Great Design Plant: Eragrostis Spectabilis

If your yard has an unattractive rocky, gravelly or sandy area in full sun, purple lovegrass (Eragrostis spectabilis) may be a good solution. This native loves some pretty difficult growing conditions and will r

Whats Wrong With My Plant? Leaves Often Hold the Clues

Though it is often said that our eyes are the window to our soul, when it comes to plants, their leaves can be the window to their health. Problems such as nutrient deficiency, overwatering, high levels of salt

Great Design Plant: Grow Blueberries for Their Fruit and More

Native to the eastern U.S., highbush (Vaccinium corymbosum) and lowbush (Vaccinium angustifolium) blueberries thrive in our acidic soils and plentiful rainfall, making them one of the easiest of edible plants to

Invite Cellophane Bees to Your Garden by Providing Patches of Bare Soil

Cellophane bees (Colletes spp) are a commonly occurring genus of bees in prairies, woodland edges and natural areas. Cellophane bees are active throughout the growing season; several species emerge in early spri

9 Garden Gates That Hinge on Charm

Whether it opens onto a secret garden or a charming cottage bursting with roses, the garden gate inspires plenty of daydreams. Gather ideas for your own garden hideaway with these nine creative examples using ir

Great Design Plant: Larix Decidua ‘Pendula’

As a gardener who was raised in the South, I can think of only a handful of reasons I would ever consider moving north. At the top of the list would be the ability to grow weeping European larch (Larix decidua ‘

Flower Shows Sow Ideas for Your Garden

If you’re looking for inspiration for your garden, annual flower shows are a great source. The Royal Horticultural Society’s famous Chelsea Flower Show, in London, is in May, and there are lots of other great ga

Garden BFFs? Why Your Vegetables Are Begging for Companion Plants

No one likes to see precious garden vegetables eaten away by bugs. What if you could keep those damaging insects away from your edibles without using insecticides? All it takes is a few helpful plants, better kn

Great Design Plant: Chrysogonum Virginianum

Green and gold (Chrysogonum virginianum) is a tough woodland native wildflower that can handle a wide range of conditions, from dry shade to full sun, in moist soil. It blooms in midspring, after the earliest w

13 Japanese Maples for Shade

Everyone loves Japanese maples (Acer palmatum cvs, USDA zones 5 to 8; find your zone). Their color and structure are unrivaled, while their size makes them accessible to those whose gardens are measured in squar

Grow a Beautiful Garden With Ecofriendly Greywater

You’re probably irrigating your yard with drinking water, since the same water that comes out of your kitchen faucet also comes out of your hose bibs. But do your plants need drinking water? It turns out that

Great Design Plant: Cephalanthus Occidentalis

Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) is a spreading, woody shrub that’s perfectly happy in damp sites often found in its native range, along swamp margins, bogs and wet prairies in the eastern and central U.S.

Great Design Plant: Thalictrum Dioicum Thrives in Dry Shade

There aren’t many plants that can be categorized as thriving in dry shade. Early meadow-rue (Thalictrum dioicum) is an often-overlooked, medium-size woodland native plant with delicate, columbine-like foliage an

Top 10 Native Plants for the Northeast

The key to gardening success in the northeastern U.S., with its variably cold, snowy winters and short, humid summers, is choosing plants already adapted to the local climate and soils, as well as the specific c

Great Design Plant: Antigonon Leptopus in California and Desert Gardens

Don’t let its delicate appearance fool you. Queen’s wreath vine (Antigonon leptopus) is a rapid grower, is drought tolerant once established and thrives in exposures with full, even reflected, sun. This North Am

Great Design Plant: Achillea Millefolium for Dry California Gardens

Whimsical and charming, yarrow (Achillea millefolium) attracts a wide range of butterflies, birds and beneficial insects while also repelling many of our uninvited insect pests. This makes yarrow an outstanding

Meet a Lawn Alternative That Works Wonders

For a few years I’ve been experimenting with sedges, namely Carex spp; many of the species are native to the United States. Lawns and I are in a relationship defined by benign neglect and occasional full-on loat

Great Design Plant: Carex Sprengelii

Blooms are beautiful, but more and more I’ve been thinking about the less exuberant plants. That’s where our native sedges (Carex spp) come in. They have a subtle beauty like grasses, but their role in a low-mai

Great Design Plant: Osmunda Cinnamomea

There’s just something about ferns that brings tranquility to the shade garden. For me, they have the ability to instantly transport my mind from a busy workday to a peaceful hike on the Appalachian Trail, where

Great Design Plant: Viola Pubescens Dots Woodlands With Yellow

Downy yellow violet (Viola pubescens) is my favorite violet because of its large, heart-shaped leaves and sunny yellow flowers, which provide a unique texture and bright color to the woodland garden in spring. T