NEWS, GARDEN MUSINGS & ECO-FRIENDLY INSIGHTS
It’s Hellebore Heaven in March
After such a mild winter, my 'Brandywine' strain hellebores (Helleborus x hybridus 'Brandywine' ™) are especially lovely. Time to give these Lenten roses, aka Oriental hellebores, center stage. Even my cut-leafed stinking hellebores (Helleborus foetidus) look pretty good this spring.
Get the Jump on Invasive Shrubs
Not bound by the same interrelationships, many invasive plants get the jump on natives by greening up earlier, growing faster, photosynthesizing longer. March offers a window of opportunity to recognize and remove them before native plants leaf out and gardeners get too busy to notice.
Native Plant Clues: What Wants to Be Here?
To restore, protect or create habitat, first you need to determine what is already there to preserve and encourage to spread. Even in winter, deciduous trees and shrubs offer a lot of clues about the site and what wants to grow there.
Monarch’s Eye(s) View
As we all know, iconic, fascinating, beautiful (and seriously threatened) monarch butterflies are milkweed specialists. So how do monarch butterflies find milkweed plants? Read how to design gardens for maximum monarch butterfly benefit.
Design Lessons from Mother Nature
Looking at the kinds of adaptations plants evolved to survive in different environments gives us clues for choosing plants that will thrive in our gardens. It's what I call The Darwinian Garden.
Learn How to Make a Plant Love You
Soon after settling in beside the wood stove with Summer Rayne Oakes' How To Make a Plant Love You and a comforting cup of tea one recent cold Saturday, I had to lay that book right down again - and turn to plants.
