While every section of the country has its climatic vagaries, it would seem that the Midwest, that expensive region of the interior stretching from the hills of eastern Ohio west to the Great Plains and northward from the Ohio River to the Canadian Border is subject to more difficult growing conditions than any other part … Read more
All woody plants have a regular sequence of bloom. Whether they are growing in Florida, California, Massachusetts, or Illinois, this sequence is always the same and can be depended upon from year to year. The redbud always blooms with the flowering dogwood, and the pink shell azalea always blooms with the lilacs, regardless of where … Read more
Ask any experienced gardener what he considers one of the most useful groups of garden plants, and he will probably reply, “dwarf shrubs.” New houses, whether traditional or contemporary in design, are low and sprawling, often on one level. Landscaping for these houses requires dwarf shrubs, along with some moderate-growing kinds. Terraces and patios, walls … Read more
Botanically speaking, a buckeye (Aesculus californica) is a horse chestnut. It is a native Californian, but it has been planted as an ornamental in several other parts of the world and deserves to be better known in others. It isn’t a big tree, as such things go, for its maximum height is around 40’ feet. … Read more
Autumn Elaeagnus is one of the best shrubs for the autumn effect and should be esteemed highly both for rapid growth and modest price. Its artistic merits rest on beautiful silvery foliage and heavy masses of pink and red fruits. The latter is effective for two months or more, usually beginning in September, and is … Read more
Whoever named the bottlebrush buckeye hit the nail squarely on the head, for the plant’s showy flower clusters look like the tapering brushes used for washing bottles. Aesculus parviflora has other distinctions to recommend it, too—interesting foliage and habit of growth. Bottlebrush Buckeye Features In early summer, graceful and elegant flowers appear in slender panicles … Read more
Sweet Boronia (Boronia megastigma) is one of the most elusive plants I have ever grown. It took more than ten years to find seeds and the correct culture. But now that we have both, this fragrant little plant is a delight. The branches are graceful with needle-like foliage. And in late winter or early spring, … Read more
The interesting Witch-hazel family has many distinctive and unusual shrubs on its comparatively short roster. One of the best of these, but still a plant rarely seen in gardens, is the Alabama fothergilla. This shrub is native to the lower Appalachian Mountains from North Carolina and Tennessee to Alabama and cries appropriately. Its scientific name … Read more
Like so many others, our back walk connects the back porch with the street. In our case, this walk extends east and west, south of and near the house. For the most part, we have planted dwarf or low-growing conifers and small or slow-growing shrubs along them. They were chosen for this location so that … Read more
Hedges solve many landscape problems around the home. But when homeowners plant a hedge, they begin to wonder which kind to choose. Soon the hedge idea seems to arouse as many new problems as it solves. Each possible hedge plant raises questions about its: Potential height Hardiness Preference for sun or shade Moisture requirements Suitability … Read more