Dec 06
Shasta daisies are classic summer perennials, producing crisp white petals around sunny yellow centers on sturdy upright stems. Their simple flower shape makes them equally at home in cottage gardens, pollinator plantings, cutting gardens, and traditional perennial borders. Although the flowers look delicate, a well-established Shasta daisy can form a substantial clump that returns and …
Dec 04
Blazing star (Liatris spp.) is a distinctive North American native perennial known for tall spikes of purple, lavender, pink, or occasionally white flowers. Also called gayfeather, blazing star is especially valuable in pollinator gardens, prairie-style landscapes, cottage gardens, and sunny perennial borders. One of its most unusual characteristics is the way its flower spikes bloom. …
Dec 02
Cosmos are cheerful, easy-to-grow flowers known for their airy foliage, daisy-like blooms, and remarkably long flowering season. Depending on the species and variety, cosmos can produce flowers in shades of pink, white, red, orange, yellow, burgundy, and chocolate. Two of the most commonly grown types are Cosmos bipinnatus, which produces the familiar pink, white, and …
Jul 20
Thrift is a compact evergreen perennial prized for its tidy grassy foliage and rounded clusters of pink, rose, lavender, or white flowers. Botanically known as Armeria maritima, it is also commonly called sea thrift or sea pink and is naturally associated with coastal cliffs, sandy ground, rocky slopes, and other exposed places where drainage is …
Jun 19
Summer can be one of the most colorful seasons in the garden, but it can also be one of the most demanding. Long days, intense sunlight, hot soil, and periods of drought quickly reveal which plants are genuinely comfortable in warm weather and which ones simply tolerate it. The best summer plants are not necessarily …
May 24
Gardening is often presented as an exercise in control. Seeds are planted at precise intervals, flowers are arranged by height and color, borders are carefully edged, and anything appearing where it was not specifically invited may immediately be labeled a weed. Chaos gardening takes almost the opposite approach. Instead of deciding exactly where every plant …
Mar 09
Plum trees bring together several qualities that make fruit trees so rewarding: fragrant spring blossoms, attractive foliage, summer shade, and baskets of sweet, juicy fruit. Depending on the variety, plums can be eaten fresh, baked into desserts, cooked into jams and preserves, dried into prunes, or used in sauces and savory dishes. Growing a productive …
Mar 09
Apple trees are among the most rewarding fruit trees to grow at home. A healthy tree can provide fragrant spring blossoms, summer shade, food for pollinating insects, and a harvest ranging from crisp snacking apples to varieties suited for pies, cider, applesauce, and long winter storage. They are also more complex than simply planting a …
Mar 09
Blackberries are one of the most rewarding fruits to grow at home. Once established, a healthy planting can produce bowls of deeply colored berries for fresh eating, baking, preserves, smoothies, and freezing — often from a relatively small section of garden. They are also more varied than they first appear. Blackberry plants may be erect, …
Mar 09
Raspberries are one of the most rewarding perennial fruits for the home garden. A relatively small planting can produce bowls of fragrant berries for fresh eating, baking, jam, smoothies, desserts, and freezing, often for many years once the plants become established. They are also more diverse than the familiar red raspberry suggests. Gardeners can grow …
