A year ago I wrote about how my woodland sunflowers (Helianthus strumosus) had pooped out on me. They had been the only plant growing in a little back garden bed along the path to the alley. What remained looked like this. I was tired of woodland sunflower, so a new plant selection was called for. …
An article in the most recent issue of Fine Gardening, entitled “Designing with green”, opens with this statement: “This ubiquitous color, when used well, can be just as exciting as vibrant flowers.” To which the obvious response is: No. No, it can’t. Don’t get me wrong. I can appreciate green-only plants. I understand that there …
They were on sale, really. Also, I needed to take care of two problems. First was my Woodland Phlox (Phlox divaritica) in the bed along the east side of the garage. The problem consisted of two parts. Part one is that I keep putting in new Woodland Phlox plants and they keep dying. Not all …
In my last post I wrote about the impulse purchase of my new rose, ‘Strike It Rich’. What I didn’t mention is that I went back to that garden center sale twice more that weekend. Surely it would have been wiser to wait until the milder days of September to plant more perennials, but who …
I wasn’t going to be discouraged by the prospect of doing without impatiens (Impatiens walleriana) due to the devastating blight that has swept the country. Impatiens are a staple for shade containers and beds for myself and many other gardeners. However, I was eager to try out some new plants I had just learned about …
Foliage Follow-Up is a meme sponsored by Pam at Digging which highlights the importance of foliage, and also helps us avoid putting all our mid-month photos in the GBBD post. So, I got some real nice foliage for ya! First of all, you may remember how I cut back my Blue Star (Amsonia tabernaemontana) and …
The Woodland Sunflower (Helianthus strumosus) in the back garden is no more. It was growing in a little bed I carved out along the brick path to the alley gate that Judy and I built. Woodland Sunflower is one of very few sunflowers that does not need full sun or something close. I was tempted …
So we all agree that wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), also called red columbine, is the most beautiful perennial flower for shade, right? Exactly. A friend of mine likes to say that columbine are like candy, you can never have enough. Certainly A. canadensis, native to North America east of the Rockies, is a sweet wildflower. …
As I may have mentioned, starting last week and for the remainder of May I have to be out-of-town Monday through Friday. This is what we used to call a major bummer, especially given all that is happening in the garden. Yesterday I arrived home to find that the late season container tulips were blooming. …
The old-fashioned bleeding hearts (Lamprocapnos spectabilis) in my garden are looking very happy this year, the moist cool spring must agree with them. They are bushy and robust, with many long stems lined with dangling pink and white flowers. The unique shape of the bleeding heart flower certainly suggests the origin the plant’s name, though …
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