Plant Profile: Chinese Ground Orchid (Bletilla striata)
Karen Not all orchids are persnickety prima donnas and this one is definitely not. A native of Japan, China, Korea, and Burma, this hardy, terrestrial orchid was introduced into to England…
Six Native Woody Vines For an American Cottage Garden
Scrambling over a wall or up a pergola, attracting birds, or adding color and fragrance vines can be an important part of an American cottage garden. Vines not only add…
Plant Profile: Devil’s Walking Stick (Aralia spinosa)
With common names like Devil’s walking stick, and Hercules’ club this plant is bound to attract attention. It is a deciduous small tree or shrub with spines on its trunks,…
Gardens in Art: Parterres
If you have visited colonial gardens such as those in Williamsburg you may have noticed the low beds edged with boxwood often with a tree in the center. In the…
Plant Profile: Seckle Pear (Pyrus communis)
Seckle pears are a great dessert treat if you can find them. They are not easy to locate but are unusual and well worth a search. The fruits are borne…
Plant Profile: White Fringetree (Chionanthus virginicus)
This native of woodland edges, stream banks, and roadsides from Massachusetts, Kentucky, and Missouri south to Florida and west to Texas, is a small deciduous shrub or tree with a…
Gardens in Art: Introduction
Have you ever noticed that many paintings include gardens? The garden is usually the background for some person or activity that is featured in the foreground but sometimes the garden…
Plant Profile: Rock Soapwort (Saponaria ocymoides)
A native of the European Alps, rock soapwort is a low growing plant that scrambles over rocks and trails over walls. It’s semi-evergreen foliage forms dense mats and can be…
Planning a Garden: Identifying Problem Areas
Gardens serve many purposes and one of them can be to solve problems. If you have a neighbor with junk in their side yard, a miserable view, or an air…
Plant Profile: Winged Sumac (Rhus copallina)
Native to Eastern United States, winged sumac is also called flame sumac and a tough shrub or small tree that is found on forest edges, old fields, meadows and roadsides.…