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…
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Choose the Right Lavender for Your Garden
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…
Get the Most Out of Hosta – and have outstanding shade gardens
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…
Thinking Hydrangeas? Think Native!
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…
What is Wintergreen?
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…
Get to Know the Asters
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…
Why Isn’t My Garden Growing?
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…
Plant Trees for the Future – Here’s How to Succeed
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,…
The Chinese Money Plant – Pass it On
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…
Everything you need to know about Japanese Cedar – Cryptomeria
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…
Get to Know Snake Plants – Sansevieria
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…
You Should be Growing Liriope in Your Garden – Here’s Why
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…
Grow Your Own Avocados – (but not from a stone)
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…
All About Hybrid Philodendrons
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…
The Exciting World of Philodendrons
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…
How to Grow Philodendrons
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,…
Grow Exciting Prayer Plants – Calathea
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…
Calathea – The Answer to Your Houseplant Prayers
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…
The Pine Trees of America #4
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…
The Pine Trees of America #3
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…
The Pine Trees of America #2
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…
The Pine Trees of America #1
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…
Get to Know Russian Sage
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,…
Coral Bells, Foam Flowers and Foamy Bells
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…