Candytuft – A Smart Evergreen for Generations to Come
The qualities of what makes a plant garden worthy are always changing and my personal sentiments are certainly no different! As a beginning gardener, I was drawn to the ‘latest and greatest’ and discounted the more ‘seasoned plants’ at my grandparent’s home as no longer garden worthy. As I have watched plants come and go over the decades, I am continually frustrated by the disappearance of some great, garden-worthy plants to make way for the next round of the ‘latest and greatest’…

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Very Curious Shrubs!
December is not a month known for colorful foliage among deciduous and semi-deciduous plants. Typically, plants are now nearly bare, although with the advent of the Holidays and family get-togethers, the lack of garden interest is probably little noticed. Yet, for those looking for seasonally appropriate garden color, there are a few semi-deciduous plants suitable for Holiday cheer…

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Worthy Plants for Remembering Worthy Friends
How often have you looked at a plant and the memory of a friend suddenly comes to mind? Most likely, it is the person who gifted you the plant, first told you about its virtues or perhaps even disliked the plant! In a similar vein, many plants have botanical or common names that pay tribute to an honorable friend or perhaps a ‘botanical dignitary’. Such is the tale of Amsonia tabernaemontana, commonly known as Eastern Bluestar….

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An Unrecognized Hardy Begonia
Regardless of whether I am talking to an experienced gardener or nongardener alike, some plants are simply recognized by everyone. For example, Pansies are well-known for colorful spring color, petunias for their summer blooms and Chrysanthemums for frosty autumn displays. Begonias are another well-recognized plant, typically known as a houseplant or summer annual…

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A Vine with an Explosion of Color
One dimension we often neglect when working with annuals is the vertical dimension or the use of annual vines. Vines are great for softening architecture or clambering up vertical structures in a garden, allowing their flowers to play off of the surrounding melody of plants. Unfortunately, most woody vines only bloom for a couple of weeks, compared to annual vines that bloom heavily for several months…

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