Native/Invasive

I've lived here over five years now, but just when I think I've seen all the plants that grow wild here, another one catches my attention and arouses my curiosity. Several people suggested it was baneberry, and baneberry does bloom around the same time, with a similarly shaped flower. Only one problem: Baneberry is herbaceous, and the flowers were blooming on a woody plant. Hmm, what could it be?

Take a stroll with me through the Secret Garden and admire the flowers I recently planted to make this garden even more beautiful. I hope it delights you as much as it delights me!

I know rock gardeners who can coax rare alpine treasures into bloom, but have been stumped by trout lilies. They are common in the woods of eastern North America--do you know these ephemeral charmers?

Our house "was built for a newlywed couple in 1885. The big oak tree in the front yard was planted the year they moved in and the maple tree was also one they planted," according to information provided by the previous owner. I was thinking about this oak tree as I drove home from a [...]

Native plants, those that are naturally occurring in your garden's locale, are adapted to your climate. They won't leaf out while there's still a chance they'll be harmed by cold weather, and they drop their leaves when it's clear wintery cold is returning. Alien plants came from Somewhere Else--whether by your hand or uninvited--and don't [...]

Walking up the hill to view the witch hazels in bloom was a favorite fall activity at our old house. For the past four years, I've thought we didn't have any on our property. Our neighbor said he had some on his land, so I always hoped I might someday find one. Turns out there's [...]

Do you remember when I waded through botanical terminology to identify my wild rose? Well, I've been at it again. Earlier this week, a pretty lilac-blue flower along the side of the road caught my eye, and I wanted to know what it was. It was pretty enough to be a garden plant, but I [...]

A couple of weeks ago, my thirty-something daughter was busy gathering wildflowers for her brother's wedding. "Mom, do you know what that plant is?" There it was, growing in our backyard along the creek. I am pretty sure it has been there ever since we moved in almost five years ago. But no, I didn't [...]

Because the landscape had been neglected for almost a decade, the yard of my former home was full of horticultural surprises when we first moved in: daffodils that started blooming again once dug and divided, irises that smelled like grape lollipops, bulbs that sent up leaves in spring but didn't bloom until fall (colchicums) and [...]