Stumped? Just Make it a Garden
How do you deal with a stump where you'll be looking at it up close and personal for years? Without resorting to disruptive (and expensive) stump grinding or toxic chemicals?
Seeing Red (In Plants)
Red hues in fall are caused by anthocyanins, plant pigments with many protective functions.
Plants Full of Promise at Season’s End
Plants that look good in fall and winter abound in prairies. Travels to The Olbrich Botanical Garden, Curtis Prairie and Northwind Perennial Farm in Wisconsin show how to use them in the garden.
Cover Shot!
Karen Bussolini photo on the cover of The American Gardener
How to Overwinter Rosemary Plants
Hardy rosemary cultivars might survive a Zone 5 winter, but I'm not betting on it. Read how to successfully overwinter rosemary plants.
Looking for Trouble in the Fall Garden
While you're outside planting bulbs and cleaning up gardens, here are some things to keep an eye out for that are easier to take care of before they get out of hand.
The “Self-Taught” Gardener
Having studied painting rather than horticulture or landscape design, I long thought of myself as a self-taught gardener as I felt my way along the convoluted path to where I am today. But that's not quite right. Gardens and other gardeners have been my teachers. The gardens that most intrigue me were made by similarly "self-taught" gardeners who spent serious time looking, developed their very personal gardens over time and who never stopped learning, looking and sharing.
Plant “Minor” Bulbs Now for Major Spring Impact
Tiny spring-flowering bulbs are cheap, quick and easy to plant and addictive - there's always room for more. Check out online and catalog offerings (you won't find all that many in garden centers) during fall bulb-planting season and try something new. Thumb or scroll through and buy whatever stirs your heart and suits your conditions.
Late Season Annual Superstars
Nancy DuBrule-Clemente and Karen Bussolini have a conversation about our mutual struggle between planting as many native plants as possible to support the entire life cycle of diverse co-evolved wildlife, versus planting ornamental plants that just give us joy, even if they're not native. We discovered that the two are not mutually exclusive. In September, a time of year when many gardens are limping along, Nancy's are as exuberant as she is, She has enough flowers to feed wildlife and cut for arrangements too.
Wrestling With the Good Guys
Among the many native perennials in my landscape, goldenrod has the highest ecological and wildlife value. It's a standout "good guy," a beneficent prince. It's also one of the worst thugs in the prime real estate of my gardens. I've had to draw the line between garden (where I don't want them to seed in) and landscape (where they can run rampant).