Great Design Plant: Ostrich Fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris)

We gardeners can be a fickle bunch, always wanting what we seemingly cannot have. Shade gardeners want more sun; sun gardeners want more shade. There are certain plants, however, that can be employed to bridge

10 Top Plants Native to the Desert Southwest

The intense heat of summer and the cold winters of the Southwest are not for the faint of heart, and these native plants do more than just grow in the desert’s often unforgiving environment. They have special ad

Gardening Solutions for Dry, Sandy Soils

One of the benefits of gardening with sandy soil is that it’s easy to dig and till, making transplanting easy. However, dry, sandy soil does not hold nutrients or water well. It takes additions of compost, mulch

Great Design Plant: Western Sword Fern Adds Prehistoric Drama

While commonly seen in the Pacific Northwest, western sword fern (Polystichum munitum) is nevertheless one of the region’s most visually distinctive — even dramatic — native plants. Its dark green, prehistoric-l

Autumn Joy: How to Get 3 Months of Fall Flowers

I’ve become a bit of an aster hound. There are just so many asters out there that we never hear of or that nurseries don’t sell. And I’m talking native species asters that, when properly sited, will require litt

Great Design Plant: Anise Hyssop Delights Licorice Lovers

If you love black licorice, as I do, then you will want to include anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) in your landscape; crushing the foliage releases an anise (licorice) scent that smells wonderful to a licori

Great Design Plant: Snowberry Pleases Year-Round

Wander along nearly any stretch of Pacific Northwest roadside or through a forest clearing, and you will soon encounter vast thickets of snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus). Most commonly seen in roadside ditches i

What Monarch Butterflies Taught Me About Garden Design

The monarchs are beginning their migration south this month and will be in full tilt into September, ending up in central Mexico around the end of October. Over their thousands of miles, both in fall and again n

Great Design Plant: Foamflower Cushions Shady Garden Areas

Need a densely growing ground cover for a shady spot? Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia) fits the bill and then some. The foliage of this Mid-Atlantic native plant is evergreen, except in very cold winters, and

Great Design Plant: Dwarf Blue Indigo Offers Carefree Beauty

I’m a big fan of Baptisia. There are many species, most underutilized, but the most common one you’ll see for sale — as either a hybrid or straight species — is Baptisia australis. It’s a lovely 4-foot by 4-foot

Have Acidic Soil in Your Yard? Learn to Love Gardening Anyway

Gardening success is all about understanding your soil. Some soils, like dry, sandy soils or heavy clay soils, are more challenging than others to work with. Your soil is classified by texture based on its amoun

Welcome the Turning Season — Ideas for Your September Garden

Most gardeners can agree that September is one of the best months for being outdoors. Around the United States, changing seasons breathe life into gardens and gardeners’ enthusiasm, and with this one the oppress

Great Design Plant: Japanese Painted Fern Weaves a Garden Tapestry

So much of the woodland garden is green. While shade gardeners appreciate verdant mounds of moss, swaths of sweet box and colonies of camellias, some color relief is a welcome respite from the norm. The Japane

Great Design Plant: Pale Indian Plantain Stands Tall and Proud

Pale Indian plantain is the most asked about plant in my Minnesota landscape whenever I host an open house. Visitors are enthralled with its size, large flower heads, pale purple flower stalks, blue-gray leaves

Great Design Plant: Passiflora Incarnata

Passiflora incarnata (also known as maypop, wild passion vine and purple passionflower), is a wonderful vine to add to your landscape for its summertime beauty and its habitat values for butterflies and other po

Great Design Plant: Arctostaphylos Glauca Nourishes and Delights

As with many manzanitas, big berry (Arctostaphylos glauca) has an architectural structure with dark red seasonally peeling bark and sinuous branches that add a sculptural sensibility to a rugged or natural garde

6 Unsung Bulbs for Fall Planting

Next years garden may seem far away, but you can get it off to a great start by planting spectacular bulbs this fall. Some add much-anticipated color to the bare winter landscape, others jazz up summer borders,

Great Design Plant: Southern Live Oak Offers an Unbeatable Canopy

Live oaks grace the U.S. South with their Spanish moss–laden branches and epic proportions. The oldest live oak tree, the famous Angel Oak of South Carolina, is estimated to be more than 400 years old. To say th

Garden-Friendly Native Alternatives to Overplanted Exotics

When we drive through most towns in America, past businesses and through housing subdivisions, we’re likely to see similar plants from landscape to landscape. I’m not sure if contractors just love their trusted

Great Garden Combo: A Fall Landscape Scene That Lasts

Fall is one of the most exciting seasons in the garden, when we can take advantage of the many fall foliage superstars to create a framework for late-blooming perennials. Rather than thinking in terms of selecti