Martinis & Marigolds | Refreshingly Simple Garden Tips
Creating a Low Maintenance Garden - Step by Step
May 15, 2025
We all want to have beautiful gardens in the summer. But who wants to spend hours and hours tending plants that are high maintenance or just don't do well? Not me.
I love to garden but I also like to 'set it and forget it'. Meaning, I want to plant something and have it look great with very little maintenance. Impossible, you say? Not really.
Read on for my secrets to a low maintenance garden.
Mulch Your Way To a Happier Healthier Garden
Apr 24, 2025
I love a freshly mulched garden bed in the spring. While it can be a lot of work, I love the tidy look when we've finished. Besides the aesthetics, mulch provides a few more benefits.
Read on to find out how to get the most out mulching your flower beds and make your gardening life easier.
Spring Planting Guide: 7 Hardy Perennials That Love the Sun
Apr 17, 2025
Perennials are a great way to add color and seasonal interest to your flower beds. They have the advantage of coming back every year and many spread to fill in spaces, giving you more value for the money spent on them.
Read on to explore 7 sun-loving easy to grow perennials to plant this spring
How To Prune Liriope This Spring
Apr 10, 2025
One of my favorite perennials is Variegated Liriope. The bright green and white foliage looks great from late spring into fall. Liriope does not need much maintenance - except in the spring. In spring, it needs a good haircut.
Read on to find out how a spring haircut helps this plant look great all summer long
Caring For Spring Flowering Bulbs
Mar 27, 2025
After a long winter, seeing the daffodils blooming along our roadways really lifts my spirits. And I do see some tulips emerging in time for Easter. If you have spring bulbs in your yard, you might be wondering how to best take care of them.
In this week's tip, I'll give you a few easy steps to caring for your spring bulb plants so that they keep flowering every spring.
Creating a New Garden Bed - The Easy Way
Aug 23, 2024
Knowing that Labor Day is just around the corner usually makes me sad. But this year I am really looking forward to cooler temperatures and planning ahead for the spring. You may have heard that fall is a good time for planting shrubs and perennials. The fall is also a great time to create a new garden bed. My method uses some very simple steps and time to create a bed that is ready for spring planting. Read on to find out how to create a new garden bed The Easy Way!
Controlling Insect Pests in Your Garden
Jul 26, 2024
As gardeners, we deal with lots of challenges in our gardens.
Unwanted insects in your garden are just that: unwanted. Unwanted insects may eat and destroy your vegetables and prized flowers, something both farmers and home gardeners have in common.
Organic gardening is a means of controlling unwanted insects naturally, without the use of dangerous pesticides.
Read on to find out how to control unwanted garden insects naturally that are also cheap, easy and good for the earth.
It's Too Hot to Plant - Now What?
Jun 27, 2024
The heat of summer is upon us in most of the US. While it might be tempting to continue planting, the next optimum time to plant perennials and shrubs is fall.
So what' a gardener to do besides maintenance chores? (And hopefully by following our tips you don't have too many of those!)
Read on for 5 of my favorite gardening-related and relaxing things to do now that the rush of Spring planting is over.
Using Bud Vases to Deliver Big Impact
Jun 13, 2024
With summer in full swing you probably have lots of blooms in your garden. There is no question that extravagant bouquets of flowers make a stunning visual statement. But there is also a special and rare beauty to be found in single blooms. Read on to find out how Paula Marolewski uses bud vases to bring the beauty of flowers to every room.
Foliage Matters: How to Add Texture to Your Garden
May 30, 2024
As you’re planning your summer garden, don’t forget the foliage! Foliage plants are chosen for the beauty of their leaves, rather than their flowers. Some foliage plants have colorful leaves, such as coleus. Others have striking geometric patterns, like the canna lily (which also has showy flowers). Still others are selected because of their unique shape, such as cactuses or succulents.
Read on for three great ways to use foliage plants in your garden.
Container Gardening Secret Sauce
May 11, 2018
Finally! Our frost-free date ( Mother's Day Weekend ) has arrived here in PA. So I decided to once again share my secrets to creating easy to care for container gardens that will look great all summer long. Read on to find out about my Secret Sauce for container gardening success.