Late fall’s freezing temperatures disrupted my planting customers’ containers for winter. All total, there were 21 containers that were frozen. One was able to move the container ...
Blog
December plant of the month: Green ash
One of the first trees I planted when I moved here was a seedling of green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica), given to me by my friend Linda. The native tree has served me well, growing ...
November Plant of the Month: Chokeberry
Our native chokeberries are underused shrubs, but they are one of the best for winter interest in the garden. Red chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia) and black chokeberry (A. ...
August plant of the month: Japanese anemone
Japanese anemone (A. huphensis) populates the garden with beautiful flowers atop wiry stems from mid- to late summer. The first one I planted was ‘September Charm’ because ...
July plant of the month: Smooth hydrangea
Among the gazillion hydrangeas on the market, our native smooth hydrangea (H. arborescens) remains the most reliable bloomer in our Indiana garden. This year, all hydrangeas have ...
June Plant of the Month: Hosta
Most of us know that hostas grow best in shade. Between us, even those labeled as sun-loving, get fried by the end of summer when planted in full sun. My argument is there are ...
The trouble with roses 1
Questions about sick roses continue to fill my inbox and the aisles of garden centers. Many roses, including the tough-as-nails Knock Outs, did not rebound after our brutal ...
The trouble with roses 2
As rose troubles continue to plague gardeners, we will look this week at a few more common problems. Last week, we covered black spot, anthracnose, rose mosaic virus and rose ...
May Plant of the Month: Fothergilla
Some plants are nearly perfect and fothergilla is one of them. I’ve grown two Fothergilla gardenii – ‘Blue Mist’ and the species. The first one was ‘Blue Mist’, a dwarf ...
Plant of the Month: Columbine
Frankly, it’s hard to see or hear the word columbine without remembering the deadly shooting in Colorado in 1999. Rather, I like to think of columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) as ...