This week: Big (Native) Rhododendrons
Hello! While non-native Rhododendrons can be found in nearly every neighborhood, native Rhododendrons are not a common sight. One eastern native is...
This week: Switchgrass’s Amazing Uses
Hello, Meet an incredibly useful native grass: Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum). It’s the perfect replacement for clumps of invasive Chinese Silvergrass...
This week: Is Yarrow Native?
Hello! From coast to coast, you’ll find Yarrow (Achillea millefolium). It is one of the most widespread wildflowers. But is it native? A Yarrow Cultivar...
This week: A Spring-Blooming Bee Balm
Hello! Bradbury’s Monarda (Monarda bradburiana), also called Eastern Bee Balm, is in bloom! This is hands-down my favorite bee balm. Why, you wonder? Because...
This week: It’s Not Poison Ivy
Hello! Virginia Creeper’s (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) main claim to fame is that it is not poison ivy. In the helpful rhyme “leaves of three, let it be;...
This week: Dividing and Relocating Perennials
Hello! Most of us have gardens with plants that have been around for years, if not decades. Even a well-tended garden can become overgrown and overrun in...
This week: Wild Geranium Explodes
Hello! Let’s look at another spring bloomer. Geranium maculatum, also called Wild Geranium or Spotted Geranium, is a spring beauty native to the Eastern U.S....
This week: The Other Cherry Blossoms
Hello! Though less famous than Japanese cherries, our native cherry trees, Prunus serotina, are blooming. The flowers on native Eastern Black Cherry trees...
This week: Grow Violets for Butterflies
Hello! Look closely, and you’ll spot this native underfoot: wild Violets (Viola spp.). While Violets are often seen as the enemy of the perfect turfgrass...
This week: Golden Ragwort Blooms!
Hello! If you read all the way to the end of last week’s newsletter, you’re probably already planning to stop by the Blooms to Bees tent at the Mt. Lebanon...
This week: Fothergilla Blooms!
Hello! Blooming alongside the Eastern Redbuds, Moss Phlox, and Virginia Bluebells is a striking native shrub: Fothergilla. In April and May, it is covered in...
This week: Moss Phlox Blooms!
Hello, The sun-loving Phlox subulata (called Creeping Phlox or Moss Phlox) is a low-growing ground cover that will form a carpet of spring blooms from late...
This week: Renewal Pruning for Multi-Stem Shrubs
Hello! Are some of your shrubs looking a bit unruly? If the shrubs have several stems or canes growing from the ground, they may be a candidate for renewal...
This week: Surprise! It’s Jack/Jill-in-the-Pulpit.
Hello! The other day, I was browsing the spring-planted roots and bulbs at my local hardware store and spotted Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) for...
This week: Spring Garden To Do List
Hello, The temperatures are rising, and fall-planted bulbs like Daffodils, Crocus, and Snowdrops are blooming. It’s time to think about spring garden tasks!...
This week: Redbud Trees, an Early Spring Indicator
Hello! Some native trees and shrubs are known as spring indicators. One is the Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) tree. It forms maroon-colored buds at this...
This week: Branch Pruning 101
Hello, This week, I noticed the Silver Maples and Redbuds are finally in bud — it’s nearly spring! Since many trees and shrubs are on the verge of breaking...
This week: Slope Prep and Planting Tips
Hello! Let’s close out the slope series by addressing some tactical challenges you might encounter: site prep and mulching. (Good news! If you’re tired of...
This week: Slowing Erosion and Stormwater Runoff on Slopes
Hello! Last week, we took a look at one way to solve a problem slope: planting shrubs. This week, let’s explore another reason to grow native plants on...
This week: One Simple Slope Solution
Hello! In honor of the Winter Olympics, let’s hit the slopes. Plenty of us have slopes in our landscapes and are stuck maintaining them with lawn mower...