Janet Sluyter, Tulsa, is holding a branch of a cultivated specimen of Cassia marilandica that has been stripped of most of its leaves to show the yellow flowers. The plant pictured is cultivated that has attained 8’ feet instead of its usual 4’ to 5’ foot stature when growing in the wild. A native found … Read more
Clematis is a subject that a gardener ought not to study too much, or they may be too frightened of trying to grow it. You may read that it is difficult, particularly about pruning, slow to get started, and perhaps not hardy where you live. However, in most cases and places, the opposite is true. … Read more
Have you ever come suddenly to miles of crab apples in full bloom? If this unique experience has been hours, I can avoid trying to tell you what a thrilling spectacle they can be in spring. Nor need I remind you of that delicious perfume drenching the air, for it is sure to linger on … Read more
Each fall, along about the first of October, several letters come to me requesting an answer to the question, “Why do my yews never have red fruit like those of my neighbor?” The answer is, unfortunately, that these gardeners have male plants that will never produce fruit, except for the one in a million chance … Read more
Drainage is important whether we plan a small vegetable garden or a large orchard, a new lawn or flower border, or simply potting a plant. For aquatics and swamp-loving plants, wet conditions are desirable but most plants, including trees and shrubs, will die if their roots are in water too long, even in winter. Adaptable … Read more
The spring gardening season calls for the planting of rose bushes. You may want to replace old bushes or add to the plants already in your garden. You may be a new homeowner and are planning a new garden entirely. Whatever the case, there are tried and proven steps that lead to successful rose growth. … Read more
I have been looking with considerable interest at an English gardening magazine with pictures and an article about an English garden that has been maintained continuously for several hundred years. While we Americans do have a few gardens that have been maintained for long periods because of their historical associations, we have very few whose … Read more
Three years ago, in the spring, as a hobby, I started planting native Ohio trees from the fields and woods in a garden space of about an acre. By trial and error, with sweat and toil, in swamp and forest, I learned both the possible and the improbable. Varieties Of Trees Now, however, I have … Read more
Seventy years ago, the crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia) was practically unknown north of the Southern states, and a narrow strip of land in the southern part of those states bordered the “Old South.” If it was grown farther north, it was a “tub” plant or in a greenhouse. Today the crape myrtle is found growing and … Read more
Lunaria annua, an honesty plant, is a popular everlasting plant with many aliases—St. Peter’s penny, money plant, moonwort, and satin flower. Native to Europe and Western Asia, it belongs to the mustard family and has long been a favorite in old-fashioned gardens for winter bouquets. Lunaria Annua’s Characteristics The flat, brown, quarter-inch seeds are sown … Read more