This native of high elevations in central China is a vigorous, rhizomatous bamboo that spreads quickly by runners. It is excellent for erosion control, as a hedge, screen or windbreak, and is also known as “windbreak bamboo”. The strong erect stems (culms) are up to two inches across and have long internodes and a gray-green silvery color. The dark green leaves are about eight inches long and an inch wide. Silver streak bamboo is not for small gardens but is a real asset in a large space where it can grow to its full potential. Because it spreads quickly by runners it should be planted within a root barrier. It is not a good plant for a container as its root system will easily burst the container. [click to read full post]
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This European native is a deciduous shrub or small tree with inch long prominent thorns that are sharp and tough enough to pierce a car tire. In fact, it has been used since the Middle Ages as an animal-proof hedging plant. Thorns, however, are not its only outstanding characteristic; in mid spring it is covered with a cloud of fragrant flowers which are followed by round, half inch fruits that ripen to red in the fall and attract birds. The simple, dark green leaves are lobed and 2½ inch long. The trunk is gray-brown and bears branches that cross in all directions ultimately forming a rounded tree crown. Like other members of the rose family, English Hawthorn suffers from pest problems similar to those of apples and is especially susceptible to hawthorn leaf spot and blight. Cultivars vary in their disease resistance as well as the in color and fullness of their flowers. Prune it for a hedge or screen (with great caution), or use it as a specimen tree. 
When spring arrives and ponds come alive male frogs can be heard croaking and frog eggs may be seen floating in the water. What better time to introduce young readers to the life cycle of frogs? Gail Gibbon’s book, Frogs, provides that and more. Written for children in kindergarten through second grade, the book describes the life of frogs from egg to adult. 
A native of subtropical South America, pineapple guava is an evergreen multistemmed shrub or small tree that is especially suitable for difficult places in warm climates. It is tolerant of heat, poor soil, maritime conditions and drought, although appreciates occasional irrigation during long dry periods. The oval leaves are dark gray-green with white undersides. The unusual flowers are about one inch across and feature a thick cluster of red 
A summer border featuring salvia, delphinium, Russian sage, wishbone flower, aster, and Browallia all in shades of blue to violet is cool and refreshing. The foliage, of course, adds the color green and sometimes gray, white, or yellow. But what plants are blooming in early spring before these beauties come into flower? Bulbs are a great way to provide color for a blue/violet themed garden from early spring into summer. 
This small to medium, deciduous, flowering tree is a hybrid between Aesculus hippocastaneum, native to southeastern Europe, and Aesculus pavia, native to Southeastern United States, probably originating in Germany in the early nineteenth century. The tree is outstanding in mid-spring when it bears showy upright pink to red terminal 
Since the 1990s rain gardens have increasingly attracted attention as a way of managing water quality in an ecologically responsible way. Terry Wallace’s book, The Rain Garden Planner, provides you with the information and details needed to design, install and maintain a rain garden that restores the natural processes for filtering and returning water to groundwater reservoirs. Such a rain garden is well within the reach of any gardener and can reflect a variety of needs and aesthetic tastes.
A native of Europe and Asia Minor, shepard’s purse is a winter or summer annual that has spread throughout the United States including Alaska and Hawai. It is a member of the mustard family and related to broccoli, cauliflower, turnips, and cabbage. Shepherd’s purse prefers full sun, medium to dry conditions, and tolerates many different soils. It is common in highly disturbed sites where the soil has been exposed and may be found in gardens, lawns, abandon fields, hedge rows, and various waste areas such as vacant lots, construction sites and along road sides and train tracks. Shepherd’s purse serves as an alternate host for beet leafhoppers that carry curlytop virus to beats, beans, and tomatoes. 
