Today, lets talk about a shrub I doubt you have found in the garden center, nurseries or other stores you usually buy your plants in, the American Hazelnut. That does not mean you shouldn't be adding it to your landscape. Especially if you are trying to create a garden sanctuary not only for you, but also for the wildlife we share our land with. … [Read more...]
Butterfly weed an orange flower for us all
Today, I wanted to get back to writing about perennials. I was about to write about landscapers favorite perennials. Instead lets talk about the one perennial landscapers SHOULD be using but typically don't, the Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa). … [Read more...]
Switchgrass, a great native ornamental grass
Ornamental grasses have gone from making me roll my eyes during a dinner conversation (see my About page) to a perennial I am looking for a spot in my yard to plant more. The particular grass, I am writing about is commonly called Switch grass (Panicum virgatum). … [Read more...]
Canadian ginger, a native made for the shade
It’s been quite a while since I wrote about a perennial. It’s about time to cover another. Last time it was the blue false indigo. This time we are going to go over a foliage plant, the Canadian ginger. … [Read more...]
Plants for your Nature Inspired Garden: How to Find
Today, I will show you how to identify plants for your nature inspired garden. Last post, I showed you how to use Land Cover Viewer to find out the name of the types of natural areas near you. We will take that information and use it to find plants for your landscape. … [Read more...]
Local Inspiration for your Nature Inspired Garden Part 1
In a previous post, I wrote about using a natural area as the inspiration for your garden. In it, I wrote about using plants and materials that are native to your area. Doing this helps to bring about the feeling that your garden is actually related to the surrounding landscape. To use native plants in your garden to invoke a natural place, we need to know what plants to use as well as how they are arranged in natural areas. To do this it can help to classify the natural area we are trying to … [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...]
12 Common invasive plants & natives to use instead Part 1
Last post, I gave some reasons why I have become a proponent of using native plants to create your garden sanctuary. Now, over the next two posts, I will give you a list of 12 non native invasive plants and some suggested native to US alternatives. … [Read more...]
