Mike's Backyard Nursery

The Most Fun You Can Have With Your Bibs On!

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You are here: Home / Archives for Mike

Blue Mouse Ears Hosta

Updated : June 17, 2024

22 Comments

Blue Mouse Ears Hosta

Blue Mouse Ears Hosta is a “Rock Star” in any garden!  And the leaves really do look like mouse ears.  The plant that I photographed for this article was growing in pretty heavy shade so it doesn’t has as much color as it would if it were out where it would get more sun. It… Click here to read more…

Mike’s First Backyard Nursery

Updated : June 17, 2024

88 Comments

A customer giving Pam money for plants?

Actually I first started growing plants back in 1980 but I had to quit.  I tell that story here.  Then we bought a house in 1988 and in 1989 I started growing in the backyard at that house.   And that’s really where my whole backyard nursery concept came from. Our lot was 1/2 acre and… Click here to read more…

Our Family of Backyard Growers.

Updated : June 17, 2024

6 Comments

Something must be funny!

I spend a great deal of time in Our Backyard Growers Members Area and most days it’s all about hustle and bustle, members asking questions, members offering up advice and ideas and of course all of the buying and selling that goes on.  I answer as many questions as possible, but often the other members… Click here to read more…

Easy Way to Sharpen Pruning Shears.

Updated : June 17, 2024

88 Comments

Mike McGroarty's Favorite Pruning Shears.

Before we dig into the nitty-gritty of this article, let’s have a chat about which pruning shears are best.  The answer to that is simple, it really depends on what you like.  I will give you my opinion and why, but others will argue telling that they like another brand for a lot of different… Click here to read more…

Growing, Selling and Propagating ‘Pink Whisper’ Potentilla

Updated : June 17, 2024

44 Comments

Pink Whisper Potentilla Flower.

Botanically known as Potentilla fruiticosa ‘Pink Whisper’ this is an excellent plant to put in your yard.  It’s easy to grow, easy to care for, flowers all summer into the fall and it’s really easy to propagate. Pink Whisper Potentilla loves full sun and maybe a little bit ofvshade.  But it’s not a good selection… Click here to read more…

The One Gallon Plant Conspiracy.

Updated : June 17, 2024

35 Comments

All Summer Beauty Hydrangea.

This is a huge opportunity as far as I’m concerned. Seriously, I truly believe that this could be really big.   Okay, so maybe it’s not really a conspiracy, but it’s close to that. I’ve been working in the green industry for a long time.  Since 1972 I believe.  Back then it was really, really… Click here to read more…

Gardening in January, No Matter Where You Live.

Updated : January 2, 2021

83 Comments

Thousands of hardwood cuttings in a bed.

Crazy right?  Gardening in the dead of winter, even if you live in a cold, northern state?  It’s not crazy and there are actually things work better now than they do during the growing season. What if I told you that you could make hundreds of “Free Plants”, right now, in January? Trust me, if… Click here to read more…

Proper Nursery Plant Tagging.

Updated : June 17, 2024

32 Comments

Hand written aluminum plant tags.

Even Fergus knows how important proper plant tagging is.  Lately we’ve been sticking thousands of hardwood cuttings right along the Donkey Fence and let’s face it, right now they all look like sticks so making sure they are properly tagged is extremely important. There are a couple of things you need to know about tagging… Click here to read more…

The Art of Stacking Plants in a Truck.

Updated : December 30, 2015

16 Comments

One gallon plants stacked in a truck.

What???  Why would anybody want to do that or need to know that? Legitimate question for sure. The reason that I decided that this was a post worthy of putting on my blog is because when I mentioned In Our Members Area that I purchased 400 one gallon Lilacs for my sale last spring at… Click here to read more…

Book Review-Garden-pedia by Pamela Bennett and Maria Zampini.

Updated : December 31, 2015

36 Comments

Garden-pedia book cover.

Not only am I going to review this book, but I’m going to give it away! Read on for details. First a bit about the authors. I don’t know Pamela Bennett but I love her career path.  While in college studying to become a teacher she landed a summer job in a garden center in… Click here to read more…

We’re Giving Away a Free Gardening Gift Basket!

Updated : June 17, 2024

69 Comments

Gardening Gift Basket Give Away.

We are giving away this gardening gift basket!  We are doing this in conjunction with the nice people at Mantis.com.  You know them right?  They make all kinds of really cool gardening related tools but the one that I am most passionate about is the Mantis Tiller.  You’ve seen me use it many times, it’s… Click here to read more…

Abbotswood Potentilla, Growing, Propagating and Selling them.

Updated : June 17, 2024

4 Comments

Potentilla fruticosa 'Abbotswood'

Abbotswood Potentilla is awesome plant!  It’s easy to grow, easy to care for, super easy to propagate and it really easy to keep it looking nice in a landscape. Abbottswood, like most Potentilla is a prolific bloomer.  It starts blooming in June and blooms all summer long right on into fall. Hardy in zones 3… Click here to read more…

Gold Flame Spirea, Growing, Selling and Propagating this Awesome Plant.

Updated : June 17, 2024

14 Comments

Gold Flame Spirea

Gold Flame Spirea, Spiraea x bumalda ‘Goldflame’ is extremely colorful and eye catching.  It’s easy to grow, easy to propagate and sells like wild fire!  I’ve got a few of them planted around the nursery and as soon as people see them they ask about them.  This is a plant that we can’t seem to… Click here to read more…

Pruning plants in the nursery before winter.

Updated : December 1, 2015

7 Comments

Anthony Waterer Spirea.

Many of the flowering shrubs that we grow are vigorous growers and we want them to look fantastic when it’s time to sell them.  The only way that can happen is if we keep them pruned so they look good. When I’m doing the pruning things get cut back really hard.  I mean really hard! … Click here to read more…

How to Winterize Sprinklers, Irrigation Lines.

Updated : November 5, 2019

5 Comments

Mike McGroarty getting ready to winterize his irrigation system.

One of Our Members asked me to show everybody exactly how I go about winterizing my sprinklers and irrigation lines in the nursery.  All of my irrigation lines are PVC and PVC is very unforgiving if it freezes with water in the lines.  Black plastic well pipe, on the other hand, does give a little… Click here to read more…

Growing, Selling and Propagating Tango Weigela

Updated : June 17, 2024

4 Comments

Tango Weigela.

Weigela florida ‘Tango’ Hardy in zones 4 through 8. I think Tango Weigela is an awesome plant and it’s a crazy hot seller for me.  It is one of the more compact weigelas and has  redish, purple dark leaves with flowers that are red to deep red. This is one of those plants that I… Click here to read more…

Moving a Large Laceleaf, Weeping Japanese Maple Tree.

Updated : March 9, 2025

19 Comments

Digging a Balled Tree.

I’ve had this beautiful Laceleaf Weeping Japanese Maple in my landscape for years.  The variety is ‘Waterfall’.  But eventually it out grew the bed that it was in.  It was encroaching the sidewalk on two sides.  Pruning it to keep it from blocking the walkway would have ruined the shape of the tree. Then I… Click here to read more…

Unrooted Hardwood Cuttings for Sale.

Updated : November 24, 2015

19 Comments

Rose of Sharon Hardwood Cutting Ready to Stick.

Crazy right?  Getting paid to sell sticks?  It’s true, in Our Members Area sticks are a hot, hot, hot commodity in November, December and January.  Some members sell thousands and thousands of them. The look like sticks, but they are really valuable, Unrooted Hardwood Cuttings. One of the easiest ways to propagate plants is during… Click here to read more…

Growing, Selling and Propagating Variegated Liriope Liners and Plugs.

Updated : June 17, 2024

22 Comments

Variegated Liriope

Liriope muscari ‘Variegata’, also known as Variegated Lilly Turf. Variegated Liriope is an awesome landscape and I tell you why.  It’s colorful, it flowers, it’s attractive and it’s super easy to care.  I’ve used this plant in landscape plants for years and 20 years later it still looks good.  It never gets too big, it… Click here to read more…

Growing, Selling and Rooting ‘Alleghany’ Viburnum

Updated : June 17, 2024

26 Comments

Alleghany Viburnum

Viburnum x rhytidophylloides ‘Alleghany’ Doesn’t matter if you are looking for a plant to grow and sell or if you are a home owner looking for a different kind of plant for your landscape, the Alleghany Viburnum is an interest and awesome plant. These are just a few of the highlights of the plant.  Loaded… Click here to read more…

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Young trees planted in organized rows, sunny landscape.

15 Fast-Growing Trees to Transform Your Yard Quickly

Posted On March 23, 2025 By Duston

The Donkey Bucket Challenge (Watch Video)

Posted On December 6, 2024 By Duston

How to Make Money Growing and Selling Mums (Chrysanthemums)

Posted On September 28, 2024 By Duston

Hydrangea cuttings stuck close together.

My Month-By-Month Plant Propagation Guide

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Mike’s Plant Farm Spring Ad

Posted On May 15, 2024 By Mike

Mike’s Big Perennial Bed by the Month.

Posted On April 27, 2023 By Mike

$180.00 per Square Foot? Is it really possible?

Posted On March 28, 2023 By Mike

Rooted cuttings of variegated weigela in bunches to harden off.

Over Wintering Rooted Cuttings.

Posted On January 8, 2023 By Mike

Mike's Big Perennial Bed.

Mike’s Big Perennial Garden

Posted On January 8, 2023 By Mike

A Profound Thank You from Mike.

Posted On September 1, 2022 By Mike

Recent Posts

Finnegan keeping the sun off his head.

An Old Guy, Two Donkeys, a Puppy and a Hammock. What could possibly go wrong?

… Read Full Article

This upside down donkey is a hoot!

An Upside Down Donkey and Cute Puppy.

You can see more of the donkeys here. And more silly donkey stuff here. Questions, comments, mean things to say? Post them below and I will respond. Until then, by any and all means stay inspired! … Read Full Article

'Rockin Raspberry' Bee Balm.

‘Rockin Raspberry’ Bee Balm.

Wow! I planted four of these 'Rockin Raspberry' Bee Balm in the perennial garden at the nursery last summer and look at them now. They are in bloom right now, end of June here in northern, Ohio and every person that sees them asks about them. This beauty … Read Full Article

'Bubblegum Blast' Bee Balm.

‘Bubblegum Blast’ Bee Balm

This beautiful Bee Balm is part of the 'Sugar Buzz' series. I planted these in my perennial bed last summer and this year they are beautiful and blooming like crazy! They grow from 16" to 24" tall, are hardy from zone 4 through zone 8. They love full sun … Read Full Article

Blue Angel Hosta.

‘Blue Angel’ Hosta.

'Blue Angel'hosta is by far one of my favorite blue hostas. A big hosta like this in a perennial bed covers a lot of area and that keeps a ton of weeds at bay! These giant heart shaped leaves are very slug resistant. We have this plant in full sun. With … Read Full Article

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