It started with a post in a local mom’s group. A neighbor was hoping to surprise her parents while they were away on an extended trip, a refreshed front yard ready to come home to. She was willing to do the planting herself. She just needed someone to tell her what to plant, how many, […]
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heuchera Common Name: Heuchera (Coral Bells) Botanical Name: Heuchera spp. Hardiness Zones: 4-9 Height: 8-18 inches Spread: 8-18 inches Foliage: Mounding; copper, caramel, plum, silver, chartreuse depending on variety Bloom: Tiny bell-shaped flowers on slender stems, late spring to early summer Growth Rate: Moderate Light: Partial shade; morning sun preferred Soil: Well-drained, organic, slightly acidic
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coral sunset peony Common Name: Coral Sunset Peony Botanical Name: Paeonia lactiflora ‘Coral Sunset’ Hardiness Zones: 3-8 Height: 2-3 feet Spread: 2-3 feet Foliage: Upright, neat, deep green; holds shape through season Bloom: Early spring; semi-double; coral pink fading through apricot and blush to ivory Growth Rate: Slow to establish; long-lived once settled Light: Full
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Opening Observation Astilbe has followed me for years, in catalogs, garden centers, other people’s yards, but somehow never home with me. I have put them in my online cart more times than I can count, only to trim them out at the last minute. Not yet, I would think. No good place for them. This
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A bright start to spring A bright, cheerful daffodil is a great way to see the garden start to come alive. A Golden Harvest comes early and lights up the garden when everything else is still half asleep. It’s one of my husband’s favorites. Daffodils are one of his favorites because they’re unapologetically cheerful, bright,
Plant Profile: Trumpet Daffodil ‘Golden Harvest’ Read More »
Opening Observation When I started researching cover crops and natural ways to reclaim the back beds, Alpine Strawberry kept appearing on every list. It was usually framed as a charming option, a ground-hugging perennial that covers soil quickly, suppresses weeds, and offers the unexpected delight of tiny, edible fruit. It caught my attention, if only
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Opening Observation I first learned about Tuff Stuff while designing a shade garden for a neighbor who wanted to surprise her parents with something beautiful, fragrant, and low-maintenance. She sent me inspiration photos filled with layered, flower-heavy beds, the kind that look lush and lived-in. Hydrangeas were everywhere in her examples, but the space she
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Opening Observation I had admired panicle hydrangeas for years without realizing what they were. From a distance, the cone-shaped blooms looked like a cross between hydrangea and lilac, familiar but not quite. I would see them in the neighborhood, pale and upright, some bright white, some tinged green, some fading to pink, and think they
Plant Profile: Hydrangea ‘Berry White’ Read More »