Alliums or ‘ornamental onions’ come in all sizes and colors—from giant globe-shaped purple spheres to delicate yellow sprays. The best part is that deer, squirrels, voles and rabbits find them foul-tasting. Here are some awe-inspiring alliums to add to your garden this year. >> read article
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The newest web article for Missouri Gardener was written by:
The newest web article for Missouri Gardener was written by:
Alan Branhagen
Alan is the Director of Horticulture at Powell Gardens and author of The Gardener’s Butterfly Book. He holds a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in landscape architecture from Iowa State University and Louisiana State University, respectively, specializes in garden design and maintenance, and has supervised and designed dozens of landscaping projects. A member of the American Public Gardens Association, Alan plays a key role in Powell Gardens, one of the largest botanical gardens in Missouri. The garden boasts world-class architecture and more than 17,000 accessions of plant displays that capture the essence of the American Midwest.
Recent Articles
May 09
Alliums for All
May 07
Green Gap Perennials
May 02
What’s in the Bag?
Apr 25
Planting By Design (1 comment)
Apr 23
Northern Crapemyrtle
Apr 18
Invasive Invaders
Apr 11
You Never Get a Second Chance to Make a First Impression
Apr 09
Bad Storms, Better Trees
Categories
Alliums for All
by Alan Branhagen
- posted 05/09/12
Alliums or ‘ornamental onions’ come in all sizes and colors—from giant globe-shaped purple spheres to delicate yellow sprays. The best part is that deer, squirrels, voles and rabbits find them foul-tasting. Here are some awe-inspiring alliums to add to your garden this year. >> read article
Green Gap Perennials
by Caleb Melchior
- posted 05/07/12
Midwestern gardeners have a narrow gap between the cold of winter and heat of summer. But, because of the fickleness of spring weather, there is often a significant gap between the peak of spring bloom (bulbs, roses and early perennials) and the maturity of summer flowers (annuals and summer perennials, such as echinaceas and daylilies). This gap usually becomes apparent throughout late May and early June, when many people’s gardens are green and growing, but with few flowers ... >> read article
What’s in the Bag?
by Beth Botts
- posted 05/02/12
Potting soils are not all the same. It pays (literally) to pay attention to the contents. >> read article
Planting By Design
Neighboring gardeners with different attitudes
by Cathy Jean Maloney
- posted 04/25/12
Here’s my pet theory. All of us gardeners fall into one of two camps: plant lovers or design doyennes. The former waxes eloquent in Latin nomenclature, often with anthropomorphic plant references while using words such as “cultural requirements” and “fastigiated branching.” The design doyennes look for the big picture in the garden and are less concerned with individual plants ... >> read article
Northern Crapemyrtle
The Summer Show Can Extend Well Beyond the South
by Dr. Carl Whitcomb
- posted 04/23/12
As I skimmed through some of the State-by-State Gardening Midwest magazines, it occurred to me that readers in Northern states, for example in Zones 6 and 5 and in even especially warm spots in Zone 4, can, if done properly, grow crepemyrtle (Lagerstroemia indica). I have a test plot in Ft. Atkinson, Wis., and have had crapemyrtle surviving, growing and flowering the last three years. The first year the plants grew ... >> read article
