29 of the Best Self-Seeding Perennials

No other plant native to South Carolina has such fragrant and beautiful spring blooms and stunning fall color as the witch-alders. Fothergilla was named after Dr. John Fothergill, an English physician and gardener who funded the travels of John Bartram through the Carolinas in the 1700’s. These beautiful shrubs have been planted in both American and English gardens for over 200 years, including gardens of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

E. palustris, as its species name reveals, is a marsh-type plant, so wet and heavy soils are no problem for it (though it doesn’t seem to require them). Most spurges are finicky about such conditions. Not this one. It gets to between 2 and 3 feet tall and at least as wide.I grow seven or eight other Euphorbias, including the basic polychroma, its newer, red-foliage variant called ‘Bonfire,’ and the fiery-colored one called E. griffithii ‘Dixter’ [above]. In California, mail-order Digging Dog Nursery has a good list of spurges, but not palustris. I swore I got my most recent generation of plants at Forestfarm, but I don’t see it in their current list. Hmmm….how about Annie’s Annuals?The hardest thing about growing spurges is cutting them back,

Sam Hoadley is manager of Horticultural Research at Mt. Cuba, where he and the team trialed 70 differentCarex over a four-year period. Sam’s report on the findings will be published on the Mt. Cuba website January 13.Sam is also teaching a virtual class on February 1st on these important native plants. (That’s Carex haydenii, above.)Before joining Mt. Cuba, Sam was lead horticulturist for Longwood Gardens’ hillside garden, and he received his degree in Sustainable Landscape Horticulture from University of Vermont.Plus: Enter to win one of two tickets to the virtual event on Carex by commenting in the box at the bottom of the page.Read

When you go through as much garlic as I do, it’s wise to set aside some garden space to grow your own bulbs.And I always plant a few extras wit

Have you ever peeked inside a magnolia flower? At the center, there’s this funky-looking protrusion. It kind of looks like a colorful pine cone.We link to vendors to help you find rel

Let’s face it: a septic drainage field can be an eyesore. Most people just cover theirs up with some lawn and call it a day.When something goes wrong, these

We don’t usually grow roses for the foliage. It’s nice and all, but it’s those flowers that we really want. But that doesn’t mean we don’t mind if the leaves start to rain down off the plant like raindrops in a spring storm.Even if they aren’t as beautiful as the bl

Not so long ago, the idea of shipping roses across the country was almost unheard of. If you wanted a particular type, you bought it locally or you couldn’t buy it all.While I’m all for supporting local businesses, this

My partner will devour beets any old way, whether that’s in a bitter pickled version or a creamy cold soup.Me? I adore these root veggies, b

If you’re like me, you’ve ruined more than one pair of shoes in the garden.You know how it happens – you’re dressed to

References to “new” or “old” wood are common when it comes to pruning.And understanding which is which is key, because pruning t

For reliable, long-lasting color, you can’t go wrong with petunias.And for bold red hues that last and last