As Digital Content Editor Christine Alexander explains, pollinators play a vital role in our ecosystem and we should all be doing our part to support their populations:
21.07.2023 - 22:58 / awaytogarden.com
I SPENT PART OF THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND ADMIRING the bush clover, Lespedeza thunbergii (the purple cloud in my previous post), and another chunk of time making a list of other plants I really appreciate, each in its own moment, like the species peony Paeonia mlokosewitschii (above). I hope your holiday weekend was a happy one, and that it included some gardening, some delicious harvest bounty—and that you still have energy left for a little garden planning…and maybe some room for just one or two more perennials? Twenty-one perennial plants I’d order if I didn’t already have them (a list you would have had yesterday if you subscribed to my weekly email newsletter, hint, hint):LESPEDEZA THUNBERGII: A 6-by-6 fountain of late-summer into fall purple glory. Easy, too.
HAKONECHLOA ‘ALL GOLD’: The Japanese forest grass turns my shady garden areas golden tones from May into winter.
HELLEBORE HYBRIDS: Dry shade? No problem. Forgiving, beautiful, extra-early blooming perennials with evergreen foliage to boot.
SEDUM ‘MATRONA’: Maybe my favorite of the taller sedums, all blue-green and pinkish in that sedum-y way.
GERANIUM PHAEUM ‘SAMOBOR’: Perennial geraniums are a must; this one’s perhaps the mustest, showy and cooperative.
LATHYRUS VERNUS: A little perennial pea of early spring (above) that’s delicate and durable; one of my springtime staples.
HOSTA ‘SAGAE’ and ‘JUNE’: If I could only have two hostas (egads!), I guess these would be the ones.
ASTILBOIDES TABULARIS: “What’s that big-leaved plant?” garden visitors always say of this shade standout.
ANGELICA GIGAS: A biennial beauty of mid- to late-summer, its 5-foot-tall, wine-colored umbels really shout. I know, I said perennials, but can’t live without this.
DICENTRA ‘GOLD HEART’: I love
As Digital Content Editor Christine Alexander explains, pollinators play a vital role in our ecosystem and we should all be doing our part to support their populations:
Flowers are usually the first things that grab our attention when we are selecting plants to add to our landscapes. However, most plants only flower for a short period of time, so it behooves us to consider plants’ other attributes—and there are many! Sometimes the same flowers that seduced us into opening our wallets are replaced with an amazing fruit display. Colorful fruits of all shapes and sizes can add drama to our landscapes throughout the year. In addition to their visual beauty, many fruits are important sources of nutrition for wildlife, particularly birds. Here are a few examples of awesome plants whose fruit shines in the garden in summer, fall, and winter.
Living and working in northwestern Oregon, garden designer Wesley Younie is no stranger to dealing with challenging environments. When presented with this garden’s elevation changes, drainage management, and extreme climate conditions, he devised a plan that addresses it all—along with a specific functional wish list from the homeowners. Want to know which plants he used? Here are the plant IDs for this beautiful, sustainable landscape.
In their original environments, invasive plants are restrained by their natural adversaries, with whom they co-evolved. However, when they are introduced to a new environment without these natural enemies, some plants can flourish and spread uncontrollably, ultimately becoming invasive.
The abundance of beautiful and well-grown houseplants gives a special sense of comfort at home. Apart from being pleasing to the eye, some house plants have the ability to purify the air quality.
Perennials are a huge group of plants that should survive year after year. The majority of perennial plants discussed here are herbaceous in that the leaves and stems die back and new growth restarts from the buried roots in the new year.
Fritilliary in damp shade
Each year, I look forward to watching the bleak winter landscape begin to come to life as if transitioning from black and white to Technicolor. Yellow is one of the first colors to appear with the flowers of forsythia and our state flower, yellow jessamine. As I was driving to work this week, I noticed a new color emerge amidst the roadside trees.
Do you have a shady garden where you would like to plant perennials? Hostas, ferns, and Lenten roses are the usual choices, but there are a number of wonderful perennial selections to choose from that will add bloom, texture, and color to your landscape. Here are several of my favorite early spring bloomers.
Japanese anemones or windflowers (Anemone x hybrida) are especially attractive additions to a partially shaded landscape. These beautiful perennials bloom in fall starting the second year, i.e., after becoming well established in the soil. Many shades of pinks and white are available, but the intense pink flowers against the dark blue-green foliage of ‘Lucky Charm’ Japanese anemone is outstanding!
Whenever I encounter an introverted gardener, I engage them in conversation with this question: What wisteria do you recommend for my backyard?
Ranunculus (Ranunculus species) is an often-overlooked fall-planted and spring-flowering bulb that has recently become one of my favorite spring flowers to grow. It’s an attractive addition to flowering borders when interplanted with other spring-flowering bulbs like tulips, daffodils, anemones, and hyacinths, and it even performs and looks great in containers! Plant habit also comes in many forms, from compact and stout to plants with long flowering stem lengths, perfect for cutting. I particularly love using the multi-layered, almost paper-like blooms in flower arrangements, as they have an excellent vase life as well.