Pulmonaria Roy Davidson

Perennial vines in the genus Vinca have proved to be sturdy and seemingly indestructible groundcovers for the Southeastern Unites States. However, over the past few years, vinca leaf-folder caterpillars have been ravaging landscape plantings of perennial vincas (Vinca major andVinca minor). Both can be infested, but V. major seems to sustain more damage. According to Dr. Matt Bertone, Entomologist at NC State University, this pest is likely Diaphania costata.

A fiery and stunning tree, Growing Royal Poinciana is no minor task since it can take years to bloom. However, the Flame Tree Bonsai is worth the wait as its fiery red and golden foliage will enrich any home and catch everyone’s attention. Let’s see How to Grow Flame Tree Bonsai.

The 2013 PDN catalog celebrates “a quarter century of delightful plants”—meaning proprietor Tony Avent and I got into the business at the same time. Happy silver anniversary to both of us (remember, I told you all about my 25th the other day?).I love that Tony saw to it that I was clustered on the bottom right of his new cover with Ken Druse, who I think introduced me to Dan Hinkley decades ago, and nearby to Martha Stewart, whom I introduced to Dan when I went to work for her in 1994ish. The illustration makes me remember many good times with those three and various people pictured: pa

Just after or even as the hellebores begin, and overlapping them, P. rubra (Zones 5-8) is the next perennial to open in the garden here each year. It’s even early among the pulmonarias, actually (which more often have blue flowers, or pinky-purple). The snow has barely melted, and there it is: starting to bloom.We’ve had many years together, and owing to the generous divisions it’s always happy to offer (and the self-sowns, too), P. rubra has become one of my standbys for massing in loose sheets in the shade under deciduous shrubs, where I want cover and a little early fun, but not a lot of extra work. It spreads happily but not aggressively, and is very easy to d

I had never heard of Paeonia ostii, which a mutual friend, nurseryman and longtime peony expert Roy Klehm, had alerted Tony to, meaning it had to be good. One of the last tree species to come into cultivation, in the early 1990s, P. ostii is from China, where it is endangered in the wild—but will grow as well in the Southeast as it will in Minnesota (from Zones 4a to 8b at least).My plant was young but blooming-size when it arrived in 2012, was thigh-high by 2015 with a dozen flowers—fast-growing for a tree peony—and as of bloom season 22 is well past my waist with even more. It seems to ask for nothing but a spot in the sun, and every part of the plant is beautiful, from the fine-textured leaves to the flower buds (all with delicate hin

Radishes are one of those first treats to come from the spring garden. There is nothing like pulling out a colorful root veggie, giving it a little dust and polish, and biting into it before it has a chance to see the kitchen. Did you know you can also enjoy fresh radishes in the fall, as well? In this article, I’m going to explain the difference between spring and winter radishes, and share some tips on growing radishes from seed for a spring crop and for a fall crop. Timing your radish seeding is simply a matter of counting forwards or backwards to frost-free and frost dates.

The empress tree (Paulownia tomentosa), sometimes also known as the princess tree or Royal Paulownia, is adorned with lovely purple, vanilla-scented flowers and big, beautiful, velvety leaves, and it grows very quickly. For this reason, it is a popular tree to plant for quick shade. The empress tree is actually one of the fastest-growing trees in the world and has been known to grow up to 20 feet within its first year, so you'll be able to enjoy its beauty sooner than you might expect. As a bonus, its wood is very valuable. In fact, it's so valuable that people sometimes steal young empress trees in the dead of night. There are downsides to growing a tree this rampant in certain climates, so here are all the facts about this beautiful tree and where and how to grow it.

Jay Sifford freely admits his faults: He wears purple shoes, binge-listens to Cher, and had an epiphany regarding his design career while watching Mary Poppins. For landscape accents, he erects soaring violet and blue glass spears that could easily take down a charging ostrich. Most disturbingly, he loathes garden gnomes. But we forgive him because not only is he thoughtful and original, but he also fashions enticing outdoor spaces with plants, sculptures, and structures that linger in our minds. Headquartered in Davidson, North Carolina, Sifford makes the hour-and-a-half drive to his mountain home in West Jefferson as often as possible. He named his sanctuary “Rhodwood” for the massive, 30-foot-tall native rosebay rhododendrons (Rhododendron maximum) that frame the back of the house. Rather than the quotidian log cabin you might expect to see in these parts, the dwelling is a dogtrot house, an architectural style associated with Appalachia in which a central breezeway (ideal for a snoozing hound) separates the kitchen and dining areas from the bedrooms. Sifford painted the house black so it recedes from focus in the summer and gives the garden center stage. When plants are dormant in winter, the structure shines. Here, he shares a few of his tricks.

Standard Cotinus Royal Purple, will you have success with this unusual shrub in Aberdeen?

With winter knocking on our doors, we can’t help but fret over snow-covered driveways! 

Pulmonaria Blue Ensign, such a long time since we have had Pulmonaries in the garden.

Bulbs Dutch Grown, what’s this all about, well, I will tell you further down on the page.