Shantelle Brignolo, Author at White Flower Farm's blog

Determining Plant Hardiness in Your Garden: The New USDA Map & Other Resources

Have you recently had a perennial plant overwinter that you didn’t expect would survive because it wasn’t designated to be hardy in your area of the country? If so, you might be wondering why. A clue to the answer lies in the newly updated USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) that was released at the end of 2023. The map’s information has long been relied upon by gardeners, growers, and researchers to help determine which plants will survive, and which won’t, in their growing areas. The PHZM’s updates reflect changes that impact about half of the country, with the overall…

Joined: February 24, 2017
Articles: 77

Amaryllis: Trumpets of Winter

Shantelle Brignolo
November 23, 2018
Amaryllis

Written by Tovah Martin Illustrations by Michelle Meyer Reprinted with permission, excerpted and adapted from the December 2001/January 2002 edition of The Gardener magazine. Gardening is not, in general, overburdened by foolproof flowers, but Amaryllises are as close as you’ll come…

Memorable Host & Hostess Gifts

Set your holiday table in style, or send a favorite host or hostess any of our charming botanical or botanically themed decorative accents. All are distinctive gifts that make for memorable gatherings. Holiday colors abound in our array of living…

Front Door Decorating

Share the joy of the season with family, friends, and neighbors when you decorate your front door for the holidays. Using beautiful evergreen wreaths and garlands, you transform your front entrance into a beacon of holiday cheer. Annual planters also…

Growing Citrus Indoors

Shantelle Brignolo
November 2, 2018
Edible Gardening, Garden Design, Indoor Plants

The benefits and delights of growing Citrus indoors are numerous. For starters, these small trees with glossy green leaves are lovely to look at. When in flower, the scent of their blossoms is pure heaven. Then, of course, there is…

Learn About Hardiness Zones

If you’ve spent any time on our website, or read any of our catalogs, you’ve likely encountered the term “hardiness zone.” We’d like to de-mystify this term a bit, and explain how location should play into your selection of plants.…

Different Types of Amaryllis

We start the holiday season with over 70 Amaryllis varieties, including Singles, Doubles, Nymphs, Small-Flowered Varieties and Cybisters in a dazzling range of colors. Our Amaryllis bulbs are the top size commercially available (larger than what is generally seen at retail…

Climbers in the Garden

Shantelle Brignolo
October 4, 2018
Clematis, Climbing Roses, Garden Design, Vines

Elevate your garden design by incorporating climbing vines and plants into beds and borders, or by using them to soften fences, walls and wellheads. Smaller climbers, including some Clematis varieties, can be used to add vertical interest to container pots…

Forcing Crocus Bulbs—Big Performance with Little Effort

By Ann Travers White Flower Farm Editor Few plants deliver such enjoyment in the middle of winter with so little effort from you. Their perfect, diminutive blooms create a composition that’s pure magic. 4 Easy Steps 1. Start with good…

Plants to Feed the Birds

Shantelle Brignolo
September 20, 2018
Birds

Have you ever seen a goldfinch balance on the tip of a Liatris flower spike as it sways in the breeze? Or watched chickadees plucking seeds from the cones of your Echinacea blossoms? Birds enliven any garden with their colors,…