Diervilla, a Neglected Native Shrub – neglected no more
With so many plants in the world, it is inevitable that some good garden plants get overlooked. This is especially a problem in America, because our gardening is built on a foundation of…
Get all the latest insight into the world of plants, from experts.
With so many plants in the world, it is inevitable that some good garden plants get overlooked. This is especially a problem in America, because our gardening is built on a foundation of…
The beautiful blue-purple flower spikes of lavender are one of the highlights of summer, and this plant is one of the most loved, and one that has a nostalgic charm. Perhaps it’s the…
Every gardener will recognize a Hosta plant, be it blue, green, yellow or green and white. It is certainly the most popular of all shade plants, and given that almost every garden has…
Once you have been gardening for a bit, a treasure chest opens up. Suddenly you realize that there are WAY more beautiful plants in the world that you ever thought possible. Tens of…
Once found in every medicine cabinet, wintergreen is also an attractive garden plant, with a variety of uses, both decorative and practical. Preparing a description for it, I thought some further background information…
At this time of year, the well-planned garden gets a big boost, with the arrival of the brilliant, jewel colors of asters blooming in garden beds or natural areas. Few garden visions are…
You are new to gardening, or recently moved into a new home. You invested money and time into setting up what you pictured as a little paradise, but it isn’t working. The plants…
Economists tell us that the further away a reward is, the less we will pay for it today. Our world, and modern economy, is built on having it now, as soon as possible,…
Most of us tend to hang on to our money, but when it comes to plants, we’re different. People love to pass on plants a friend admires, and that is how the popular…
Evergreens are among the most important plants in any garden. They bring a look of permanence and structure, with forms that are with us every day of the year. The garden will still…
If you like having plants around the house, but don’t have the proverbial ‘green thumb’, then it’s time to grow a snake plant or two. Talk about indestructible – these plants should probably…
The best way to raise your garden to a new level is to get rid of all those patches of bare earth. Not only do they encourage weeds, but they lose more water…
Once upon a time, avocados were an exotic, rare fruit, perhaps appearing in that Tex-Mex staple, guacamole, as a dip with beer, but otherwise hardly seen at all. How things have changed. Today…
In this in-depth look at the important houseplant, Philodendron, we started in an earlier blog post by learning more about their amazing biology – where they come from, and where and how they…
In this in-depth look at the important houseplant, Philodendron, we started in an earlier blog post by learning more about their amazing biology – where they come from, and where and how they…
So you bought a Philodendron, or are thinking about buying one, and you want to know how to grow it. The good news is that these houseplants are among the easiest to grow,…
In a previous blog post we took a look at the secrets of growing those popular and gorgeous houseplants called Prayer Plants, or Calathea. In this post we are going to take a…
Once you get growing with houseplants, and have mastered those old indestructibles, like snake plants, Swiss cheese and spider plants, it’s natural to start looking for more. I bet you have often dreamed…
PART 4 – THE 2-NEEDLE PINES OF AMERICA In this series of blogs we are taking a deeper look at our native pine trees, both in the wild and in our gardens. In…
PART 3, THE 3-NEEDLE PINES OF AMERICA In this series of blogs we are taking a deeper look at our native pine trees, both in the wild and in our gardens. In the…
PART 2, THE 5-NEEDLE PINES OF AMERICA In the first part of this look at our native Pines, we talked about how to identify pine trees with a reasonable degree of accuracy. In…
PART 1, IDENTIFICATION Pine Trees are everywhere, in city and country, and their distinctive long needles make them a tree that is almost as widely recognized as maple. As garden trees, pines have…
Never truly Russian, and until recently not a sage either, Russian Sage is that plant you see in a garden and go, “Wow! What is that?” A striking concoction of silver and blue,…
Once upon a time, boys and girls, Coral Bells were simple plants with marbled leaves and sprays of tiny bright coral-pink flowers on tall stems that fluttered in the breeze. Sometimes you saw…