Author's posts
Jan 22
Autumn Joy Sedum Care
Autumn Joy sedum is one of the most dependable perennials for carrying a garden from summer into fall. Its sturdy stems and succulent green leaves form neat clumps through spring and summer, then broad clusters of tiny flowers begin changing from pale green to soft pink, deep rose, rusty red, and finally coppery brown as …
Jan 22
Leadwort Care
Leadwort is a low-growing perennial groundcover that saves some of its best color for the end of the growing season. For much of spring and early summer, the plant forms a spreading mat of fresh green foliage. Then, from midsummer into fall, brilliant blue flowers begin appearing above the leaves. As temperatures cool, the foliage …
Jan 22
Hardy Fuchsia Care
Hardy fuchsias bring an almost tropical look to the garden without necessarily requiring a greenhouse or winter indoors. Their slender arching stems can carry hundreds of dangling flowers in combinations of red, pink, purple, violet, and white from midsummer until frost, creating one of the longest flowering displays available from a garden shrub. The species …
Jan 21
Nippon Daisy Care
Nippon daisy is a sturdy late-blooming perennial that waits until much of the summer garden is beginning to fade before covering itself with crisp white daisy-like flowers. Its glossy, thick green foliage gives the plant an almost shrubby appearance through summer, while the fall flowers bring a fresh burst of white and yellow to perennial …
Jan 21
Caryopteris Care
Caryopteris is a compact late-flowering shrub prized for clouds of intensely blue flowers that appear just when much of the summer garden is beginning to slow down. From late summer into early fall, its slender stems become lined with fuzzy-looking blue, violet-blue, or lavender flower clusters that attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinating insects. The …
Jan 21
Balloon Flower Care
Balloon flower is a long-lived summer perennial known for one of the most unusual flower buds in the garden. Before opening, each bud swells into a round, inflated shape resembling a tiny hot-air balloon. The bud eventually unfolds into a broad, star-shaped bell in shades of blue, violet, pink, or white. The botanical name is …
Jan 21
Heuchera Care
Heuchera is one of the most useful foliage perennials for adding color to garden beds without depending on flowers. Also known as coral bells or alumroot, Heuchera forms compact mounds of scalloped leaves in an extraordinary range of colors, including green, silver, purple, burgundy, nearly black, caramel, peach, orange, lime, chartreuse, and combinations of several …
Jan 20
Joe-Pye Weed Care
Joe-Pye weed is one of the most impressive native perennials for a late-summer garden. Tall stems topped with enormous domes of dusty pink, mauve, or purple flowers can rise well above surrounding plants, creating a dramatic display while attracting bees, butterflies, moths, and other pollinators. Rather than referring to a single species, Joe-Pye weed is …
Jan 20
Toad Lily Care
Toad lily is one of the most unusual perennials for a shade garden. Just when many woodland plants are finishing their growing season, its arching stems begin producing small, intricately spotted flowers that look almost like miniature orchids. The botanical genus is Tricyrtis. Several species are grown ornamentally, including Tricyrtis hirta, commonly called Japanese toad …
Jan 19
Helenium Care
Helenium is one of the best perennials for carrying a sunny garden from midsummer into fall. Its daisy-like flowers appear in warm shades of yellow, gold, orange, copper, bronze, and red, often changing color as the blooms mature. At peak flowering, a well-grown clump can be covered with dozens of richly colored flowers just as …
