Every flower is a wildflower--a native plant--somewhere, though this is easy to forget when that "somewhere" is on the other side of the world. On the other hand, it's easy to take our own native wildflowers for granted, or even despise them as weeds. And many popular garden plants native to North America had to be recognized as garden-worthy by gardeners in other countries before they were adopted by gardeners here. So, how do you tell if a plant belongs in the garden, or is a wildflower--or a weed?
rudbeckia
Is It A Garden Plant Or A
September 27, 2017 – Posted in: Native/InvasiveDo you really want to grow your own wedding flowers?
December 21, 2016 – Posted in: Hardscaping and Projects, How-toMy son Rundy (a former contributor to this website) and his sweetheart Debbie announced their engagement mid-February. They got married on July 16th. I want to share our experiences doing the wedding flowers. (And by "our" I mean several people from both families.) I hope this will help you decide if you want to take [...]
Five Surprising November Bloomers: Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day November 2014
November 15, 2014 – Posted in: What's up/bloomingIn cold climates like mine, November is a tough month in which to find flowers. I've done my best to extend the season, so I'm not surprised to see autumn crocus or hellebores--or even violas--blooming. But when I walked around my garden the other day, I found five flowers blooming that don't typically bloom in [...]
Frost-Tolerant Flowers: Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day October 2014
October 15, 2014 – Posted in: What's up/bloomingLife as we know it doesn't end with the first frost. Beauty doesn't stop, either. We have had several light frosts (28.5F/-1.9C was the coldest) but no hard freezes, which means many garden plants are still going strong. (Do you know the difference between a frost and a freeze?) I was able to gather several [...]
Bright Spots and Lots of Texture: Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day September 2014
September 16, 2014 – Posted in: What's up/bloomingUnlike mid-summer when there are large drifts of color in the garden, the late summer garden has bright spots and lots of texture," says my friend Layanee, and I couldn't agree more. Many plants have finished blooming, their foliage and seedheads now providing texture, some plants are just reaching their peak, and still others are [...]
Planting bulbs with the Pro-Plugger: Review
November 4, 2012 – Posted in: Tools and EquipmentIn September I was contacted by Bill Carney, who offered me a Pro Plugger to review. The ProPlugger is a long tube of steel that you drive into the ground with your foot. You can make several holes in succession and all the plugs are stored in the tube. Spacer rings can be used to [...]
Freeze Aftermath: Garden Bloggers Bloom Day October 2010
October 15, 2010 – Posted in: What's up/bloomingOur first frost this autumn was later than usual, and was actually a hard freeze, dropping to 26F(-3.3C) on Sunday, October 10th. Most gardeners in warmer climates imagine a hard freeze like this: But cold climate gardeners know the scene can just as easily look like this: It takes more than one hard freeze to [...]
Garden Bloggers Bloom Day September 2009
September 15, 2009 – Posted in: What's up/bloomingAnnuals Our growing season is so compressed, that most annuals are only now looking their best. My children like to grow zinnias every year, and the bright colors of Renee's Garden Crayon Color Zinnias really appeal to them. They like both the Cool and the Hot. (As a member of the GWA, I received the [...]
Green-eyed but not envious: Rudbeckia ‘Herbstsonne’
April 29, 2007 – Posted in: Plant infoNot much is going on that isn't the same for all gardeners: snow gone, ground drying up, warmer temps, shoveling the ground for the first time this season, planting, weeding, mulching. I'm doing it and don't want to read about it, so how about some pictures and a bit of relevant text instead? Here was [...]
August is yellow
August 15, 2006 – Posted in: Native/Invasive, Plant infoThe fields surrounding my house are turning yellow and I know it must be August. I experience the passing of the seasons by what plants are coming into bloom and now it is the goldenrods’ turn. Familiarity can bring indifference and my neighbors often ignore the flowers but I cannot. I can find at least [...]
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