This week: You have my permission to kill this plant.
Hello! A few weeks back, I mentioned that West Virginia White butterflies are mistaking Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) for Cutleaf Toothwort, which is...
This week: Amelanchier, a Tree with Many Names
Hello, Serviceberry is in bloom! While I call it Serviceberry, you may know it as Juneberry, Shadbush, or Shadblow. These are all common names for the...
This week: Twinleaf’s Fleeting April Blooms
Hello! Let’s add another flower to the list of early spring bloomers: Jeffersonia diphylla, commonly called Twinleaf. The common name gives a major...
This week: Cutleaf Tooth-what?
Hello! Finally, flowers! This week, I noticed Virginia Bluebells and Cutleaf Toothwort (Cardamine concatenata) blooming in the park. Although Cutleaf...
This week: Talking Moss
Hello! Over the past few weeks, I’ve had two garden coaching clients who either had or wanted moss lawns. This is good news because removing moss from lawns...
This week: Identifying Emerging Perennials
Hello! Remember how you left your plant debris up all winter to provide seeds for birds, habitat for bees, and winter interest for your own enjoyment? Your...
This week: Short Native Shrubs for Foundation Plantings
Hello! We’ve all seen houses where the rhododendrons or arborvitaes planted along the foundation now reach the second story of the building. Or maybe you’ve...
This week: Native Seeds to Plant This Spring
Hello! On Thursday, I spotted a Spicebush shrub blooming in the park. That combined with the reddish haze of flowers clouding the Maple trees tells me spring...
This week: A Different Kind of Cabbage Patch
Hello! Let's discuss a native wildflower that is just coming into bloom, one that I find fascinating and mildly disturbing: Eastern Skunk Cabbage...
This week: A Sourwood Crush and Amsonia News
Hello! I have a crush on my neighbor's Sourwood tree (Oxydendrum arboreum). Against all odds, it is thriving in a 15-foot space between the sidewalk and...
This week: Try Native Canadian Wild Ginger Instead of European Ginger
Hello! Welcome to the latest edition of “Plant This, Not That!” European Ginger European Ginger (Asarum europaeum) is a glossy-leaved ground cover that adds...
This week: My Favorite Magnolia Is Not Pink
Hello! Here in Pittsburgh, the big bell-shaped pink flowers of the Saucer Magnolia put on a show every spring for a few days. Then there's a cold snap, and...
This week: Northern Maidenhair Fern for Deep Shade
Hello, I'm on a fern kick this month! Let's take a look at the Northern Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum pedatum). With its telltale dark stems, this fern is an...
This week: A Troubling Native Fern for Troublesome Spots
Hello! A problem in one context, a solution in another—that’s the life of the Eastern Hayscented Fern (Dennstaedtia punctilobula). If you’ve ever been...
This Week: Tree Design with Easy Scale Drawings
Hello! Native trees are a major win for the habitat. Consider the difference one tree makes. First, the sheer volume of a tree’s canopy provides significant...
This week: 3 Trees with Bark Appeal
Hello! Winter is when trees truly shine—with their leaves gone, you can appreciate their structure and the textures of their bark. And regarding bark, one...
This week: Is a native lawn possible?
Happy New Year! This week, we're reaching into the mailbag and answering a reader question. She writes: Are there any native plants that can be used as a...
This week: The Gift of Pin Oaks 🎁
Hello! It’s the holiday season—Christmas Day, to be exact, and I’d like to thank you for subscribing, sending notes with questions and topic suggestions, and...
This week: Tulip Poplar, a Popular Magnolia
Hello, Good news! Another week, another tree featured in this newsletter. Liriodendron tulipifera, commonly known as Tulip Poplar, Tuliptree, or Yellow...
This week: Shagbark Hickory, a Standout Winter Tree
Hello! I’m not sure why, but this fall it seemed like Shagbark Hickory nuts were everywhere. Perhaps it was a mast year, but more likely, I was just in the...