Of the several hundred species of hawthorns native over the entire United States, one stands out prominently as an excellent ornamental tree. Crataegus phaenopyrum, the Washington thorn, does well all across the country. Dimensions Of Washington Thorn It is seldom for a tree found growing to be more than 30′ feet high. In fact, the … Read more
In many areas of the country, the coldest winds come from the north, northeast, and northwest. Curved Planting In summer, on the other hand, they usually emanate from the west, southwest, or south. The wintry blasts from the north can be guided around your home by curved plantings of evergreen trees and shrubs in the … Read more
One of the perpetual perplexities of my garden existence is how to tell a Genista from a Cytisus. So when is it a broom and not a broom? Cytisus And Genista It seems that in Cytisus, the flower parts (the “butterfly”) can be pulled apart separately, while in Genista, the petals are somewhat joined at … Read more
In a sunny situation, Chrysogonum virginicum, commonly referred to as the golden star, will show you a multitude of starry yellow blossoms rising from green carpets to reach the height of 6″ inches. It keeps up the display all summer until frost quenches the floral glow. Also, it is a good rock garden subject and … Read more
It is amazing what innumerable forms there are in all trees and other plants, and their study from this point of view is fascinating. The selection of sharp contrast may be used for balancing effects, and balance is a requisite in the landscape picture. This may be applied to smaller features such as a rock … Read more
Cuttings taken now of desirable trees, shrubs, and vines may furnish a practicable means of propagating. Stems of some deciduous species, such as Rosa multiflora, privets, forsythias, and weigelas may be cut into 1’ foot sections in the late Autumn. If these sections are packed in moist sand, sphagnum moss, or sawdust and stored over … Read more
Every fall and spring, thousands of native trees are dug from our woods for transplanting to home grounds. Usually, this effort is wasted. The trees seldom withstand the shock of poor digging, improper transportation, and lack of proper planting and care. Other causes of failure include: Late spring transplanting after the trees have leafed out … Read more
A fascinating facet of gardening is the science of plant propagation. Gardeners consciously or unconsciously use one or more propagation methods in producing their garden plants. The simple act of raising plants from seeds is one important method. “Slipping” a geranium, planting a gladiolus corm, or transplanting young strawberry runner plants are other recognized methods … Read more
While thinking of all the places where rock gardens are to be seen or of sites where rock plants might be growing, there seem to be three types of terrain requiring very different efforts on the part of man. The more hopeful areas are those supplied with natural rocks and perhaps with small plants or … Read more
Who says there’s nothing new under the sun? Not the flower arranger, surely. And to prove how right she is, there now comes a harvest of new and desirable vases, trays, bowls, and jars to spur us on to new, different, better flower pictures. With Christmas in mind, we trudged through the stores seeking whatever … Read more