My Garden's Biggest Problems (and How I'll Fix Them in 2025)

[@GardenMoxie]

🌿 Join My Winter Garden Book Club! 🌿 As the 2024 garden season winds down, let's keep the gardening spirit alive together! Join me and fellow green thumbs for a fun, friendly book club where we'll share ideas and get inspired for next spring. 🌷 Learn from the Masters: Explore timeless techniques and fresh ideas from these classic books: "Making a Garden" by Rosemary Verey "Succession Planting for Year-Round Pleasure" by Christopher Lloyd "The Green Tapestry" by Beth Chatto "Design in the Little Garden" by Fletcher Steele "In the Garden" a collection of articles by Vita Sackville-West Too busy to read? No worries! I'll summarize key insights from five classic garden design books, so you can join the conversation even if life is busy. We'll have virtual Zoom chats, weekly email updates, and plenty of resources to help you plan your dream garden. The link is in the video description. I invite you to join me.

[@marylonczak1786]

Hi Sue - is the Christopher Lloyd book "Succession Planting for Year-Round Interest" the same as "Succession Planting for Year-Round Pleasure"? I'm really looking forward to the book club! Thank you. Mary

[@GardenMoxie]

@@marylonczak1786 Oh my goodness! I apologize for writing the wrong word. I will correct that. Thanks so much for telling me. Yes..that is the book.

[@thereseboogades8498]

So pretty! It's not always easy to pull out a shrub/tree, etc; Kudos for you Sue. Those Bloodgood Maples are divine! My projects need to focus on function, hardscaping, of course - soil health. My mini barn desperately needs reorganization - it's been in disarray since my contractor junked it up - I Need this space to work for me & to be an enjoyable space too.

[@GardenMoxie]

Thanks for watching. Soil health is on my list as well. And I am always organizing...ha. A never ending job, right?

[@Bev-u3j]

A serviceberry in place of the lilac at your back gate would be lovely. It has, four seasons of colour with berries to feed the birds in the winter, being the fourth season. Beautiful gardens. Well done, you!

[@GardenMoxie]

Thank you and thanks for the recommendation. I think Serviceberry is a great suggestion.

[@GoingGreenMom]

The lilacs here have double bloomed a few years recently too. We were told thatvit had to do with heat and drought, they had gone into a sort of reverse dormancy during the summer so were waking up again when it cooled off and they got water again.

[@GardenMoxie]

Thanks for sharing that and thanks for watching.

[@ec9401]

Re: Leaves blowing around, I’ve had good luck corralling them in beds and then sprinkling compost on top and laying a few sticks over them to keep them in place, sometimes in a “Z” pattern. And sometimes wet them a bit if it’s dry. Works really well and they all decompose fast!

[@GardenMoxie]

That is a great suggestion. I have had great luck piling them under compost as well. Thanks for sharing your method. I love it.

[@lisajelle714]

You could replace the limelights with limelight prime, which is smaller. This past year I’ve been planting a very wide variety of mostly dwarf and slow growing Japanese maples, which I think will work nicely as I get older and perhaps don’t want to spend every waking moment possible actively gardening! They will create some shadier areas and a lot of 3-season interest.

[@GardenMoxie]

Great suggestions! I am with you. I am trying to spend time enjoying the garden as well as gardening. This should be a fun project.

[@susandenniscook9271]

I have been incorporating more flowering shrubs in our garden too. From the beginning of my garden, I relied on perennials for blooms and color, but over the last few years, I have added some shrubs to make my garden function better for me as I age. Your garden is looking lovely Sue!

[@GardenMoxie]

Hi. Thank you for the words of encouragement. I think shrubs are an excellent addition to our gardens.

[@kimmicannon5629]

I love seeing how my garden transforms itself with my efforts and natures hard work here in Zone 9B (Houston) too. Thanks for sharing your Zone 6A garden. Happy Autumn.

[@GardenMoxie]

Happy Autumn friend and thanks for watching!

[@YalisCommunity]

Count me in for the book club! I might not be able to keep up with the reading of everything, but I am surely looking forward to your newsletters and sharing the garden love and getting lots of inspo. As always, your garden looks beautiful and even during winter the garden structure is divine. Just like you I would like to add more bushes like the spirea that you mentioned. I already have some spirea that I plan to propagate, plus the weigela, the chokeberry, the blueberries, the hibiscus and the gardenia. In the meantime, I am growing a few cuttings of boxwoods. I pray they grow good for next year. Your evergreens look so pretty. Take care Sue!

[@GardenMoxie]

Yay! I think we are going to have fun with the book club. Thanks for being here friend. I hope your cutting grow for you too!

[@beckysteffka2434]

Hi Sue, I signed up for the bookclub, this is right up my alley! ❤

[@GardenMoxie]

Yay! Thanks so much for signing up. I think we are going to have fun. I need something garden-related to focus on in Winter besides my seeds.

[@MrsB_734]

Beautiful. I love birds and started planting with shrubs to give the birds food and a home and to create a natural privacy fence. We dug up and brought 20+ shrubs with us to the new Taylor house. Burning bush, 3 varieties of Hydrangeas, Blue Muffin, Winterberry and more. Shrubs have so many benefits and are mostly low maintenance. And at 62yr, I too am thinking about future maintenance. 😊 We started tilling the new yard today. 😁 Once again thank you for sharing your garden and garden knowledge with us.

[@GardenMoxie]

How exciting that you starting tilling! I also love the birds. They absolutely love the hornbeam trees in my back garden because they are a great place to hide. Thanks for watching!

[@Mindy-s-channel]

Hi Sue I live in mid Missouri grow zone 6B. My entire garden is designed around my dog peaches. When I was thinking about how to design my garden, I paid attention to where my dog would typically walk in the winter in the snow, and I took pictures of where her normal paths are so I would know generally what area of the yard she did not walk on typically. And those are where I laid my beds. Also, I have a number of videos on my channel of my garden, if you would like to check it out.

[@GardenMoxie]

Hello! That is a great way to plan a garden. So clever!

[@Mindy-s-channel]

@ thank you. I figured that would lead to less plants being trampled. And so far it has worked. And if anything is on the smaller side and too close to her path, I just put one of those birdcage supports over it until it’s bigger.

[@dustyflats3832]

Those anemones are a bear to get rid of and they weasel into other plants. They looked great one year with spiderwort, but both are a pain to remove. I could use some ideas on our front yard in the country with all of the obstacles I work around. Then the back of the house faces front which further messes with my mind 🙄. The book info sounds fun. I just looked it up and she has a series covering different years. Then I looked for vid on Sissinghurst gardens and there was a KZbin with a quick overview. Spireas would be a great low maintenance shrub as it doesn’t get huge woody limbs. I have added a beauty berry and roses. I get own root and don’t fuss winterizing them because if they freeze they will come back true. Our winters have been warm and think we are due for a polar vortex. Hopefully snaps will overwinter again and have less to start. There are many new varieties reseeding and excited to see what all pops up with spring bulbs. Next spring is the creeper year on new perennials and that will be interesting also. I agree to take out lilac and put maple in, but I’m not much for lilacs in the garden. I’m glad I didn’t order more spring bulbs as it was enough to do. So looking forward to reblooming irises and to see what reseeded or overwintered. Thank you and look forward to next video.

[@GardenMoxie]

Hi and thanks for the heads up on the anemones. You are the second person to warn me so I had better see how things go in Spring. I appreciate the feedback. Happy gardening!

[@JoAnnBlondin]

All in for the book club Sue! Can't wait.

[@GardenMoxie]

Yay!

[@HookedandRooted]

Great video Sue, you have such a beautiful garden 🌱🌱💚💚

[@GardenMoxie]

Thanks so much Steph!

[@jasminelouisefarrall]

Looks beautiful Sue 💓 and I’m looking forward to all the changes you wish to make 🥰

[@GardenMoxie]

Thanks Jasmine. I hope all is well for you and your garden. Thanks for watching.

[@growyougirl]

Love the Japanese maples so gorgeous ! ❤️

[@GardenMoxie]

Thanks Cheri. They are my favorite. I never stop being amazed at the shade of red they turn. Nature is amazing, isn't it?

[@dedewarren]

Oh Sue, I love the idea of a gardening book club! I’d love to follow along. I'll order the book today, and give myself something to start reading. My garden can use a little design help in defining the garden rooms, so I’m complain on this! In other news, if you like reading in general, I just finished a great book The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson.

[@dedewarren]

*completely in on this….

[@GardenMoxie]

Thanks for joining and thank you for the book recommendation. I love gardening books and will definitely check it out.

[@daiseegray9110]

Hi Sue! I live in West Michigan and was lucky enough to visit the PW shrub garden. I also decided that I need to add more shrubs in my garden. I started adding boxwoods and have been studying how they are placed. Love ❤️ the winter book club! I’ll be signing up! 🌼🐝

[@GardenMoxie]

Hi fellow Michigan gardener! Thanks so much for watching. I am going to look into that PW shrub garden. That sounds amazing. I bet there were all kinds of great ideas and inspiration. Thanks for joining the book club!

[@daiseegray9110]

@ the test garden is planted by Spring Meadows Nursery, they sell from Great garden plants. I hoping to be able to visit their facility, I’m only 15 minutes away. Another great place is Walters Garden in Zeeland.

[@GardenMoxie]

@@daiseegray9110 Thanks for the information. I have also wanted to visit Walters Garden. That sounds like two great things to do next season.

[@FlowerPatchFarmhouse]

Your garden is lovely even as it fades into winter. I hope that spray gets those boxwood moths under control. I am enjoying going through my videos of the season to see what needs to go, what I need more of. Starting all your flowers from seed is what I love to do as well. Low maintenance shrubs are on my list as well.

[@GardenMoxie]

Hi friend and thanks for watching. I've been enjoying your channel. Great work!

[@thequarrygardener5578]

Very much like your idea of removing the lilac and adding another Japanese maple, it will provide balance either side of the path flanking the back gate. I also greatly admire all of the symmetry you have in your garden particularly the garden beds surrounded by the box hedging. It’s a style of garden I would love but finding the right spot in my damp woodland is proving difficult. Great news however about the boxwood moth, hopefully you’ve got it under control. Couldn’t agree more about blowing the leaves in to the borders, although I could do with an upgrade to an industrial strength blowing machine. As quickly as I’m blowing the leaves into the border the wind is blowing them out again. Looking forward to how you renovate your borders next year 😊

[@GardenMoxie]

Hi and thanks for your kind note. With all those gorgeous mature trees you have in your beautiful garden, I understand why you want an upgrade for your blowing machine. Indeed! Thanks for watching. I will definitely keep you posted on the boxmoth. I expect to start battling again in April.

[@wbflowersvt]

Book Club is a great idea!

[@GardenMoxie]

Yay! I am glad to hear you think so too.

[@TheWoodlandGardener]

Hi Sue, new sub here. Your video showed up in my feed and I'm so glad I decided to watch. Your garden is amazing and now I'm looking forward to watching your other videos. Hope you're having a great weekend! 💕 Angela

[@GardenMoxie]

Hi Angela and thanks for subscribing and thanks for your kind words. It's great to have you here.

[@careygreene6730]

Thank you for your thoughtful videos and commentary. I'm thinking more about adding more evergreens to my garden spaces as a screening option and in other applications. I caught a glimpse of your huge bleeding heart plants from spring near the end of your video. I have several of those and would love to add more to some additional spaces in my garden. I also want to winter sow some asters using seeds I ordered this year. I have many rabbits that always eat my native asters but hopefully, I can add some new aster seedlings in spring and protect them with a plant cage early on. I garden in zone 6 in southern NH.

[@GardenMoxie]

Thank you and thanks for watching. I am also going to be winter sowing more seeds this season. It is such a great method. I'd love to hear how you do with the asters.

[@constancewhite6906]

I’m looking forward to the Winter Garden Book Club, I just signed up! I live in So California Zone 10a with very sandy, rocked filled soil. And I’m on a tight budget this year.

[@GardenMoxie]

Thanks so much for signing up. I am going to focus on garden design. A lot of the plant recommendations will be tailored to the Midwest just so you know, but I think the subject matter will apply to all gardeners looking for ideas.

[@mrsrover8997]

Hi Sue. I have planted lots of shrubs for the same reason, so there's less maintenance moving forward and for structure in the garden. Last year, at age 60, I finally planted my "forever garden" with a mix of evergreens, deciduous shrubs, perennials and a few annuals from seed. I like to include a lot of natives. The garden will be enclosed with a cotoneaster hedge grown from seedlings as we're in an exposed site. I love your Japanese maples and redbuds, they're gorgeous! Wish I could grow them here but it's a bit chilly in zone 4.

[@GardenMoxie]

Your garden sounds gorgeous. You get some cold there in Zone 4 for sure! I imagine it is a welcome sight when the spring blooms start. Thanks so much for watching.

[@gardensenglishanddance]

Thank you for such an informative, beautifully thought-out and amazingly edited video! I'm pretty sure your verbenas have already self-seeded so that's one job you won't have to do next spring :-) I don't have any bunnies in the garden, "just" wild boars!

[@GardenMoxie]

Hello and thanks for watching. You made me realize I would much rather deal with bunnies than boars. Oh my! Good luck with that.

[@gardensenglishanddance]

@@GardenMoxie Keep your fingers crossed, they are in a different league entirely!

[@sunitashastry5270]

Good analysis of your garden - there is truly a l lot of structure in your back garden. Very nice.

[@GardenMoxie]

Thanks so much and thanks for watching.

[@agnieszkaszlaska3926]

Great video Sue, you have a beautiful garden 😍I love the idea of a gardening book club! I’d love to follow along.

[@GardenMoxie]

Yay! I'm so happy you will be joining the book club. Thanks for watching.

[@YearAroundBlooms]

Gorgeous garden with incredible structure. Beautiful fall colors. Can't wait to see your updates.

[@GardenMoxie]

Thanks so much and thanks for watching.

[@doubles1738]

Love the bargain Japanese maple! I found an 2 gal Eclipse hydrangea at Home Depot for $8 this fall. And a few years ago, I got a plum tree there for $20 at the end of the season. Looking forward to the book club❤

[@GardenMoxie]

That is awesome! That is nothing better than end-of-season sales. Thanks for watching and thanks for joining us with the book club. We will have fun.

[@carolrose4784]

What are the titles of all 5 books. I would love to add these, if not already listed, to my library. Thank you.

[@GardenMoxie]

Hi and thanks for watching. The books I picked are older gardening books. 1. "Making a Garden" by Rosemary Verey 2. "Succession Planting for Year-Round Interest" by Christopher Lloyd 3. "The Green Tapestry: Choosing and Grouping the Best Perennial Plants for Your Garden" by Beth Chatto 4. "Design in the Little Garden" by Fletcher Steele 5. "In the Garden" by Vita Sackville-West

[@carolrose4784]

@ Thank you so very much. I do have a couple will maybe add a few.

[@GardenMoxie]

@@carolrose4784 I am planning to do summaries that we can chat about. I figure not everyone has time to read and some people can't afford to purchase a lot of books so we will figure out how to make it accessible to have fun this winter.

[@jmeaton9538]

Glad to hear that you've managed to battle the box moth.

[@GardenMoxie]

So far so good, but I am worried for next season. I will keep you posted.

[@jmeaton9538]

@@GardenMoxie I’m in the UK and having watched Monty Don rip out a big chunk of his garden due to box blight, I do know that there is life beyond it if the worse happens. X

[@GardenMoxie]

@@jmeaton9538 You are right! If nothing else, it is a great excuse to buy more plants.

[@rbthegardennannyllc4219]

I love seeing a zone lower than mine and seeing something in a pot in the snow. That gives me hope. Can you tell me what that plant is in the pot? 9:54?The hydrangeas that you say you want to take out because they are not hardy are they “Big Leaf?” I have two of them in pots and I normally take them in the garage but I didn’t this year I left it in my veranda (screen porch). I just did a video on collecting leaves for my beds. Free nitrogen. Thanks for sharing.

[@GardenMoxie]

Hello and thanks so much for watching and for your kind note. The pine that you see in the pot on my patio is a white pine that actually grew in a pot as a random seedling. That thing is super tough. It seeded itself years ago in a tiny 4 inch pot that would free solid in the winter. Not advisable of course...ha ha. Once I saw how determined it was to live, I decided it needed a place to stay. It is decorated with lights right now. One of my favorite garden accidents. The hydrangeas are Hydrangea macrophylla so they bloom on old wood and that never works well here in SE Michigan where we get some very late frosts in Spring. This specific variety is not planted in the right place. The variety 'Blushing Bride'.

[@rbthegardennannyllc4219]

@ thanks for the reply. Now if only I can find a white pine small enough to put in a pot. 😊 Love it. Is the macroph (spelling) the same as “Big Leaf” hydrangeas? Colorful flowers (pink, purple or blue)??? Anyway, thanks for sharing.

[@GardenMoxie]

@@rbthegardennannyllc4219 Hi. Yes. The big leaf hydrangeas have a lot of beautiful colors. They are tough for us here in Michigan if we don't find a good spot to plant them because we get late frosts in the spring after they formed their flower buds. If those buds freeze...you end up with what I have. A lot of beautiful leaves and no blooms...ha ha. If you are looking for a white pine seedling, you might try the Arbor Day Foundation. They are always offering baby trees to promote people to plant more. I am not sure about your growing zone so just check that. You might be able to get a different tree if a pine doesn't like you zone.

[@rbthegardennannyllc4219]

@ thanks so much. I’m zone 6b.

[@gmaw23beauties37]

In the beginning of the video you show the Japanese Maple vibrant Red…. Can you tell us which one it is? Emperor? Thanks!

[@GardenMoxie]

Hello. That is Acer palmatum 'Bloodgood'

[@gmaw23beauties37]

@ ♥️♥️♥️♥️

[@izzyrogo2946]

I noticed some filled containers. Do you leave your plants, shrubs, trees in them over the winter?

[@GardenMoxie]

Hi. I will be removing that plant material and placing the pots upside down under plastic on the patio before the snow starts falling.

[@GoingGreenMom]

Do you mind if I ask what kinds of geranium and hookurah are native to the area? I'm in the middle of Indiana east to west, just south of the Michigan border, and it would be lovely to find some native options.

[@GardenMoxie]

Hi, The native heuchera that I started growing is Heuchera americana (alum root). The geranium I am growing is Geranium maculatum (sometimes called wild geranium). I am not fond of the heuchera blooms, but the foliage looks great and the plants thrive without any fussing.

[@GoingGreenMom]

@GardenMoxie Thanks! I'll see if I can find out if they were/are native here and of anyone carries them. :)

[@GoingGreenMom]

Do you happen to grow food at all in your gardens? Or know anyone in the area who posts on KZbin and does?

[@GardenMoxie]

Hi. I don't have enough sunshine in my garden to support a lot of food crops with the exception of greens and tomatoes on the back patio. Because of that, I am not following any food growers, but I will keep my eyes peeled for someone on Michigan and share it if I find a good channel.

[@GoingGreenMom]

@GardenMoxie Thank you! Love that you are so focused on natives. And hoping to learn a lot from the design book series. Glad I found you. 😀

[@GardenMoxie]

@@GoingGreenMom Thank you. I am glad you are here too.

[@KACn5582]

I had to smile (rueffuly) about the non blooming hydrangeas. I have two in front of the house that have been there for maybe 3 years. Every fall I tell myself that's its time to dig them out. Yet they are still there.

[@GardenMoxie]

Ha! We will have to keep each other accountable. Those hydrangeas haven't bloomed in 3 years. They get frosted in Spring every season. Thanks for watching.

[@susanneimgarten3055]

Hi Sue, great idea. I wanted to sign up, but there was the error „can not open, because the Adress is not valid“.

[@GardenMoxie]

Hello and thanks for letting me know you had an issue. I am sorry that you had an issue. That is frustrating. I would love for you to join the book club. You can access the sign up form on my website at this link: gardenmoxie.com/garden-design-winter-book-club/

[@susanneimgarten3055]

@@GardenMoxie: Thank you very much - now the link was successful😊

[@GardenMoxie]

@@susanneimgarten3055 Yay!

[@wendykirklian8570]

Thanks for another wonderful & informative video. I love your content and emphasis on design. I am in coastal Maine, also zone 6 so have similar conditions. Looking forward to your garden book club! Thanks.

[@GardenMoxie]

@@wendykirklian8570 Thanks so much!

[@marshagaravaglia8149]

❤

[@GardenMoxie]

Thanks for watching.