Bear’s Breeches ‘Acanthus spinosus’
Stephanie talks about the perennial Bear’s Breeches in her garden and how beautiful it is this year.
Daylillies, Deer & Ivory Soap
Last year I doubt I had any blooms on my daylilies. Those darling deer munched their way through our garden, eating everything in sight. My Knockout rose, my hydrangeas and my beautiful daylilies were all victims. It was on! This…
Spring Blues
Larry Hurley writes about one of his favorite blue flowering perennials. There are a number of blue-flowered, spring-blooming perennials. A group you should consider are in the genus Amsonia, commonly known as Bluestar.
Several are native to the United States, and one, Amsonia tabernaemontana, is native to Maryland. This species gets two to three feet tall, and blooms for several weeks in late April through early to mid-May, depending on weather conditions. It has pale blue flowers and nice yellow fall color. It grows in full sun to partial shade.
Happy in a New Home
For the first time I can plant some sunny perennials. I put in two of my favorites: Fragrant Aster, Aster oblongifolius ‘October Skies’, and Eutrochium (Eupatorium) dubium ‘Little Joe.’
Victory Garden 2.0 – Fall is for Planting Perennials
Fall may be a better time to plant perennials than spring. The cooler, rainier weather is more conducive to helping plants establish.
Some Special Daylilies: Hemerocallis
Are you like me and have deer that come out at night and eat all the buds off of your daylilies before they even bloom? This year has been the worst, but then we did not put up the deer tape as we have done in the past.
Too Much of a Good Thing…
Too much of a good thing can become a bad thing. We moved into our home 36 years ago, and I’ve been gardening ever since. We have until recently had a fully-shaded yard, and I have tried pretty much everything for shade at one time or another.
Profusion of Pink Fringe from Nature Hills Nursery
This Dianthus will bloom most heavily in mid-to-late spring. If the summer is mild, you may be able to extend the blooming season by deadheading (removing the spent flowers.)
Quiet Moments in March
The coronavirus has radically affected all of our lives, and we all have different circumstances, quirks, and abilities to deal with the changing warnings and guidelines.
Time: The Fourth Dimension of Gardening
When we moved to Maryland in 1984, we bought a suburban house that was built on a quarter-acre lot in the 1950’s. Enter the Hurleys, working with perennials every day at Behnke’s, I was eager to try new things….
‘White Pearl’: Late Bloomer
I was rambling around the garden this morning, trying to get some “getting ready for winter” chores done before the rain started. I noticed my ‘White Pearl’ is getting ready to bloom, it’s the last perennial to bloom in my shade garden every year, right around Halloween.
Calamint – A Low Maintenance Perennial
Here’s another perennial that I think is underappreciated. Calamint, officially Calamintha nepeta, is a low maintenance perennial for the front of the garden, staying at around 18 inches in height. It has airy masses of tiny flowers in white to…