Creating cozy spaces in your landscape Story and Photos by PJ Gartin Whether it’s an impromptu gathering under a poolside umbrella or shooting the breeze with friends around a picnic table, people are drawn to intimate outdoor spaces. Amenities such as patios, balconies, courtyards, front porches, and conversation pits add intimacy to landscapes. Our desire …
Gardening under your trees Story by Theresa Badurek I am a true Floridian and I often seek out shady spots for relief from the sun. I will even park my car far from an entrance if there is a shady place beneath a tree: Shade before convenience. But shade can be less than convenient in …
Bat-faced cuphea Story and Photos by Alan Pulley Referred to as “bat-faced” because of its interesting little bat-faced deep purple and bright red blooms, Cuphea llavea has become a favorite summer annual for many gardeners, including myself. Native to Central America and Mexico, bat-face cuphea thrives in full sun and heat. Blooms emerge in late spring and …
Story by Hugh Conlon Oyama magnolia, indigenous to eastern Asia, is a deciduous 10-15 feet tall tree or shrub ideally suited for a small garden. Nodding, goblet-shaped, fragrant flowers bloom two to three weeks after the leaves emerge in April, thereby escaping injury from spring frosts. In mid to late May, egg-shaped flower buds unfold …
Story by Kenny Coogan kennycoogan.com Hyssop can be grown in containers, along perennial borders, or trimmed to form a low hedge in sunny gardens or along walkways. Author Henry Beston of Herbs and the Earth (1935) says, “The garden has no more quietly dependable and satisfactory border plant.” Hyssop’s showy purplish blue, pink, or white flowers …
‘Strawberry Blonde’ French marigold Story by Clara A. Curtis Now why would I choose to feature such a humdrum, pedestrian, and easy to grow garden annual? Color and ease were my inspirations. The pastel peachy pink with yellow and gold undertone petals of ‘Strawberry Blonde’ French marigold change color over the season: pinky yellow tones …
Preserving history Story by Kristi Hendricks Photos courtesy of Colonial Williamsburg “When looking at the garden, I see friends. There are few professions or hobbies quite like that. When a friend shares seeds or plants, you often think of that person while watching the plant grow in your own garden.” This is how Laura Viancour, …
Visionary of a Native American interpretive garden Story by Margeaux Emery Sustainability weaves like a thread through the career of landscape architect Sam Rogers, FASLA. In Chattanooga, Rogers planned parks and greenways and coordinated environmental inventories and assessments. As a professor at the University of Tennessee for 29 years, he taught students how to design …
‘Spilled Wine’ weigela Story by Andrea Dee Spilled Wine weigela pours color and character into the landscape. Its magnificent magenta flowers carpet dark purple black wavy foliage from late spring into summer. The foliage holds its vivid color through summer into fall, contrasting nicely with companion chartreuse- and dark-green-leafed shrubs. Similar to other weigelas, hummingbirds …
Stokes’ aster Story and Photos by Norman Winter Stokes’ asters (Stokesia laevis) are wonderful native perennials that attract all sorts of pollinators – from bees to butterflies. Its striking blue flowers and fiery orange butterflies make for a winning combination. The Stokes’ aster is a native from Louisiana eastward to North Carolina. Surprisingly, they are …
