Last week I promised that we would explore the principles of designing a shade garden using the concept of a designed plant community. And we will be doing that — just not today. Today I want to answer a question that was posed to me after last week’s blog. A reader contacted me and …
Read More »Posts Categorized: Sustainability
Invite An Insect: Black Swallowtail Butterfly
Whether you are planting to attract butterflies, bees or a host of other native pollinators, finding out which specific plants are the best to include can be complicated. In order to help you design your pollinator garden, I have pulled together a list of some beneficial insects and their related plants. Look for “INVITE AN …
Read More »Preparing for Pollinators
With all the Buzz about pollinators in the news lately (sorry, just couldn’t resist it), I thought that this might be a good time to think about adding a pollinator garden to the landscape. For the past few years, flower and gardening magazines, websites and even home improvement television shows …
Read More »“Bee-Friending” Insect Populations
Insect populations around the world are rapidly declining. Within the next 20 years, 40% of the earth’s insect species may be extinct and within 100 years insects could disappear completely. Insects are the foundation of the planet’s ecosystems. When just one type of insect disappears, dozens of other species, including humans, are directly …
Read More »Plant A Grove: American highbush-cranberry (Viburnum trilobum)
Spectacular as a stand alone shrub or massed as a backdrop to a border, the American highbush-cranberry gives four seasons of interest to the garden. This large deciduous shrub (8+ feet) prefers full sun, but will also thrive in partial shade as long as it is planted in evenly moist, …
Read More »Rethinking Lawns — Part 3: But I Like Green!
As excited as I have been about the renovation of our front yard, I have to admit that I’m still a little leery of a yard without at least a few patches of green grass. When I shared my reservations with my husband, he assured me that eliminating turfgrass doesn’t mean eliminating the lawn; it …
Read More »Plant A Patch: Small Skullcap (Scutellaria parvula missouriensis)
At home in shallow dry, rocky soil, sandy soil or clay soil, this tiny plant (3 – 9″) deserves big recognition for its ability to thrive in adverse conditions that would stress other species. It prefers full sun but also grows and blooms well in partial shade. Small skullcap sports blue blossoms from …
Read More »“Frenemies “ — Bugs, Your Garden and You : Part 3 – Bug Guide
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“Frenemies “ — Bugs, Your Garden and You : Part 2: Designing for Bugs
If anyone had told me, even ten years ago, that I would be designing my yard to accommodate bugs, I would have called them crazy. Back then any and all bugs were the ENEMY and needed to be immediately eradicated — with powerful insecticides so that death would be almost instantaneous. Today the shelf that …
Read More »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 …
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