As I contemplate the wonderful/frightening chaos of my August to September garden, I have been thinking about “garden worthiness,” particularly regarding native plants. The excellent people at Mt. Cuba Center do trials of many species looking into this very thing, and the criteria they use for evaluation include habit, vigor, and floral display, as well … Continue reading Garden worthy
Way back in March 2018, I wrote about Pycnanthemum, the mountain mints (there are several). These rewarding plants are powerhouse attractors of pollinators and provide winter interest with their interesting dried flowerheads. Back then, I had two: Pycnanthemum muticum (the most common species that you’re likely to find on sale) and P. tenuifolium (narrow-leaf mountain … Continue reading More about Mountain Mints
Gardeners have many motivations for trying to grow more native plants: supporting insects, birds, and other creatures for their own sake; attracting beneficial insects to attack pests on our plants; choosing plants that are well-adapted to our region’s soils and climate; and simply enjoying the many and varied native plants that are becoming more available … Continue reading The Nativity Scene
Last month I mentioned detecting the mottled green leaves of Phacelia bipinnatifida, a biennial that is quietly waiting for spring (aren’t we all?) to begin producing its attractive purple flowers. This is one of those plants that can self-seed prolifically in the right conditions, which turns out to be leaf litter under deciduous trees. (Another … Continue reading Desperately Seeking Phacelia
I have reported on my experience with several low-growing native ground covers that seemed to be relatively immune to deer. I thought I’d revisit this topic, since it’s both perennial and evergreen (sorry, couldn’t resist). In fact, many of our shade-loving native ground covers are semi-evergreen: the leaves mostly hang on over winter, growing more … Continue reading Ground covers revisited
Birds normally eat our serviceberries before they fully ripen. Except this year…
Since I became interested in using more native plants, I have found several low-growing native ground covers that seem immune to deer. They have now been established for more than five years, so I have a pretty good idea what they will do—that is, if the rule sleep (first year), creep (second year), leap (third … Continue reading Adventures with ground covers
A little story: A major event in my development as a gardener occurred when my mother cleared a tangle of rampant vines and other vegetation from the wooded part of our back yard, which backed onto Rock Creek Park. This might have been in 1964; when our family visited the New York World’s Fair, she … Continue reading Spring ephemerals