Grow your own ‘way down yonder’ Story by Clara A. Curtis This tree catches my eye every season. Planted in full sun, pawpaws develop a beautiful shape and exhibit beautiful gray bark and long slender oblong leaves that are two-tone green in summer and golden yellow in fall. Springtime brings odd, smelly, lurid purple flowers …
Story and Photos by Michelle Reynolds I’ve always had an appreciation for sumac (Rhus spp.). During summer vacations and weekend trips, as I travel across the state to various destinations, our native sumacs keep my eyes and my mind alert. Looking for sumacs on roadsides, hillsides, along power lines and railroad rights-of-way, in fallow fields, …
Grow a garden that can stand up to our wild weather Story by Theresa Badurek Our climate is changing. If you’ve been gardening for a while, you have probably already noticed this. Seasons and storms swing in with more wildness and strength than before. Long, hot droughts, drenching tropical rains, tidal flooding, exotic pest invasions, …
Story and Photos by Alan Pulley Many gardeners would agree that marigolds have been making a comeback in recent years, and why not? New varieties have ben introduced in more colors and bloom sizes. Combine that with their long flowering season and how easy they are to grow – what gardener wouldn’t want all that? …
Story by Russell Studebaker Cockscomb (Celosia) plants have a crested form that looks like the comb on a rooster. But newer and hybrid plume types, like the cultivar ‘Dragon’s Breath’, look like ostrich feathers dipped in vivid red paint and are dramatic knock outs in the landscape. These annuals are in the amaranth family and …
Story and Photos by Andrea Dee Swamp sunflower, perennial cousin to the popular annual sunflower (Helianthus annuus), is a stately specimen that reaches 6 feet more with flowers that may be on the small side at 2-3 inches, but it blooms for an extended period of time. Thin dark green leaves adorn coarse burgundy stems …
Story and Photos by Jane Jordan Hummingbird tree (Sesbania grandiflora) has the most beautiful and unusual flowers that resemble small birds. They hang in large clusters and come in striking shades of white, red, and pink. This fast-growing tree is open branched with green leaves along stems that can grow up to 1 foot long. …
Story by Peggy Hill I asked Blair Durant, owner of Niche Gardens in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to suggest a plant for this article. Blair said, “Baptisia (false indigo) is a fantastic, long-lived, native plant for many reasons. It’s one of the first perennials to bloom in the spring, providing food for early pollinators. It …
Native plant activist and anti-invasive crusader Story by Kristi Hendricks Helen Hamilton has been a native plant activist for years. At 85, she’s still energetically carrying forth the message of the importance of native plants to the ecosystem – giving talks, writing for publications, and collecting samples of native plants. You can hear her love …
Evercolor Series Japanese sedge Story and Photos by Hubert P. Conlon whatgrowsthere.com Indigenous to the dry woodlands and rocky slopes around Honshu Island in Japan, variegated sedges have been greatly improved. The Evercolor series, the result of breeding efforts at Fitzgerald Nurseries in Kilkenny, Ireland, is a collection of six varieties that are evergreen in …
