If you like wildflowers and want to know more about them this book could be exactly what you are looking for. It includes detailed information on 200 genera and 1000 species of plants from the personal experience of the author, William Cullina, a leading authority on wildflowers with extensive experience cultivating them. Written in an easy to read style, the information flows in a steady stream but always with a personal touch. [click to read full post]
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Roses are can make a fine hedge when you want to restrict the movement of people from one area to another. Many floribundas and some shrub roses can be planted close together to create an attractive, colorful, and thorny hedge. You can clip them to keep them in bounds but they look better when they are allowed some freedom to create an informal look, perfect for many situations. In general, they will make a medium sized hedge from 3-6 feet tall depending on the cultivar and the climate. Although very attractive from spring to fall, they will drop their leaves for winter and create a very different looking hedge. [click to read full post]
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Full, double, clove-scented, deep red and white flowers bloom compact mounds of grey-green foliage in early summer and may continue sporadically until fall when another flush occurs. This cultivar is particularly heat and humidity tolerant and looks good all season. This charming low growing plant makes a good ground cover or edging in a border, and looks right at home in a cottage garden. The flowers attract butterflies but deer leave the plant alone. [click to read full post]
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If your lawn is bumpy or feels spongy underfoot you may have thatch build up. You can check by removing a small wedge of lawn deep enough to get some soil. Thatch is a layer of living and dead plant material that lies under the green blades of grass and above the soil. Some thatch in a lawn is inevitable and creates no problems but if it becomes more than one half inch thick it may reduce the amount of water, air and nutrients that reach the roots, resulting in grass with shallow roots. A lawn of shallow rooted grass dries out quickly and is more susceptible to the effects of heat and cold. In addition, thatch provides a favorable environment for pests and disease. [click to read full post]
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This short-lived perennial is a native of moist to seasonable wet meadows and open woods from the Canadian border to Florida, west to Nevada. Its bright yellow flowers are borne in flat clusters on sparingly branched plants that brighten late spring gardens while its attractive heart-shaped basal leaves are attractive all season long and turn wine-colored in fall. Black swallowtail larvae are particularly fond of the foliage. Heart-leaf Alexander is very easy to grow, adapting to a wide range of soil and light conditions. [click to read full post]
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As gardeners we all want to do the right thing and composting is high on the list. For some of us, however, the thought of a pile of rotting vegetation is not appealing and the prospect of turning over that pile is daunting. Ken Thompson’s book on composting provides the reader with easily understood facts and tips that may inspire enthusiasm in even the most reluctant gardener. [click to read full post]
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Hummingbirds in the garden are special and if we want them to visit we can plant some annual vines that will entice them. The nice thing about vines is that they can be grown in a rather small space near the house so we can watch the hummers come to feed. The nice thing about annual vines is that they grow quickly in one season and don’t have to wait until next year for results. [click to read full post]
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Jacob’s ladder is a favorite for woodland gardens because of its deer resistance, disease resistance, shade tolerance, and its lovely clusters of blue flowers in late spring. In addition, “Heaven Scent” has grape-scented flowers. Fern-like leaves emerge in spring with a burgundy tint and form a mound about one foot high. As the summer progresses the leaves change to a shade of green that is particularly attractive with blue hostas. ‘Heaven Scent’ can take more sun than other varieties of Jacob’s ladder as long as it has plenty of moisture especially during hot dry spells. Use in a border or as a ground cover. [click to read full post]
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Many people have a lawn in the front of their house. It makes the home look better, more attractive and inviting. The backyard is also a favorite place for a lawn so it can serve as a play area for the kids, an outdoor room for get togethers with family and friends, or as part of a garden. Side yards sometimes have lawns but unless there is more there than lawn, there is little point in locating one there. No matter where you locate a lawn there are several things you can do to make it more enjoyable and less burdensome. [click to read full post]
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Once you have seen mayapples you will never forget them. The two large leaves of the plant emerge like folded umbrellas in early spring and open to reveal a single white or rose colored flower hidden in their axil. The flower is followed by a large pale yellow berry that is toxic when young but edible when ripe. The leaves are large and the plant stands 18” tall. Mayapples colonize by rhizomes and form dense colonies in open woods, their habitat of choice. During periods of drought they may go dormant but will return the following year. The common name refers to the bloom period, but it is the flower, not the fruit that appears in May. The specific name, peltatum, refers to the ancient Roman shield carried by infantry men, and describes the shape of the leaves. [click to read full post]
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