There is a chill in the air and my days of thinking about perennials are are running out quickly. I better get one this one in before all I start thinking about are evergreens and winter bark. Arkansas blue star is the perennial I am exploring today. … [Read more...]
Japanese garden fall color lessons you can use
Last post I wrote about Japanese garden fall color. This post is about my favorite area for it. I also cover what you can learn from this Japanese garden fall color use in creating your garden sanctuary. The area is the path to the tea garden. I have never been able to completely capture it in a picture. Not only is it hard to photograph, it is also short lived. For about one week in the midday the area glows. The tea garden meanders through plantings of sugar and red maples. As you walk … [Read more...]
Japanese garden fall color can inspire your garden design
Japanese gardens reflect the changing seasons. They do this more than other styles of gardens. Using nature as a model for a garden means a more subdued summer in terms of color. It does however show off the beauty of spring and fall. Today, I write about Japanese Garden fall color. … [Read more...]
Oakleaf hydrangea for long summer blooms
What’s native to the southeast US, has great red fall color and has huge white flowers that last all summer? It’s the bold oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia). I say bold, because with leaves as big as your hand, this is not a shrub for the timid. Sure you could be like everybody else and plant timid little meek girly shrubs like lilacs, burning bush, and viburnum. I say don't be a wimp and plant a real shrub, one with big bold leave that cry’s out, “Hey I’m here and I won’t be … [Read more...]
Green leaf Japanese maple
Green leaf Japanese maples are one of the most under used plants. This is odd, because purple leaf Japanese maples are one of the most over used ornamental trees. OK, I know they are really not THAT overplanted yet. However, if you see the pallets full of them at Home Depot every year, you probably agree they will be soon. In a few years, the number of home gardeners that DON’T have one or two somewhere in their yard will be very small. This is especially true for odd balls that read … [Read more...]
Two trees with great winter bark & fall color
One key to a great landscape is that it looks good year around. It’s really pretty easy to have a showy spring or summer display. To have an attractive yard that you can look out onto through your window in January and smile is more challenging. Selecting plants that provide year around interest should be the goal of every gardener. Today, I’d like to talk about two such plants. A pair of related small maple trees with great winter bark, the Three Flower Maple and the Paperbark … [Read more...]
