With the chilly temperatures of winter well entrenched in our Gardens, evergreen foliage clearly plays an important role in providing interest at this time of the year. Conifers serve an important role in providing the bones for the garden, but there is still a need for detail plantings as we walk … [Read more...]
August Plant of the Month: Trumpets from the Heavens
BrugmansiaA “tropical” is a term used for plants that are a perennial in their native regions that typically hover somewhere close to the equator. Due to their lack of frost tolerance, they serve more as annuals in temperate gardens. Of course, plant lovers try to make them perennials by bringing them indoors … [Read more...]
June Plant of the Month
PaeoniaSome plants are a mere "flash in the pan," appearing at nurseries for a season, only to vanish from shelves and catalogues, never to be seen again. Other plants are perennial favorites, relished not only by us and our parents, but also by our grandparents and their parents before them! … [Read more...]
May Plant of the Month: No Longer Never-used, but Ever-used!
Neviusia alabamensisSome plants are the brunt of poor jokes, and I always wonder if that impacts their use and notoriety with gardeners. For example, the plant Neviusia alabamensis has the “official” common name of Alabama Snow Wreath. Unfortunately, it has also picked up the misfortunate name of “Never-used” as an … [Read more...]
April Plant of the Month: A Poppy Sparks a Career in Horticulture
Stylophorum diphyllumPerhaps my professional interest in horticulture is to blame, but there are several plants that trigger fond memories of my youth. Celandine Poppy, Stylophorum diphyllum used to line the shady edge of the lawn adjacent to my parents’ house. I found it very entertaining to break the stems and see … [Read more...]