Great Design Plant: Wild Bergamot, Friend of Foragers

Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) is one of the most resilient North American native plants and is a delight for bumble bees and butterflies. It can be used in a variety of situations, including butterfly and po

Great Design Plant: Sensitive Fern Shows Its Strengths

Ferns elicit primal human emotions, which is why many gardeners, including myself, are drawn to them. They mentally transport us to another place and time. Just five minutes in my fern garden can be the antidote

Great Design Plant: Violet Silverleaf Thrives on Scant Water

The gray foliage of violet silverleaf provides a perfect color contrast to green shrubs seen throughout the Southwestern landscape. This drought-tolerant shrub is transformed with the appearance of violet flowe

Great Garden Combo: Play With Foliage Patterns in a Border

I’m something of a plant rebel. If I’m told a plant can’t grow in shade, I’ll try it. Not hardy? I’ll test it. You shouldn’t mix certain colors? I’ll find a way to make them work. So don’t try to tell me I can’t

Great Design Plant: Southern Magnolia, Iconic U.S. Native

Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) has an old-world charm, with its large, dark, glossy green leaves reminiscent of the tropics. Like the southern live oak, southern magnolia is a large iconic tree native

Reflecting on a Gardening Year

I remember April like it was yesterday — in fact, I’m convinced it was yesterday. I don’t understand how life accelerates exponentially every year, but I do know that one of the things I can do to slow it down i

Meet the Mighty Saguaro of the Desert Landscape

Every classic Western movie worth its salt lick had a saguaro cactus stuck somewhere in the landscape, out yonder or sometimes in town, and then it was usually plopped in front of the saloon. They’re an iconic i

5 Ways to Put Fall Leaves to Work in Your Garden

In fall my town holds leaf collection days, when homeowners (or their landscape services) blow or rake fallen leaves off their properties into big piles in the streets. Later a truck comes and vacuums them away.

Great Design Plant: Purple Needle Grass, California’s State Grass

Selected as the official California state grass in 2004, purple needle grass (Stipa pulchra) has a tough constitution and showy awns, making this native bunchgrass an option for low-water home gardens and restor

8 Perennials for Great Fall Color

Out here on the prairie, trees are relegated to towns, cities and river bottoms. Stand upon a bluff overlooking the Missouri River valley in eastern Nebraska, and the tree color is stunning well into late Octobe

8 Plants for a Deliciously Fragrant Fall Garden

As the days become cooler, we head indoors, pull on an extra sweater, add a log to the fire and fill our home with the scents of warm apple cider and pumpkin bread fresh from the oven. The spicy aromas of cinnam

Great Design Plant: Nourish Wildlife With American Beautyberry

The American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) is a large Southeast native shrub that not only looks its best in fall, but also offers habitat and food to native birds. Its bright purple berries bring unique se

Ground Force: 10 Top Ground Covers for Your Garden

Leaving your soil uncovered in the garden is a bit like walking around in the hot sun with no hat — you’re asking for trouble. Bare soil is a magnet for weeds, their seeds blown into your garden by the wind or

Great Design Plant: Little Bluestem Goes Above and Beyond

Many native grasses are now available for sale in local nurseries. If you have not tried any in your landscape, little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) is an excellent choice. This charming grass does not lack

How to Spot a Drought-Tolerant Plant

Have you wondered why some plants can handle intense sun and infrequent watering while others wilt? With rapidly growing drought conditions through much of the U.S., the desire to add plants to the landscape th

Small Gem Lawns: More Impact From Less Grass

Backyard lawns often have been the background music in the garden, the understated foil to flower borders, trees and shrubs. Today, however, people are rethinking the notion of the sprawling, wall-to-wall, nonde

Great Design Plant: Northern Maidenhair Fern Softens Shade Gardens

A successful shade garden relies more on textures and shapes than perhaps any other type of garden. In shady nooks, where a profusion of blossoms is rare and almost an unwelcome intrusion into serenity, ferns ru

Fall Is Calling: What to Do in Your October Garden

I like having options — from which flavor of tea to drink after lunch to which route I’ll take to walk home. Gardening this month is no different. Whether you’re after garden chores or perhaps some seasonal put

Great Design Plant: Calycanthus Floridus

Calycanthus floridus has garnered many common names derived from its unique scent, which is like cloves mashed with pineapple and bananas. The elongated, thin petals of its flowers vary from a deep maroon to a r

Great Design Plant: Lindera Benzoin Offers 3-Season Interest

The bold yellow flowers of forsythia, a shrub introduced from Asia, are a sure sign of spring in the temperate U.S. (zones 5 to 8), but that is a one-act show. Other than offering cover for some birds, forsythia