Plant Profile: Bottlebrush Buckeye (Aesculus parviflora)
Karen A native of woodlands in southeastern United States, bottlebrush buckeye is a wide, suckering deciduous shrub that needs plenty of room to grow. In summer, its palmately compound leaves are…
Plant Profile: Tree Peony (Paeonia suffrcticosa)
For large beautiful flowers it is hard to beat the tree peony. Grown in China for over a thousand years, tree peony is a deciduous shrub with spreading branches growing…
Plant Profile: Carolina Allspice (Calycanthus floridus)
The reddish-brown flowers of this deciduous bush are loaded with a spicy fragrance that will fill the air with their pleasant aroma when they open in late spring. A native…
How to Choose Hydrangeas
The large flowerheads of hydrangea bring an old fashioned charm to a garden. The flowers may be white, pink, blue, or a shade of purple, they can be round or…
Plant Profile: ‘Annabelle’ Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’)
The most popular of the H. arborescens is “Annabelle’, and for good reason. First, it can be cut back in late winter because it produces flowers on new growth. There…
Plant Profile: ‘My Monet’ Weigela (Weigela florida ‘Verweig’)
Weigelas have an old-fashioned charm but this one is special and offers even more. It is only 12” high and compact, forming a neat mound. Its leaves are variegated with…
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…
Plant Profile: Maple-Leaf Viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium)
Growing in mixed mesic forests, and wooded ravines, this native of Eastern United States is a medium sized deciduous shrub that does well in both full sun and partial shade,…
Plant Profile: Bridal Wreath (Spirea vanhouttei)
The graceful, sprays of small white flowers make this a favorite both in my garden and spring bouquets. Blooming with the flowering cherries and iris it gives old-fashioned charm to…
Plant Profile: Flowering Quince (Chaenomeles x superba)
I first became interested in flowering quince because of a Japanese print I was given as a gift many years ago. The irregular branching pattern and the simple red flowers…