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June 2018

Plant A Patch: Fame Flower/ Rock Pink -- ( Phemeranthus calycinus )

    An incredibly tough native perennial succulent, Rock Pink or Fame Flower is an excellent choice for both rock gardens or container gardens. Being part of the purslanes family (related to portulaca or moss rose), it prefers full sun and dry, rocky soil in areas where it does not have to compete with larger, …

Need to Cool Down? Plant a Tree!

A friend of mine recently moved into a new home. It is a gorgeous home and has an added bonus of a spectacular view off of the back deck — something not often found here in the city. When I told her that I was just a little jealous of her deck and view, she …

Plant A Patch: Hollowstem Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium fistulosum)

        Joe Pye Weed, long thought of as just a roadside weed, is finally coming into its own! This tall (4 – 7 feet) native thrives in moist to wet soil and full sun to partial shade. Fragrant pinkish-purple blooms which attract dozens of species of butterflies appear in July and continue …

Plant A Patch: Purple Poppy Mallow (callirhoe Involucrata)

        One of a handful of plants that doesn’t just tolerate, but absolutely loves shallow, dry and rocky soil, purple poppy mallow features a low, mounded foliage and cup-shaped bright magenta flowers on upright stems. Once established, it blooms profusely in late spring and early summer (May and June) and then intermittently …

Plant A Patch: Mountain mint (Pycnanthemum muticum)

  Offering pinkish-white late summer blooms and winter structural interest, this fragrant native perennial prefers full sun and fertile, medium moist soil. Mountain mint grows in a clump form, often reaching 3 feet in both width and height. It spreads more slowly than other mints and is excellent for naturalizing. When crushed, the dense, dark …

“Frenemies “ -- Bugs, Your Garden and You

When I started my gardening career, and I hate to admit how many decades ago that was, dealing with bugs in the garden was easy. See a bug?  Kill it — preferably with a strong, extremely toxic chemical.            Today my relationship with bugs in the garden is much more complicated. …