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Grandma’s Garden: How to Recreate a Timeless Garden in Chicagoland and Rockford

Platt Hill Nursery — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 15:32:17 +0000

The “grandma garden” trend is making a strong comeback across Chicagoland and Rockford, and it’s easy to see why. This style of gardening isn’t just about planting flowers—it’s about creating a feeling. A grandma garden is full, layered, colorful, and slightly nostalgic, bringing back memories of family gatherings, warm summer evenings, and yards that seemed to bloom endlessly. In northern Illinois, this timeless garden style not only looks beautiful but also thrives in the local climate.

What Is a Grandma Garden?

A grandma garden is a classic, informal garden design built around softness, abundance, and personality. Instead of structured rows or rigid layouts, it embraces a more natural and relaxed look.

This garden style typically includes soft, romantic color palettes, layered planting with tall, mid-height, and low-growing flowers, a mix of annuals and perennials, fragrant blooms, and a collected-over-time appearance. It’s an ideal approach for Midwest landscapes where gardens evolve naturally with the seasons.

Best Grandma Garden Flowers for Illinois Climates

Many traditional grandma garden plants perform exceptionally well in Illinois growing zones, especially in areas like Rockford and the greater Chicagoland region.

Cosmos are loved for their airy texture and ability to handle Midwest summer heat. Sweet alyssum works beautifully as a low-growing, fragrant border, especially early in the season. Sunflowers add height and brightness, making them perfect for open spaces. Hollyhocks provide vertical interest along fences and walls, while iris offer reliable spring blooms year after year. Peonies are a standout favorite, known for their longevity and ability to thrive in Illinois soil conditions.

These plants not only create the nostalgic aesthetic people love but are also well-adapted to local weather patterns.

Why Grandma Gardens Thrive in the Midwest

The grandma garden style works particularly well in the Midwest because it naturally aligns with the region’s climate. Northern Illinois experiences seasonal temperature swings, and this garden style relies on hardy perennials that return each year.

It also supports pollinators like bees and butterflies, making it both beautiful and beneficial. Whether you have a suburban yard or a smaller urban space, this flexible design adapts easily. Many modern plant varieties now offer improved disease resistance, stronger blooms, better cold tolerance, and longer flowering periods, giving you the classic look with better performance.

When to Plant a Grandma Garden in Chicagoland and Rockford

Timing is essential when planting a grandma garden in northern Illinois.

Early spring is ideal for cool-season flowers like pansies and hellebore. Mid to late spring is the time to plant perennials and annuals once the risk of frost has passed. During the summer, you can continue to fill in your garden with additional color and layers.

Planting at the right time ensures your garden establishes quickly and continues to thrive throughout the growing season.

How to Build a Grandma Garden Step by Step

Creating a grandma garden is simple when you follow a layered planting approach.

Start by adding height with tall plants like sunflowers and hollyhocks to create a natural backdrop. Next, incorporate mid-level structure with dependable perennials such as peonies and iris. Finally, finish with low-growing plants like sweet alyssum and compact cosmos to soften edges and add fullness.

This layering technique is especially effective in Midwest gardens where plant growth changes noticeably throughout the season.

Mixing Annuals and Perennials for a Full Garden

A successful Illinois garden combines both annuals and perennials. Perennials provide long-term structure and return year after year, while annuals deliver immediate color and extended seasonal interest.

This combination ensures your garden looks full right away and continues to improve over time.

Design Tips for a Classic Grandma Garden Look

Designing a grandma garden in the Midwest is more about feel than perfection. Plant in clusters rather than single rows to create visual impact. Allow plants to overlap slightly for a lush, full appearance. Mix textures by combining soft, flowing flowers with more structured plants, and stick to a cohesive color palette to keep the design intentional.

Avoid over-planning, because the charm of a grandma garden comes from its natural, evolving look.

Add Personal Touches to Your Garden

Adding personal touches can make your garden even more special. Consider including a bench or seating area where you can relax and enjoy the space. Decorative accents or garden art can add personality, while a focal point like a fountain or statue brings structure and interest.

These elements help transform your garden into a place you’ll want to spend time in throughout the season.

A Garden That Grows Over Time

One of the most appealing aspects of a grandma garden is that it doesn’t need to be completed all at once. The best gardens grow over time, evolving season by season and reflecting your personal style.

This gradual development is part of what makes them so meaningful and why they remain popular across generations.

Visit a Local Garden Center Near You

If you’re in Chicagoland or the Rockford Area, visiting a local garden center is one of the best ways to get started. You can see plants in season, get expert advice tailored to northern Illinois conditions, and choose the right varieties for your space.

Starting with the right plants and guidance sets your garden up for long-term success.

Final Thoughts on Creating a Grandma Garden

The grandma garden is more than just a trend. It’s a return to a timeless, comforting style that blends beauty, function, and nostalgia. By combining classic flowers with modern plant improvements, you can create a garden that thrives in Illinois conditions and becomes more beautiful with each passing year.

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Perennials vs. Annuals: Which Are Best for Your Garden?

Platt Hill Nursery — Fri, 09 May 2025 20:59:36 +0000

Choosing between annuals and perennials comes down to more than just plant preferences, it shapes how your garden grows, evolves, and flourishes through the seasons. Picture bold, bright blooms popping up all summer, only to say goodbye come fall. Now imagine another space where color returns every year, steadily growing stronger over time.

These differences affect everything from your planting schedule to your garden’s long-term character. Some gardeners crave fresh changes and seasonal splashes of color, while others prefer the reliability of plants that come back stronger each spring. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but understanding how each option fits your gardening style can help you grow something truly rewarding.

Perennials vs. Annuals – What’s the Difference?

Every garden benefits from a good understanding of plant life cycles. At the core of most garden planning are perennials and annuals; two categories that influence how and when your garden blooms, how much maintenance it needs, and what kind of impact you can expect across the seasons. Some plants return each year on their own, while others grow quickly, flower beautifully, and fade out when the season ends.

The choice between the two often comes down to how much change you like, how much time you want to spend replanting, and what kind of visual interest you’re aiming for. Some people like the ease of having familiar plants reappear each spring. Others enjoy picking new favorites every year for fresh pops of color. Understanding how these two plant types work will help you make smarter decisions when it’s time to fill out your garden beds or refresh your containers.

Perennials

Perennials are long-lasting plants that grow back on their own each year. Once planted, they develop a strong root system that survives through winter and sends up new growth each spring. In northern Illinois, where winters can be harsh, cold-hardy perennials like daylilies, hostas, and black-eyed Susans are especially valuable. After a few seasons, many perennials even begin to spread or fill out, giving your garden a fuller, more established look without having to start from scratch each spring.

Their bloom time might not last all season, but the payoff is a lower-maintenance garden over the long run. Many perennials also serve as anchors in garden beds, offering dependable color and form that you can build around with other seasonal plants.

Annuals

Annuals grow fast, flower heavily, and wrap up their life cycle in one growing season. You plant them in spring, they bloom steadily through summer, and once fall frost sets in, they’re done. Because they don’t need to store energy for future seasons, they tend to produce more flowers in a shorter span.

Common favorites like petunias, marigolds, impatiens, and zinnias are easy to plant and offer big color impact. They’re perfect for hanging baskets, containers, and areas where you want bright, changing displays from year to year.

Benefits of Planting Perennials

Planting perennials is a smart way to build a garden that improves over time. These plants become more resilient as they mature, often requiring less attention and fewer resources than annuals once they’ve settled in. Instead of needing to replant every spring, you get the reward of watching your garden return naturally, saving both time and money in the long run.

One of the biggest perks of perennials is their ability to create a consistent, reliable framework in your yard. They help define space and give the garden a sense of rhythm and predictability. Many varieties also attract pollinators like bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, especially native perennials that evolved alongside local wildlife. That means your garden isn’t just more beautiful; it becomes more alive, season after season.

Over time, mature perennials often grow fuller, producing more blooms and, in some cases, new offshoots you can divide and plant elsewhere. This natural expansion lets you multiply your plantings without needing to buy more each year. For gardeners on a budget or anyone looking to stretch the value of each plant, this is a major win.

Perennials also tend to be more drought-tolerant once established, thanks to their deeper root systems. That’s especially useful in the hot, dry stretches of Illinois summer, when regular watering becomes more of a chore. A well-chosen mix of perennials can help keep your garden thriving through challenging weather with less effort on your part.

Seasonal interest is another big bonus. While individual plants may not bloom all season, choosing a variety of early, mid, and late bloomers can give you color and texture from spring through fall. You’ll also find a wide range of foliage types, from the bold leaves of hostas to the fine textures of ornamental grasses, giving your beds visual depth even when flowers aren’t in bloom.

For gardeners who like a steady rhythm and long-term payoffs, perennials offer lasting beauty, reduced upkeep, and a strong foundation that only gets better with time.

Benefits of Planting Annuals

Annuals offer unmatched flexibility and creative freedom for gardeners who like to switch things up. Every growing season is a fresh start, which makes them perfect for experimenting with new color palettes, flower combinations, and plant placements. Want a red-and-yellow combo one year and a cool blue-and-white scheme the next? Annuals let you change your entire garden’s look without being locked into long-term commitments.

Another standout feature of annuals is how quickly they take off. Many varieties go from seed or starter plant to full bloom in just a few weeks. That quick turnaround is great for filling in gaps or boosting curb appeal right before a big summer gathering. They’re a reliable way to get fast results, especially if a perennial bed needs a little extra punch while the slower growers catch up.

For gardeners working in smaller spaces, like patios, balconies, or even window boxes, annuals are often the go-to. Their shallow root systems make them especially well-suited to containers, where they can thrive in tight quarters and still produce a lush, full appearance. Hanging baskets, planter boxes, and decorative pots all benefit from their vigorous growth and dense blooms.

Annuals also make excellent fillers and accents. They can be tucked between shrubs, used to edge a walkway, or planted in mass for a bold, colorful effect. Since they’re short-term guests, there’s no worry about them outgrowing their spot or disrupting your garden’s long-term plan.

Many annuals bloom right up until frost, keeping beds vibrant into late fall, long after some perennials have faded. This extended performance makes them an excellent way to stretch the garden’s visual appeal deeper into the season.

And for anyone new to gardening, annuals are incredibly beginner-friendly. They’re generally low-cost, easy to find, and forgiving to work with. Success comes quickly, which makes them a great choice for kids, new homeowners, or anyone trying their hand at gardening for the first time.

Fast-growing, full of color, and refreshingly noncommittal, annuals are a go-to option for anyone looking to create a high-impact garden in a single season.

How to Choose What’s Best for Your Garden

Deciding between annuals and perennials really comes down to how you like to garden and what you want your space to do for you. If you’re looking for immediate, vibrant color and the freedom to switch things up each year, annuals are a perfect match. They bring bold energy to containers, patios, and high-traffic areas that need quick visual impact. On the other hand, if you’re after long-term structure, lower yearly upkeep, and a garden that gets stronger over time, perennials are the way to go.

Of course, you don’t have to choose just one. Many of the most beautiful and successful gardens combine both types. Perennials can provide the backbone (steady, reliable, and time-tested) while annuals fill in the blanks (add seasonal drama, or highlight a particular color scheme). This mix keeps things fresh without sacrificing the dependable charm that comes from plants returning year after year.

Take a look at your space. How much sun does it get? How much time do you want to spend planting each spring? Do you want instant results, or are you willing to wait a year or two for a bigger payoff? Your answers will help point you toward the right blend of plants for your needs.

And if you’re not quite sure where to start, or if you’re ready to start digging, stop by Platt Hill Nursery in Bloomingdale or Carpentersville. Our garden experts are here to help you pick the best plants for your space, your lifestyle, and your vision. Whether you’re planting a perennial bed to bloom for years to come or loading up on cheerful annuals for a sunny front step, we’ve got the selection, know-how, and friendly advice to make your garden a true standout.

Explore our Annuals Collection or browse our Perennials Collection online, then swing by the store to see what’s in bloom. Your perfect garden is just a few plants away.

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Our Favorite Fall Flowers for Porch Planters

Platt Hill Nursery — Mon, 11 Sep 2023 11:00:59 +0000

Designing autumn planters is a great way to bring seasonal colors and textures right to your front porch.

With the start of every new season comes the opportunity for new seasonal planter designs, and autumn is no exception. Starting in September, a new palette of flowers suddenly comes into bloom, breathing new life into our pots and containers that we can enjoy well into fall. Here’s how to switch over your containers and take full advantage of all your blooming fall favorites!

How to Transition Summer Planters to Fall in Illinois

By mid-September, your summer planters might be showing signs of fatigue. Some blossoms may have stopped, while others could have yellowed and weathered appearances. Despite this, certain plants might still catch the eye and offer potential for renewal, like petunias, geraniums, ornamental grass, and ivy.

As you transition your garden to autumn, start by choosing which plants to keep and which to replace. For those you keep, rejuvenate their vitality with a thorough trimming of unsightly leaves, faded flowers, and excessive growth.

What Flowers Can I Plant in Pots in the Fall?

Whether you’re letting some summer favorites stick around or are starting your fall planters from scratch, here are the best seasonal flowers to include in your planters:

Ornamental Cabbages & Kale: These annuals are known for their stunning foliage, which can range from deep purples to vibrant pinks and whites. They provide a striking visual element and can withstand light frost, making them ideal for fall gardens.

Chrysanthemums (Mums): Chrysanthemums are one of the most highly-prized autumn flowers, with gardeners across North America eagerly awaiting their arrival each season. They come in countless colors and bloom shapes and can stand alone in autumn porch pots or act as impressive focal points in your next floral display.

Asters: Asters are daisy-like flowers that come in shades of pink, purple, and blue. They not only bring a touch of elegance to your containers but also attract pollinators, contributing to the ecological health of your garden.

Ornamental Grasses: Ornamental grasses are known for their graceful plumes that sway in the breeze, adding movement and texture to your fall displays. They can serve as central features in your planters, providing a grand “thriller” element.

Pansies: Pansies are cheerful and resilient flowers that come in a wide range of colors. They thrive in cooler temperatures and can withstand frost, making them a perfect addition to autumn planters.

Ornamental Peppers: Bursting with fiery, jewel-toned fruits, ornamental peppers bring a sizzling splash of color to your decorative planters. These compact, easy-to-care-for plants make a vibrant statement, with their spicy flair and attractive foliage.

Creative Display Ideas for Autumn Planters in Chicago

Now that you know what to include in your autumn planters, here are some tips for combining these elements into impressive displays:

The Power of Threes: Rather than relying on solitary plants, use groupings of three to create a dynamic visual appeal. This approach instills balance and harmony and sidesteps the rigidity of symmetry in your design, offering a more organic and engaging scene.

Thriller, Spiller, Filler: If you’ve dabbled in planter design, you’re likely familiar with the classic thriller-spiller-filler concept. This design method uses a central focal point (the thriller), plants cascading over the edges (spillers), and complementary fillers collectively to form a dynamic composition. While strict adherence isn’t necessary, this method gives a versatile framework for creative designs.

Maximize Space: Unlike summer displays that need to accommodate plant growth, fall planters don’t require much room for expansion because their plants aren’t growing, so feel free to stuff your displays full of beautiful flowers and lush greenery! Doing so creates a look of abundance, amplifying the visual impact of your arrangement.

Beyond Blooms: Enrich your fall displays by incorporating more than just flowers; think beyond petals and leaves and introduce the charm of the season to your arrangement with pumpkins, gourds, straw accents, corn stalks, and other autumn decor. These elements infuse your planters with seasonal allure, capturing the spirit of fall in its entirety.

Designing autumn planters is a great way to bring seasonal colors and textures right to your front porch. To see our full selection of fall flowers and decor, come visit our garden centers in Bloomingdale and Carpentersville!

Platt Hill Nursery is Chicago’s premier garden center and nursery.

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Amazing Annual Planters

Platt Hill Nursery — Tue, 16 May 2023 16:23:23 +0000

“Looking to give your outdoor space a fresh and colorful look? Annuals are the perfect way to do it! This blog post is all about amazing annual planters that will take your porch pots and patio planters to the next level. We will cover everything from growing confidently with these beautiful blooms to creating colorful cottage core scenes with these amazing annuals. Additionally, we will give you tips and tricks on designing your dream garden with bold and brilliant annuals. Get ready to create a garden you’ll love with these amazing annual planters!”

Grow Confidently With Amazing Annual Porch Pots and Patio Planters

When it comes to sprucing up your outdoor space, annual porch pots and patio planters can be a great way to add color, texture, and life. Annuals are easy to care for and provide season-long beauty. With the right knowledge, you can confidently grow amazing annual planters that will make your garden, porch, or patio look stunning!

First off, let’s discuss the benefits of using annual planters for gardens, porches, and patios. They are incredibly versatile. You can choose from colorful flowers or foliage plants with different shapes and sizes. You can also easily change out plants each season depending on what type of look you want to create. Additionally, they require less maintenance than perennial plants since they need to be replaced after their blooming period is over.

When it comes to selecting plants for your annual planters, there are many popular varieties that offer shade/contrast/color options such as petunias, impatiens, begonias, snapdragons, salvia, marigolds, verbena, cosmos, lobelia, lantana, dianthus, alyssum, Angelonia, cleome, daisies, vinca, morning glory, sunflowers, etc. Make sure you select the right variety be it shade or full sun, so they thrive in their environment.

To promote root health in annual planter containers, it is important to use quality potting soil which contains organic matter like compost or peat moss. Also, make sure there is adequate drainage by using containers with several drainage holes at the bottom as well as adding a layer of gravel below soil before adding in plant material. This ensures roots have access to oxygen which helps them stay healthy.

It’s also important not just to select beautiful flowers but also consider design principles that are used when planting such as creating focal points, areas with contrasting colors, creating balance by alternating heights (thriller, filler spiller method), textures, etc. Additionally, think about how much light certain areas receive when selecting which type of plant should be placed where – some may need full sun while others might do best in shade.

Another important factor when choosing plants is color selection – this helps create a dynamic look. Consider complimentary colors, analogous colors, monochromatic combinations, etc. For example, if you want a bold statement try combining hot reds, oranges, yellows, pinks, magentas, purples, blues, greens, violets, whites, etc.

So now that you know all about growing amazing annual porch pots and patio planters, go ahead, take the plunge, enjoy the bounty nature has to offer, cultivate beautiful outdoor spaces, share with friends, family, admirers. Let creativity flow and reap the rewards of confidence knowing you did it yourself!

In Summary

“Annuals are an amazing way to bring color, texture, and life into your outdoor space. Whether you want to create a beautiful cottage-like scene or design a dream garden with bold and brilliant annuals, these amazing plants can be used in many ways. With the right knowledge, you can confidently grow stunning annual planters that will give your garden a fresh look. So go ahead, take the plunge, and enjoy the bounty of nature by cultivating beautiful outdoor spaces with these vibrant blooms.”

Platt Hill Nursery is Chicago’s premier garden center and nursery.

Check out this blog for additional pro tips!

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Bring Color and Scent to Your Spring Garden with these Annuals

Platt Hill Nursery — Fri, 05 May 2023 00:40:45 +0000

As the garden wakes up in the spring, many annuals are already in bloom and ready to provide flowers for bare spots in the garden. Like paint for the landscape artist, we can use them to bring color and fragrance wherever we choose. Whether in containers, between perennials, or in a mass together, these springtime annuals are a gift for any garden!

Spring Annuals for a Chicagoland Garden

Pansy

One of the queens of the cool season, pansies are hardy spring annuals that bring bright personality into your beds. They’re famous for their heart-shaped, multi-colored blooms that come in combos of yellow, purple, burgundy, pink, violet, and more!

The black markings in the center of the petals give them a strong personality, like smiling faces looking up from your garden. They grow low to the ground and tolerate frost, making them an ideal cool season annual.

Sweet Alyssum

Another cold season annual, Sweet Alyssum brings a smorgasbord of tiny white or purple flowers to your beds in the spring. They’re also ideal annuals for a container or hanging basket, where they’ll beautifully spill over the edge.

Besides color, they bring a sweet honey fragrance to the garden, attracting and nourishing pollinators who are waking up from hibernation. They bloom in the spring before fading in the summer and blooming once again in the fall.

Petunia

Among all of the garden annuals, the petunia is one of the most cherished, and for good reasons. Their bright, trumpet-shaped flowers bloom in a never-ending display from spring to fall. They bring pink, purple, yellow, orange, red, black, or white flowers into your garden with leaves that can spill over the edge of a pot or form an attractive mound close to the ground.

Although cold-tolerant, they are frost-sensitive, which means you should wait until after the last frost date before planting them.

Calibrachoa

Also called Million Bells, calibrachoa is a trailing annual that blooms in a riot of color from spring to fall. You can find the bright, one-inch flowers in a wide spectrum of white, coral, pink, yellow, red, indigo, violet, multicolor, and more.

Like Sweet Alyssum, they’re another well-loved “spiller” for containers and hanging baskets. Calibrachoa tolerate a mild frost and are fairly resistant to heat and drought too.

Dianthus

Also known as “Pinks,” dianthus feature attractive grass-like foliage and bright flowers. Grown together in clumps, they create a stunning wildflower effect. True to their name, the flowers display radiant hues of magenta, fuchsia, rouge, or white with pink fringes.

Besides the bright colors, they also exude a pleasing clove-like fragrance which you can enjoy by planting them near the front of your flower borders.

Dusty Miller

In contrast to the brightly-colored flowers of many annuals, dusty miller brings exquisite silver foliage to the garden. You don’t have to wait for them to bloom or worry whether they will bloom again.

The silver leaves add zest to the spring garden as soon as you plant them, and continue to offer color contrasts throughout the whole season.

Marigold

Marigolds bring the colors of the sunrise into your garden with fiery yellow, orange, and red blossoms. They’re known for their low-maintenance and pest-free lifestyle. Blooming all season long, they’re not only beautiful plants, but also plants with purpose.

Their unique fragrance, which smells sweet to us, wards off pests from the other plants around them. For that reason, gardeners often grow them as companions in the vegetable garden.

What is the Most Popular Annual Flower in Chicagoland?

Petunias are one of the most popular annual flowers. Their reliable and attractive blooms have captured the heart of gardeners for decades. With that said, even though other annuals are not as popular as petunias, they still have much to offer with their unique leaves, flowers, habits, and scents.

When the risk of frost finally clears, and the garden begins to grow, annuals add immediate color to your beds. Blooming throughout the spring, and often into the summer, they fill your garden with color, scent, and attractive foliage. Savvy gardeners take advantage of the versatility and variety of annuals to embellish their front steps, hanging baskets, flower borders, and vegetable plots.

To see our selection of spring annuals for your garden, come visit our Garden Centers in Bloomingdale and Carpentersville!

Platt Hill Nursery is Chicago’s premier garden center and nursery.

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Welcome Spring With Colorful Pansies

Platt Hill Nursery — Mon, 20 Mar 2023 18:32:11 +0000

Spring is almost here and the days are getting longer and warmer, so it’s time to start thinking about bringing some color to your yard and planters. We have a great selection of colorful pansies and planters. Whether you’re looking to add a splash of color to a garden bed or just brighten up your porch, Platt Hill has the perfect pansy and cool weather annuals. Come on down to Platt Hill Nursery and let our experts help you create a cheerful and vibrant planter this spring.

Bring Your Planters To Life With Pansies This Spring!

It’s time to bring your porch/deck planters to life this spring with pansies! These beautiful flowers originate from Europe and western Asian countries and can be planted in early spring while there is still the threat of cooler temperatures and frosts. Pansies are cold hardy annual flowers that bloom vibrant colors like yellows, violets, and blushed blues to help bring life to your outdoor living space when other plants might not yet be blooming.

Caring for pansies is simple with consistent watering and fertilizing. All you need is a little bit of water when the soil is dry and a small amount of fertilizer once a month. Make sure to allow the soil to dry out between watering, and never let your plants sit in water.

Bottom Line

Pansies are a wonderful way to add color and charm to your home and outdoor living space. Whether you’re looking for something to brighten up your windowsill, deck, front door or an entire bed of vibrant blooms, Platt Hill Nursery has the perfect cool weather annuals. With their wide selection of pansies and other gardening materials, you can easily transform your outdoor living space into the paradise of your dreams this spring! So don’t wait – come down to Platt Hill Nursery today and get started on bringing life and color to your garden this season! Our experts are here and waiting to help you select plants and answer any questions!

Whether you have pansies in a garden or patio planter, they will definitely give your outdoor living space the first color in your neighborhood.

Platt Hill Nursery provides a wide selection for the Chicago area, along with trees and shrubs, perennials, houseplants, vegetables and herbs, bulk materials, holiday houseplant combination baskets, 1000s of pots, wreaths, gift items, gift cards, and more to help you get started gardening this season! So don’t wait – bring your garden to life with these happy little plants this spring!

Platt Hill Nursery is Chicago’s premier garden center and nursery.

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Perk Up Your Porch with These Fall Container Design Ideas

Platt Hill Nursery — Mon, 19 Sep 2022 12:00:46 +0000

Fall scenery is so rich in color and warmth, but while our trees and shrubs are taking on such gorgeous autumn shades, many of our summer annuals have bitten the dust. If your container gardens and pots look tired lately, we recommend adding some late-blooming fall annuals and ornamental plants to spruce up the scenery! Here are some container design ideas to get the creative energy flowing.

Fall Container Design Inspiration and Ideas

Try Something New with These Fall Container Ideas

Why settle for basic when you can aim for breathtaking? These creative fall container designs have got it all: bold colors, fabulous textures, and off-the-charts curb appeal!

Spice Things Up with Ornamental Peppers

Ornamental peppers are some of our favorite fall annuals. Their bright, colorful little fruits look like tiny patio lights—perfect for perking up the porch! As new fruits ripen and take on new colors, you’ll be left with a multi-colored display with greens, yellows, oranges, reds, and even deep purples.

Place little containers full of ornamental pepper plants around the perimeter of your patio or porch. The resulting display is a color fiesta!

Chrysanthemum Topiaries

Mums have long been the go-to fall annuals for container gardens and porch displays. We’re always looking for creative and innovative new ideas for displaying classic plants, and we love the new trend of chrysanthemum topiaries. Since chrysanthemums naturally take on a perfectly round, tidy shape, they look amazing on tall, slender pedestals to create the illusion of a topiary.

We recommend finding two matching containers on tall, weighted bases to flank either side of your porch or entryway. Choose chrysanthemums in red, yellow, orange, or apricot for a classic fall look. For a romantic, whimsical display that gives off major Bridgerton vibes, try softer, more feminine shades of pink, lavender purple, or creamy white.

Hello Gourd-geous

There are so many beautiful ornamental gourds and squashes in season right now! We love piling them up around containers or adding a few small ones inside containers as fillers between plants. For a display that’s sleek and sophisticated—not kitschy—try to coordinate the colors of your gourds with your flowers. White and light green gourds look beautiful with white chrysanthemums, and dark green gourds look dramatic and striking with deep purple flowers and fountain grass. Classic orange and yellow gourds pair perfectly with orange flowers and the surrounding fall scenery.

Fast-Growing Cool-Season Edibles

There’s still some time to grow garden edibles before the frost hits! Fast-maturing veggies and herbs that thrive in cool weather are perfect for fall container gardens. This way, if we’re due for an overnight frost a bit sooner than anticipated, you can bring your containers in for the evening. Place them back outside once it warms up, and you’re good to go! Opt for starter plants instead of seeds whenever possible so that you can enjoy your harvest sooner.

Some of our favorite late-season edibles to plant in containers include:

Lettuce
Spinach
Arugula
Broccoli
Cilantro
Parsley
Rosemary

Contrast with Cool Jewel Tones

Just because all the trees and shrubs are sporting warm colors doesn’t mean you have to follow suit! Stand out from the crowd with a display of cool, jewel-toned container gardens. Deep blues, purples, and teal greens bring a sense of luxury and modernity to the scenery.

Here are some cool-toned plants that look gorgeous in fall containers:

Ornamental cabbage and kale
Pansies and violas
Purple fountain grass
Purple chrysanthemums
Purple, red, or caramel heuchera

Ready to start designing your fall containers in Illinois? Browsing through our Bloomingdale or Carpentersville garden centers is always a great way to brainstorm new ideas for creating a garden display that’s uniquely yours!

Visit Platt Hill Nursery to stock up on all the plants, containers, and supplies you need to create a spectacular display for your porch and patio.

Platt Hill Nursery is Chicago’s premier garden center and nursery.

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Do Mosquito and Bug-Repellent Plants Work?

Platt Hill Nursery — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 15:06:11 +0000

Your plants will blossom beautifully in the summer heat, but the heat also attracts bugs and mosquitoes! Fortunately, there are several ways to repel bugs, and the best way is to plant bug repellant plants so you won’t have to worry about buying a pesticide solution; these plants’ oils repel bad bugs naturally! Keep reading to learn how to make your garden more enjoyable for the family with mosquito and bug repellant plants, including citronella, lemongrass, and basil.

Why Use Natural Bug Repellents?

The most natural bug repellant is from the plant itself! It contains natural oils in its leaves that mosquitoes don’t like. Their oil has antibacterial, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-fungal properties—excellent for making your backyard more enjoyable for you and the family.

How Do Citronella and Lemongrass Repel Bugs?

It’s all in the scents! Bugs and mosquitoes rely on their sense of smell to find plants or humans; bug spray blocks the bug’s smell receptors to repel them. Lemongrass and citronella contain an aromatic oil opposite the fruity and sweet that pests like. However, you’ll need a lot of this plant’s scent to get mosquitos away from your garden. You can plant a whole bunch of citronella around your seating area, or you crush the plant’s foliage and rub it on your skin to repel them and avoid mosquito bites.

Best Placements for These Plants in Your Chicago Garden

Plant lemongrass or citronella plants along a walkway or the front and sides of your garden. Planting plants alone won’t repel the bugs, but crushing the leaves and putting them into a spray bottle with witch hazel to spray is an effective way to repel mosquitos and bugs. If you spray it onto other foliage, it can also amplify the effect of the citronella so that you and your guests can enjoy a relaxing evening sitting on the patio. Of course, if the bugs are particularly bad, you can add a mosquito net to keep mosquitoes at bay.

Basil

Basil is a popular plant known to repel bugs and mosquitoes. The heat and carbon dioxide sensors in mosquitos stop from four chemicals found in basil leaves, decreasing their capacity to recognize something to feed on! A plant that repels pests must be close to your seating area.

Rosemary

Rosemary is available as a herb or as a landscaping plant. The herb form is preferable for cooking and DIY bug repellents since it contains more oil, and the more oil, the better it works to repel bugs. In addition, rosemary’s silvery-green needles also provide a pleasant visual contrast to other leafy plants in your garden.

Citronella Varieties and Facts

Citronella geraniums have lovely pink and white blooms with a strong citronella scent. This aroma repels mosquitoes effectively. By bringing it inside for the winter, you can keep it for a few years to keep repelling mosquitoes away.
Lemongrass has citronella oils, as citronella comes from the lemongrass family, making this a very effective option to keep your garden mosquito-free. Plus, it’s a great culinary plant for citrus flavors!

If you’re looking for the best plants to repel mosquitoes from your garden this summer, visit Platt Hill Nursery in Bloomingdale or Carpentersville, or contact us if you have any questions! We are always happy to help you with any bug repellant plant inquiry.

Platt Hill Nursery is Chicago’s premier garden center and nursery.

The post Do Mosquito and Bug-Repellent Plants Work? appeared first on Platt Hill Nursery.

Hanging Basket Care

Platt Hill Nursery — Tue, 01 Jun 2021 16:30:58 +0000

Is Your Hanging Basket in the Right Spot?

Place your plant in its proper light requirement and heat tolerant area for best results.

Geraniums, petunias, and moss rose are some plants that will tolerate a full sun location.
Impatiens and begonias love the shade.
Verbena and bacopa like partial shade.

Check the tag on your hanging baskets and container garden for proper location of your plants.

Keep Your Plants Clean

With proper watering and fertilizing, your hanging baskets and container gardens will flower well and provide you with a great looking plant all season. Container plants may also need pinching, this is different than dead heading flowers. Pinching involves removing the growing tips of the plants to promote fuller growth. A couple of examples are petunias and pansies. Removal of old flowers and seed pods will keep plants blooming nonstop.

Vacation Survival

Don’t forget about your plants when you go for that well deserved vacation. If you can’t get a “plant sitter” to water them while you are gone, move them to a spot on the ground in the shade. Make sure to soak them thoroughly before you leave. If your plants are large or over grown, you may want to trim them back so there isn’t as much plant growth to support. Within a few weeks the plants will be blooming again.

Maintaining Quality Depends on You

Platt Hill Nursery goes to great lengths to supply you with quality hanging baskets and container gardens. By following these guidelines, you will keep them beautiful and healthy – and get the most from your investment. Take time to learn how to care for and enjoy your plants.

Water Before Wilting

Don’t wait for wilting as your cue to water! Flowering plants do best if you never allow them to wilt. Take extra care with watering since hanging baskets and container gardens dry out faster than garden plants, because they’re exposed to more wind and warmer temperatures. The best way to check your plants for water is to check the weight of the pot. Simply lift up the hanging basket or container garden to see if it is heavy or not. When heavy, there is plenty of water. When light, you need to water. Be sure to water thoroughly. When the container dries out the soil shrinks, like a sponge. And like a sponge, multiple waterings may be needed to soak the soil up completely. Even if water comes out of the bottom of your pot, the soil most likely hasn’t absorbed enough water. Don’t stop watering until the container feels heavy, or the roots will dry out and the plant will start looking bad. Remember to check your hanging baskets and container gardens daily, especially in the hot months, as twice a day watering may be needed.

Your Plants are Hungry

To keep your plants blooming and growing well, you will need to fertilize them regularly. The best fertilizer for your blooming plants is Jack’s Blossom Booster. This fertilizer has the highest phosphate level we carry and that is the most important food for continuous blooming. We recommend feeding every third watering. Also available is Osmocote, a slow release food, that feeds your plants every time you water. Although the phosphate level is lower than Jack’s Blossom Booster it will still supply your plants with enough nutrients to keep them growing and blooming. And Osmocote is great for the busy gardener. You can give your flowers a “boost” with Jack’s Blossom Booster every couple of weeks on top of the Osmocote. Keep in mind that too much fertilizer can burn roots and damage plants so follow the directions on the container.

Design Essentials for Container Gardens

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Instagram Worthy Fall Plants for A Garden That Glows

Platt Hill Nursery — Fri, 18 Sep 2020 16:00:28 +0000

Fall plants offer a unique ability to increase the seasonal aesthetic and overall atmosphere of our gardens. At this time of year, the temperatures are starting to cool down and it can be much more comfortable to get outside. Autumn projects like changing up our planters or adding fall interest to flowerbeds allow us to delight in the beauty of the season. We’ll provide some suggestions for annuals and perennials that are in their prime right now.

Fall is also about getting cozy. It’s a time to enjoy the “hygge” of outdoor fires, roasting marshmallows, and snuggling up with our loved ones.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a beautiful view to enjoy during the evening golden hour? We’ll provide a few pointers on how to create a great vignette or garden vista.

The Best Fall Plants: Annuals

Annuals are plant varieties that need to be planted every year. They can refresh tired plantings from a prior season, or they can be a joyful celebration of the new months ahead when grouped pleasingly in a pot. Tim Pollak from Chicago Botanic Garden weighed-in:

“Start replacing bloomed-out annuals and container plants with fresh color, such as chrysanthemums, asters, ornamental grasses, kale and cabbage, fall pansies and violas, heuchera, and other plant offerings that Platt Hill Nursery has available in the fall for late season change-outs.”

Here’s what’s fresh at the garden center this season:

Annual Grasses

Great in both the landscape and containers, annual grasses pack a punch. They add lots of height and help balance the proportions of other fall plantings. Millet is a grass that provides both structure and food for birds and wildlife. Ornamental grasses like purple fountain grass or a caramel colored sedge grass look particularly nice when paired with classic fall annuals.

Asters

Many may mistake these flowers for daisies, but asters don’t begin to bloom until late summer. And they’ll continue to bloom through October! Some varieties may be perennials, but asters are a great addition to planters and container gardens. Because of this, some gardeners may treat asters like an annual.

Marigolds

It’s hard to pass up purchasing marigolds in the fall. They’re available in a mixture of classic fall colors like yellow, orange, gold, red, and white. Some may know marigolds from their ability to ward off vegetable garden pests due to their smell. But, not all varieties have a strong odor.

Mums

Few sights are more nostalgic than seeing some happy little mums springing up to greet autumn. These plants work well in pots, planters, and the landscape. They’re available in several cheerful autumn colors. Once purchased and planted, they require little care, other than watering and cutting off spent blooms. (This process is called deadheading).

Pansies

Pansies are some of the most frost-resistant annual flowers if they’re planted early enough in September to get established and let roots develop. Though they can’t tolerate our summer heat, they love the cool weather fall provides.

Petunias

These workhorses of the garden may have been around all season, but you can once more find them at the garden center. Available in a variety of colors, these plants will bloom their heads off in properly draining soil. Allow the soil to dry out between waterings. And, feed them once a week with an all-purpose fertilizer to keep them going until frost.

Ornamental Peppers

While these sassy little plants are not in the edible category, they warm up a pot or planter beautifully and complement other fall-colored plantings.

PRO TIP: To keep your annual’s color popping through October, make sure to deadhead spent blooms. This applies to your asters, mums, marigolds, pansies, and petunias. Otherwise, they require little maintenance than regular watering and feeding.

Top Fall Perennials

Perennials are plants that will regrow after a period of dormancy, and one major appeal of perennials is their ability to reduce the amount of new planting you have to do each year. Laura from Platt Hill Nursery recalls her mother sharing with her, “Perennials are permanent, when planted properly.” This alliteration is a helpful reminder to gardeners, new and experienced.

We’ve included a bit more about the traditional perennials for fall, but there are many more to explore aside from these.

Heucheras

Discover the saturated foliage of heucheras, which can add a beautiful pop of color with little effort. They prefer a more shaded spot in the garden, but certain varieties can manage well in dappled or part sun.

Hibiscus

Any variety of hibiscus is phenomenal, with its late-summer through fall giant blooms and beautiful leaves. Our very own vice president of Platt Hill Nursery, Clark Hill, recommends checking-out Starry Starry Night for its beauty.

Montauk Daisy

These daisies prefer warm, but not excessively hot conditions, which makes them a great fall flower. It’s a tough plant that’s resistant to both salt and drought; in fact, it’s main nemesis is planting medium or soil that doesn’t drain properly. Montauk daisy blooms in fall and makes a great late-season cut flower.

Ornamental Grasses

Dive into the world of ornamental grasses and you’ll find around 10,000 species in total. Limit that a bit further to hardy varieties that will return next year after a Chicago winter, and there are still grasses of all shapes, sizes, and colors. Some offer beautiful autumn colors, and most ornamental grasses really hit their stride in August and September, when soil temperatures are warmest.

PRO TIP: Don’t be afraid to use perennials in your planters. You can either treat them as an annual or be sure to get them planted in-ground my mid-October. Planting in-ground in October helps the plants get established before winter sets in. This applies to heucheras, rudbeckias, Montauk daisies, and asters.

Crafting Glowing Garden Vistas for Fall Instas

Creating a vista in your garden is all about creating a pleasing view. Fall plants offer some great options to spruce up your view as you relax in front of the fire pit or have coffee on your balcony. In an extra small space, rather than creating a vista, you might be more interested in creating a cozy vignette. A ‘staging vignette’ originated as a real estate term, but this concept all about creating small scenes to make it more inviting and enjoyable.

Aesthetic preferences are ultimately up to you, as the gardener. If your intention is to develop your garden vista as living art, then understanding basic design concepts can help you achieve your vision.

Get A Garden Focal Point

Your focal point will most likely depend on where you want to view that part of your garden. For some, especially smaller gardens or balcony gardeners, the view will most likely be at the entry point. But, it’s also possible to set your view from your seating area, fire pit, or garden niche. Then, figure out what you’ll want to draw your eye most. That element is your focal point.

Add A Little Mystery To Your Vista

Partially-visible elements add a sense of mystery to a garden scene. You may have experienced this phenomenon before when looking down a winding path, or finding an opening in a hedge or tree line that draws your eye to the area beyond. For example, the gazebo image in the above collage is drawing your eye to the structure, partly because of its size and partly because it’s partially obscured by the rosebush. This technique can also add a sense of movement.

PRO TIP: Consider choosing either a focal point or mystery for small spaces. On a balcony, possible focal points might include a larger, striking fall plant, a small statue, a vintage birdcage, or maybe even an antique lantern. These unique finds may be waiting for you in-store on your next visit to Platt Hill Nursery.

Get Your Garden Lighting Right

In photography, lighting is everything. So, if you’re going for instagram, you may want to wait for “golden hour” where light isn’t as harsh as it might be in the middle part of the day. Getting great lighting for your garden vista is just as important as it is for creating a styled vignette. “Golden hour” is typically around sunrise or sunset, where lighting can be redder and your subjects (your garden or plants) won’t be as washed-out. Knowing where the sun will rise and set on the horizon allows for strategic planning of trees or shrubs to perfectly filter light in fall.

But, solar lighting or electrically powered landscape lighting can also add drama to your evenings. Use lights at ground-level to highlight and up-light a featured tree. Or, add downward-pointed pathway lighting to highlight an easy path from one part of your garden to the other.

Platt Hill Nursery is Chicago’s premier garden center and nursery.

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