This week: Raise a Glass to Hophornbeam
Hello! Let me introduce you to Hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana), a native understory tree that, to quote the eminent horticulturalist Michael A. Dirr, “has...
This week: Arrowwood Viburnum Brings the Blooms
Hello! It’s Viburnum season! Plenty of varieties are in bloom right now, and one such beauty is Arrowwood Viburnum (Viburnum dentatum). This shrub is covered...
This week: How to Do the Chelsea Crop
Hello! Have you seen the Joe Pye Weed lately? Mine is at least 4 feet high, and it is just barely June. Even though it is planted near the back of my garden,...
This week: The Lazybone's Guide to Seed Starting
Hello! There was a time when I started seeds indoors in March and April under grow lights in little handmade paper pots. Or when I would collect plastic...
This week: Bring on the Flowers with Fringe-Tree
Hello! Sometimes I encounter plants that I find hard to believe are native, mainly because their blooms are so ornamental that I imagine intrepid...
This week: Snacking on Wild Strawberries
Hello! If you were a kid growing up in a home with an untreated lawn, you likely spent some time picking tiny wild strawberries and eating them in the...
This week: Red Columbine Wins Hearts
Hello! When you picture a Columbine flower, you probably envision a blue-colored Rocky Mountain Columbine (Aquilegia coerulea). Eastern North American has...
This week: A Better Than Marginal Wood Fern
Hello! People love a free native plant, and for me, Marginal Wood Fern (Dryopteris marginalis) was just that—I found it popping up here and there in the...
This Week: Shopping for Native Plants
Hello! This is a long one today, so scroll down for a link to a page that will track native plants found at my local Lowe’s and Home Depot this summer, and a...
This week: Native Shrubs You Can Eat
Hello! So often, we’re planting native shrubs for insects and birds to eat. But many can be eaten by humans, too. Here are a few native shrubs that are tasty...
This week: Ostrich (Ferns) for Dinner
Hello! You can do a lot with ferns. They are problem-solvers for shady spots like the north side of a building, an understory picked clean by hungry deer, or...
This Week: Bear Corn, Vampire of the Woods
Hello! If you’re intrigued by the weirdness of Skunk Cabbage, you might also be interested in Bear Corn, another oddball native wildflower that pops up this...
This week: Get Ready for Spring Ephemerals!
Hello! It’s the start of spring ephemeral season—the time of year when early woodland wildflowers catch the sun before the tree canopy fills in. Their timing...
This week: Creepy Crawly Giant Leopard Moths
Hello, Signs of spring are everywhere! My front garden has one daffodil already in bloom with more on the way, and the maple trees are flowering. I also got...
This week: Sun-Loving Native Hydrangeas
Hello! Do you love hydrangeas but feel torn because you want more natives in your landscape? It's a good thing there are a few native hydrangeas you can try!...
This week: In Love/Hate with Common Evening Primrose
Hello! It pains me to admit that I dislike certain native plants, but with a little research, many redeem themselves. This was the case for the unruly...
This week: 3 Underused Native Understory Trees
Hello! Walk through any neighborhood, and you’ll notice houses with Flowering Dogwoods, Redbuds, and Birches planted in their front yards (wander past mine,...
This week: Feeling Blue (Flowers)
Hello, By February, winter feels impossibly long, and it’s easy to get the blues. Instead, let’s celebrate the color by welcoming a few “blue” native...
This week: Downy Scullcap, Overlooked No More
Hello! I’m embarrassed to admit I overlooked a certain native plant for years: Downy Skullcap (Scutellaria incana). I’d never seen it outside of a seed...
This week: Weeding 101
Hello! Weeds: the bane of every gardener’s existence. While pulling weeds can be a zen-like activity with a great sense of accomplishment when completed, it...