What’s Your Shade?
For years, I viewed shade as an entirely black and white issue — you either had shade or you didn’t. Unfortunately, my attempts at shade gardening reflected my ignorance about the topic. My uninspiring gardens were either scraggly and half dead or were simply long, boring vistas of commonplace hostas. Only in …
What's In Bloom Today?
Those cheerful plants that typically announce the coming of spring are also great for fall planting. Although we tend to think of them as annual bedding plants, pansies are actually short-lived evergreen perennials that can overwinter here in the Midwest. Pansies prefer cool weather and grow easily in rich, moist well-drained soil with morning …
Right Plant, Right Place
We went from a yard that had rich, loamy soil and the perfect amount of gentle morning sun to living on top of a defunct rock quarry that sits in deep shade for most of the day until it roasts in the worst hours of the midwest afternoon sun. Finding plants that survive in …
What's In Bloom Today?
Being totally honest, we have to admit that Staghorn sumac isn’t really blooming, but it is flaunting its colors. Often showing yellow, orange and red foliage on the same bush, Staghorn sumac is named for the velvety appearance of its stunning young branchlets. It has a strong, open form, often reaching …
Give the Earth a Gift - Plant a Tree
This article was originally published November 13, 2017. It has been revised and updated, Join us next week as we look at plant communities for shade areas. When you really stop and think about the big picture, planting trees is one of the most important actions you can take for yourself, your community and even …
What's In Bloom Today?
Shrub roses are celebrating fall with a big burst of end of the season color right now! The American Rose Society describes shrub roses as “A class of hardy, easy-care plants that…..do not fit in any other category of rose bush.” They come in a variety of colors, have single or double blooms, …
Establish A Community - Part 4: Ecological Function, Aesthetic Form
Our modern perceptions of what a beautiful landscape looks like are not really our own ideas. They were in large part shaped by English landscape artists of the 18th and 19th centuries. Their highly romanticized works interpreted for the public what landscape designers were providing for the wealthy upper class. Their paintings, like the …
What's In Bloom Today?
Ornamental grasses are at their best in the fall and Dwarf Fountain Grass is no exception. At it’s best in the full sun, dwarf fountain grass is easy to grow in average, moist soil. It will tolerate part shade, but may not flower well. The 2 1/2 foot to 3 foot clumps have …
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