Bewitching Witchhazels
The witchhazel family has a beguiling name and, in my opinion, well-deserved due to their enchanting garden presence. Here are four members that I feel are deserving of wider recognition and use.
4 Favorite Native Shrubs
Summersweet / Sweet Pepperbush (Clethra) Very aptly named, this shrub will impress you with its sweet scent in the middle of summer when fewer fragrant plants are flowering. Flowers are white or pink spires that are highly attractive to bees,…
The Self-Prescribed Fruit Snob
Last spring I had an Epiphany: as much as I truly love fresh fruit, I tend to eat many more vegetables. A factor in this is the fact that I’ve gotten comfortable growing pretty much only what we consider vegetables…
The Best Time To Plant A Tree Is….
30 years ago I asked my grandfather, Albert Behnke, if he would give me a Pin Oak tree as a housewarming gift. It was the middle of August, and we had just finished building our new home. There I was, with my 3 year old son, pregnant a second time, and wanting a tree. And what does he do?
Camellias – A Wonderful Addition to Your “Off-Season” Garden
Familiar to many experienced gardeners and southern-state denizens, Camellias are a wonderful addition to our “off-season” gardens here in the mid-Atlantic. Not many shrubs would dare to bloom in the shortening days of November or the cold, bleary days of February.
In Season, In Woodies!
Abelia – Although grown in gardens for decades, Abelias have recently undergone a revolution in new introductions. Shorter growth habits and very colorful leaves have made new appearances and there are many to choose from nowadays. Flowers are starting to…
Plants For Tough Spaces
Yucca – Nearly indestructible, these hardy evergreen Agave cousins are great for many uses in the garden. Plus, most varieties of our Yucca stock are selections from our locally native species. Give them sun and good drainage and they’ll withstand drought, heat, cold, deer and whatever “benign neglect” you can throw at them.
Summer Memories
My grandather, Albert Behnke, used to raise goldfish in this pond, along with water lilies, for sale at the garden center. Mom said she used to love seeing the beautiful blooms and they loved to watch the frogs.
Hydrangeas: True Blue or Tickled Pink?
There are very few plants that you, the gardener, can actually choose the color that you want them to be in your garden. Hydrangeas happen to be one of them.
Fall is for Feeding
Fall is my favorite time to putter in the garden – adding plants, rearranging the ones I already have – but there are also tasks that really need to be done now. And I’m not just talking about raking, though…
Build Your Own Butterfly Garden
Bring The Butterflies Home With These Shrubs Butterflies need two types of plants: as adults, they need Nectar Plants: that is, plants with flowers. Below are some good nectar plants. Find the key to the photos on the link. They…
Carol’s Favorite Woodies vs. Mine
I love the videos (and live talks) by horticulturist Carol Allen and she’s my favorite plant expert for our region. I also consider myself a specialist, of sorts, in woodies, especially shrubs. So, in her latest video for Behnkes, “Carol’s …