What's In Bloom Today?
Blue Mist Spireas , or bluebeards, are stealing the show right now. Bees, butterflies and other pollinators flock to this lightly fragrant but always showy deciduous shrub throughout its lengthy fall bloom period. Caryopteris is easy to grow in a full sun, well-drained location, but does not like wet feet! It …
Establish A Community -- In Your Shade Garden Part 1: What Is A Plant Community?
I love lush beds of hostas! I love the variety of colors and shapes and sizes and bloom stalks. I love how hardy they are and how little maintenance they need. Unfortunately, our neighborhood deer love them as much as I do. After losing plant after plant to their voracious appetites, I knew I had …
What's In Bloom Today?
An old-fashioned favorite, Rose of Sharon shrubs are in full bloom right now. This easy to grow shrub is makes a dramatic statement when used in masses, as hedges, or singly as a specimen. Rose of Sharon grows and flowers best in rich, well-drained soil in the full sun, but it will also …
Spring Blooming Bulbs For Pollinators
I have always planted bulbs like daffodils and tulips strictly for the joy they give me in the early spring. There is nothing like finding that first green leaf tip poking up through the bare ground or seeing a burst of bright yellow out the kitchen window when everything else is still either brown or …
What's In Bloom Today?
The often mistakenly maligned perennial, Goldenrod (Solidago ) is beginning its annual fall show. Goldenrod is a stunning, easy to grow herbaceous perennial that is often falsely accused of causing hay fever. The truth is, wind-blown pollen from plants like ragweed (pictured below) are actually the offenders. Depending on the specific species, bright yellow blooms …
Design Ideas To Keep Deer Away
I live in a divided neighborhood. One-half thinks our resident deer are adorable while the other half (the gardeners of the group) fantasizes about turning them into venison. Being engaged in daily competition with the herd this entire summer for my hostas, daylilies and phlox, I have to admit I lean more to the …
What's in Bloom Today?
The native Missouri wildflower commonly called Black-eyed Susan is in full bloom right now. Known for their bursts of bright, yellow to yellow-orange blooms, black-eyed Susans, or Rudbeckia hirta, are favorites of butterflies but avoided by deer and rabbits because of their hairy foliage. They are biennials or short-lived perennials and will easily …
Green Spaces for Cities -- Part 2: Living Walls and Green Roofs
One of my favorite sessions from the recent Perennial Plant Conference I attended in Chicago was on Living Walls. It had been a reluctant choice at first — a lesser of two evils type of choice. Surprisingly though, after the first few minutes, I was hooked. The presenter didn’t try to teach me how, instead …
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