With fall colors waning, structural drama is grabbing our attention now and the native deciduous shrub Buttonbush is giving an outstanding show. An excellent rain garden plant, Buttonbush grows in moist, humas rich soil in full sun to part shade locations. It has fragrant white blooms in June and July that attract …
The bees and the butterflies are ecstatic! Asters are in full bloom. An easy to grow native perennial, New England asters are a cheerful addition to the front of the fall border, in a rain garden or as a naturalized area. Asters love full sun and moist, rich soils, but will also …
Blue Mist Spireas , or bluebeards, are stealing the show right now. Bees, butterflies and other pollinators flock to this lightly fragrant but always showy deciduous shrub throughout its lengthy fall bloom period. Caryopteris is easy to grow in a full sun, well-drained location, but does not like wet feet! It …
I have always planted bulbs like daffodils and tulips strictly for the joy they give me in the early spring. There is nothing like finding that first green leaf tip poking up through the bare ground or seeing a burst of bright yellow out the kitchen window when everything else is still either brown or …
The often mistakenly maligned perennial, Goldenrod (Solidago ) is beginning its annual fall show. Goldenrod is a stunning, easy to grow herbaceous perennial that is often falsely accused of causing hay fever. The truth is, wind-blown pollen from plants like ragweed (pictured below) are actually the offenders. Depending on the specific species, bright yellow blooms …
Allium “Millenium” is currently a show stopper in the August garden. Just when other blooms in the garden are beginning to look summer worn, this allium variety begins to shine. Unlike its spring blooming cousins, this hybrid ornamental allium stands only 12 to 18 inches tall and blooms beginning in July and …
Yesterday my Monarch Waystation certification and sign came in the mail; I now officially manage the 25,045th registered stopping point for Monarchs. When we get it mounted, it will be the fourth waystation sign in our larger neighborhood and the first one on our street. I’m hoping that some of my neighbors, especially the synthetic …
One of my favorite things to do this summer is to quietly sit on my deck, watching dozens of butterflies floating through the yard enjoying the nectar buffet I’ve planted. This is the first year that I’ve had a steady stream of visitors and it feels like the time, effort and money I’ve put into …
