This week: Easy Native Flower Seeds to Start this Winter
Hello! Starting native perennials from seed is a cost-effective way to grow a native garden, but it requires skill and patience. Skill because some seeds...
This week: Merry Christmas Fern!
Hello, A little evergreen adds structure to wintertime gardens, and one little evergreen is Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides). It is a short-...
This week: Winterberry Holly Struts Its Stuff + Announcement!
Hello, Read (or scroll) to the end of this week’s email for some Blooms to Bees news! Now, on with the show. The best part about snow on the ground is having...
This week: American Holly for the Holiday Season
Hello! A quick reminder that on Saturday, December 7, I’ll be at the Swissvale Night of Lights Holiday Market from 4-7 pm, peddling garden-themed gifts. The...
This week: Majestic Sycamore + Thanksgiving Freebie
Hello! Since it is Thanksgiving week, I thought I’d feature a classic American native tree—the Sycamore (and a Sycamore-related download if you make it to...
This week: 5 Shade Trees for Curb Appeal
Hello! Ever notice how lovely it is to drive down a tree-lined street or walk through a shade-dappled neighborhood? Neighborhoods with mature trees are...
This week: Highbush Blueberries for the Birds
Hello! Do you know that a common fruit is also a gorgeous, widely available shrub perfect for attracting birds? Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium coryumbosum) is...
This week: Carolina Silverbell, a Tree with Fall and Winter Appeal
Hello! Autumn isn’t only for leaves but also for seed pods, too. One of my favorite seed pods hangs from the Carolina Silverbell tree (Halesia carolina or H....
This week: Fall Garden Checklist
Hello, While the autumnal equinox was way back in September, the temperature and the trees agree that fall is finally here! And with that, a slew of garden...
This week: Fall Seed Collecting
Hello! While the varying bloom periods of flower species mean that you can collect seeds beginning in the spring and throughout the summer, fall is a time of...
This week: Fall Seed Collecting
Hello! While the varying bloom periods of flower species mean that you can collect seeds beginning in the spring and throughout the summer, fall is a time of...
This week: Uncommon Snowberry
Hello! Though I’ve been a student of native plants for years, I recently encountered a northeastern native shrub that was totally new to me: Common Snowberry...
This week: Grow Your Own Pawpaws
Hello, It’s Pawpaw season! This relatively unknown fruit has a big claim to fame: it is the largest fruit native to North America. September and October are...
This week: A Great Many Uses for Great Blue Lobelia
Hello! Hold onto your hat—we’re discussing a plant with many uses by wishful thinkers: Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica). Sprouting from the same...
This week: 3 Volunteer White-Flowered Asters
Hello! While walking my dog the other day, I passed three varieties of little white asters blooming along the street. All three were volunteer plants (or...
This week: A Turtle Lookalike in the Garden?
Hello! Do you have a shady spot in your garden that needs a late summer highlight? Or maybe you’re aiming for a classic cottage garden vibe. Chelone lyonii,...
This week: Goldenrod for the Garden
Hello! Sometimes, there are native plants I don’t like. For example, I rarely recommend Goldenrod—a well-regarded Keystone species—to clients. However,...
This week: Silver-Spotted Skippers Prefer Pink
Hello, First, thanks to everyone who visited the Swissvale Farmer’s Market. It was lovely meeting you and talking plants! Now, to the main event: a...
This week: Sweetgum Trees, My Favorite Nuisance
Hello! Read all the way to the end for a fun announcement if you live in the Pittsburgh area! Now, onto the regularly scheduled newsletter. Sweetgum...
This week: Jerusalem Artichoke, a Super-Spreader
Hello! This week, I discovered I’m growing Helianthus tuberosus, or Jerusalem Artichokes, in the “I’ve been given this seedling” section of my garden. While...