Story and Illustrations by Peter Loewer Both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew the magnificent tulip poplar and it’s rare that such a tree that sends up such fast-growing seedlings around the mother trunk would become one of the finest symbols of America’s natural heritage. This tree has many common names, including yellow poplar, blue …
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 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 …
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 …
Would you like to attract more bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators to your garden? Do you like to grow your own cut flowers for arrangements? Story by Denise Pugh If you answered yes to the questions above, Verbena bonariensis might be the plant for you. Tall verbena, sometimes called Brazilian vervain, stands tall without …
An attractive native shrub that birds and pollinators love Story and Photos by Norman Winter @NormanWinterTheGardenGuy on Facebook Dr. Jeffrey Glassberg, president and founder of the North American Butterfly Association, taught me how to enjoy butterflies through binoculars. In fact, he has authored a series of books on the subject. As a horticulturist, you can’t …
