Story and Photos by Jane Jordan Hummingbird tree (Sesbania grandiflora) has the most beautiful and unusual flowers that resemble small birds. They hang in large clusters and come in striking shades of white, red, and pink. This fast-growing tree is open branched with green leaves along stems that can grow up to 1 foot long. …
Story by Peggy Hill I asked Blair Durant, owner of Niche Gardens in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to suggest a plant for this article. Blair said, “Baptisia (false indigo) is a fantastic, long-lived, native plant for many reasons. It’s one of the first perennials to bloom in the spring, providing food for early pollinators. It …
Story and Photos by Clara A. Curtis I’ve written about and gardened with this little-known ground cover for many years, yet I believe Epimedium need a Pied Piper to call attention to their variety and flexibility in garden designs. The genus is not widely known. According to Tony Avent, a well known plant evangelist and …
Story and Photos by Peggy Hill “We think Carex ‘Everillo’ is one of the most exciting shade plants of the last decade, and as such we’ve already planted dozens in our own garden.” That is high praise from Tony Avent, proprietor of Plant Delights Nursery in Raleigh, North Carolina. After growing it myself, I see …
April showers bring May flowers … and butterflies Story and Photo by Amanda Ferguson Sears As we head into spring, we can look forward to flowers blooming, leaves unfurling, and butterflies fluttering. The monarch butterfly is probably the most talked about butterfly, because of its beauty, but also due to its habitat destruction. There has …
The long-lived and spectacular clematis Story by Troy B. Marden troybmarden.com One of the very first vines I ever grew was the old-fashioned purple Clematis ‘Jackmanii’. I was 6 years old. This was back in the day when almost every store that offered general merchandise had a garden section where houseplants were offered year round …
Story by Hugh Conlon Oyama magnolia, indigenous to eastern Asia, is a deciduous 10-15 feet tall tree or shrub ideally suited for a small garden. Nodding, goblet-shaped, fragrant flowers bloom two to three weeks after the leaves emerge in April, thereby escaping injury from spring frosts. In mid to late May, egg-shaped flower buds unfold …
‘Florida Sunshine’ yellow anise tree Story by Clara A. Curtis There’s never a dull day in the garden as long as you have a ‘Florida Sunshine’ yellow anise tree. With its brightly colored chartreuse leaves and red stems, this southeastern native is sure to brighten a woodland garden or enliven shady to partly sunny corners. …
Story and Photos by Andrea Dee For the garden that has everything, and a little space to spare, this spring show stopper is a fun specialty selection. Red horse-chestnut tree is a cross between red buckeye (A. pavia) and horse-chestnut (A. hippocastanum). Flowering with pink to rose red conical clusters and exhibiting coarse, dark green …
Story by Hubert P. Conlon Yellow false indigo is native to the lower Midwest and Gulf states. ‘Screamin’ Yellow’ is an outstanding cultivar that was originally found in Arkansas. It grows more compact and blooms heavier than the species. This vigorous clump grower blooms on sturdy, upright stems. In early May, 12-inch spikes of bright …
