Late Season Blooms for Butterflies
One of my favorite aspects of summer is seeing all the butterflies, like exquisitely colorful silk tapestries, fluttering throughout my garden.
By Golly, It’s A Holly
Winterberry is certainly a show-stopper shrub. Known as Ilex verticillata, winterberry is one of our most prized native plants. Walking through the woods, you would have a hard time finding it in summer. But walk through the woods in winter, and you would have a hard time missing it.
Water your Plants and Consider Xeriscaping
I’m not sure if you have noticed, but it’s been a hot summer. (As a horticulturist, I am always planting; just now I planted my tongue firmly in my cheek.) Last year, July was cooler and wetter than normal, this year just the opposite. Long hot spells with few breaks in temperatures, and the occasional severe thunderstorm to keep it interesting.
Summer Tune Up
By mid-summer, much of your garden is feeling a little dragged out. Hot days and warm nights are tough on plants as well as people. A little pruning back can be just the ticket to rejuvenate annuals and perennials.
Milkweed, So Much More Than Just a Butterfly Plant
Most people are familiar with milkweed as the host plant for the Monarch butterfly. However, milkweed is so much more than just a butterfly plant. Milkweeds are one of our most stunning and attractive native wildflowers.
Hydrangeas for Everyone
think it’s a safe bet to say that everyone has grown or at least seen hydrangeas; they permeate the American landscape. What many may not have experienced is the range of hydrangeas out there to try.
Oakleaf Hydrangea
A hydrangea with oak-shaped leaves! What will mother nature think of next? How about peeling bark, downy-silver new growth, cinnamon-orange stems, fragrant flowers and rich fall color?
Virginia Sweetspire
Full sun will give you the richest fall colors, but in the wild these plants can also be found with other understory plants in the brighter spots in the woods.
Winterberry Holly
A holly that doesn’t act like the hollies you’re familiar with – not prickly and not evergreen – and native to boot.
Chokeberry
One of those plants that really should have a better name, this native flowering shrub gives you great multi-season interest.
A Walk on the Wild Side – Part 3
An Explorer’s Journal of Native Plants in the Landscape Great Falls National Park – July 2, 2010 I decided to continue my explorations this time by hiking the 1.4-mile second section of the Billy Goat Trail on the MD side…
Summer Watering Tips
I say “finally” because it’s felt like August for a couple of weeks now. Make sure to provide water to your gardens, containers, and plantings around the house. Here are my recommendations………
