy spring, which, area green-thumb enthusiasts say, affected not only their blooms but also their vegetables.  "My hydrangeas have never looked as good as they have in 2011, and, judging from other hydrangeas I've seen driving around town, I think everyone has enjoyed the same experience," said gardener Randy Engle of Troy.   "A late, wet and cool spring allowed these sensitive plants to come out of hibernation and start their growth spurt before being zapped with too much heat. The wet June and the dappled-sunlight days of July created big mophead blooms. My hydrangeas are now so big and …

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Home & Garden

With Many Hues, Hydrangeas Color Area Gardens

Homeowners and gardeners discuss their favorite colors and varieties, as well as tips for growing and why they adore the blooms.

"A dead hydrangea is as intricate and lovely as one in bloom." — Toni Morrison, from Tar Baby  In front of Rachel Schechter Zimmerman's home in Huntington Woods, several hydrangeas abloom in pale green shades grace the entryway. “I love how long the blooms last and that they take up a lot of space,” said Zimmerman, a busy mother of three. The art director especially notices their shapes and hues. Her favorite tone is that “yellow-y, whitish green,” she said. “And I like that they’re in mass.” Her artistic eye enjoys soaking up their color “against all that green foliage. It’s stunning … clean and classic.” Speaking of art, artist Alice Frank of West Bloomfield also adores hydrangeas. “When I observe them, they make me happy,” she said of …

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Megan Swoyer

10:11 pm on Saturday, August 27, 2011

Garden expert Cathy Rosenhaus says: Dear Sid, > The hydrangea in the photo is Endless Summer and is a wonderful, easy to grow > plant. > Cathy   more ›

Home & Garden

Take Your Landscape from Dull to Dynamite

Think about how you want to use your outdoor space and take advantage of native plants are among the tips from local professionals.

The first thing landscape designer Cathy Rosenhaus asks her clients is how they live outside their home. “Do you grill and where? Is there a pool that you swim in or do you want one? Will you be planning for a swing set or play area? Do you entertain?” Clients can also plan for how they’ll live in the future. A swing set can eventually give way to maturing plants. “Or, if you have a sunny area,” Rosenhaus said, “maybe you eventually replace the play area with a vegetable garden.” The designer, who has worked in gardens and on landscapes in everywhere from Birmingham to Bloomfield Hills to Traverse City, says it’s all about how you blend your hardscape with gardens and green areas. Hardscape is defined as those areas that include patios, …

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Home & Garden

Decorate Garden With Gates, Statues, Fountains

Landscape ornamentation — from wrought iron gates to peaceful statuary — adds an artistic touch to area gardens.

It’s late June and you can now see area gardeners are putting their own stamp on their beds and plots with their favorite reliable plants, new flower varieties and preferred colors. Beyond those preferences, green thumb enthusiasts also are getting creative with garden ornamentation, from custom-made iron gates to antique pots to splashy bird sanctuaries. "More and more consumers are creating individualized outdoor hangouts for connecting to nature and gathering with friends and family and are definitely accessorizing with ornamentation from statues to lighting to fountains," said Colleen Carbott, a publicist for Lowe's. "Accessorizing is the answer for homeowners who already have their outdoor space (backyard or garden) in tip-top …

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Home and Garden Tours Put Out the Welcome Mat

Three upcoming events showcase splendid private gardens and home interiors.

In the world of homes and gardens, there are a few events coming up that you won’t want to miss. Giving you the opportunity to peek in on some of the area’s most creative and artistic homeowners and landscape enthusiasts, these tours are sure to inspire. From lakeside kitchens and gardens to front-yard sculptures and backyard playhouses, several creative vignettes pepper Metro Detroit’s home scene. Upcoming June events include the Sylvan Lake Home and Garden Tour on June 11 and the Franklin Branch of the Women’s National Farm & Garden Association’s annual Garden Walk on June 15. The Rochester Annual Garden Tour kicks off with a preview party June 15, followed by the tour on June 16. Tour participants of the Sylvan Lake Home and Garden Tour…

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