Is it possible to fall in love with a genus of plant? Absolutely. Some flowers appeal to us so persistently that we respond to them in ways that don’t quite make sense. Their pull on our imagination, our affections, and yes, our resources, defies reason. Across horticultural history you’ll find characters who left their home continents behind to collect favorite plants. You’ll find those who quit their day jobs to breed and grow them full-time. And you will find smitten...
Q. I have heard that Nandina is poisonous to birds. My community has planted many Nandina plants. Should we remove these plants to protect birds? A. It is true that Nandina (Nandina domestica) berries contain cyanide and are, therefore, highly toxic to birds and other animals. However, the only well documented case of birds dying from ingesting Nandina berries occurred in April 2009 when dozens of Cedar Waxwings were found dead in Thomas County, Georgia. The University of Georgia, College...
You may be ahead of me on this one, but the picture that came to mind when I first saw the term ‘Carbon Garden’ in the January 2021 issue of Horticulture Magazine wasn’t very pretty. In practice, a carbon garden is not only beautiful, but this garden style proves easier to maintain than many others. A Quick Summary of the Science Like other elements, carbon is an atom that can manifest as a solid, in a liquid, or...
November and December in Williamsburg bring beautiful fall colors to my backyard which include my blooming camellias. There are two popular types that are late fall/winter bloomers, sasanqua and japonica camellias. Although caring for them is easy, there are a few things I recommend you do to encourage healthy plants. Your efforts will be rewarded with beautiful flowers and luscious greenery. Mulch Add three to four inches of natural mulch to protect your plant from the cold winter winds. Mulch...
Did you notice bees and other insects feeding later than usual last year? And did you notice how many were out feeding on warm days last winter? Our roller coaster weather affects insects, birds and other animals. They may be out and about on warmish days in months when we don’t expect to see them. And, of course they are hungry! Increased activity translates into an increased need for calories. Providing winter forage for pollinators and birds presents gardeners...
“Leave it be.” Words I heard with some frequency growing up…. This simple bit of advice may be just the wisdom we need whether baking, navigating relationships, or preparing the garden for winter. “Leave it be” insists that we quiet our urge to interfere with natural processes. It asks us to step back and observe; to allow for a solution to unfold on its own. Some gardeners feel compelled to tidy up the leaves and sticks as they fall,...
Why do gardeners use ferns in their designs? Ferns form an important layer in the landscape, especially in shady gardens. Peaceful and calming, they grow lushly, providing both structure and interesting texture. Some may dismiss ferns as uniformly green, but many varieties provide vibrant color. Ferns make excellent ground cover, specimen and filler plants. While some grow as single fronds arising from a rhizome, or in small vase-shaped clusters, many ferns spread to form larger and larger clumps over time.
Ferns are very easy to grow, needing little care. They rarely have any sort of disease or pest, and neither chemicals nor machines are needed to care for them. All types of ferns are perennials and grow better with the passing years.
Ferns have successfully propagated themselves in nature, with no human assistance, for millennia. So it shouldn’t be too complicated, right?
For most of human history, families relied on gathering foods growing in their environment for some portion of their diet. And many of these delicious and nutritious foods grow on long-lived trees or shrubs, from persistent perennials, or from plants that readily self-seed. This very sustainable form of agriculture allows for food production with few inputs of water, fertilizer or labor, once the plants establish. Perhaps most importantly, there is minimal disturbance to the soil’s ecosystem.
An older woman made her way slowly through the aisles of the garden center’s outdoor display area, leaning heavily on a cane. As I turned, hands loaded with small pots, she was behind me. She smiled and asked whether I had seen any bee balm on the display of herbs I’d been scanning. We began to chat, and it turned out that she wanted to attract hummingbirds to the balcony of her apartment. Someone had told her that hummingbirds...