Today I’m talking up starry rosinweed (Silphium asteriscus), a native perennial that’s at the height of its bloom season now. The bright yellow daisy-like flowers are about 2 to 3 inches in diameter and make me think of smiley faces. They’re just so dang cheerful, …
I always try to leave some space in my yard for pokeweeds that pop up, from seeds sown by the birds. This year I have one by the picnic table, one by the arch that leads into the vegetable garden, and one by the bird …
Each May a great transformation takes place in our borders and meadow garden when the purple coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea) start to bloom. The beds turn rosy pink and buzz and flutter with bees and butterflies. And I wear myself out taking pictures and picking bouquets …
One of my favorite trees in our yard is the American holly (Ilex opaca). There’s a big one, maybe 50 feet tall, growing near the pond, just outside the picket fence. Right now it’s dropping its yellow leaves, replacing them with fresh green ones. I …
One of the plants I’m really marveling over right now is the Ashe magnolia (Magnolia macrophylla ssp. ashei). I have half a dozen in bloom in my backyard, and I must admit I feel almost tortured by their beauty these spring days. You see, I …
Our house is 162 years old, and all over the property there are ghostly vestiges of gardens. Sometimes these are just little arrangements of old bulbs (daffodils and summer snowflakes)—and sometimes they’re something bigger, better. When Rob and I moved in eight years ago, the …
Native pipevine (Aristolochia tomentosa) is a favorite plant of mine. So far, I’ve planted it in two locations in my yard—on the tin-roofed shelter that I call the Vine House, and on the little wire fence that encloses our vegetable garden. It looks so pretty …
I wanted to tell you about a very special plant in my yard, my banana shrub or port wine magnolia (Michelia figo). It’s my oldest plant by far. My house was built in 1850, so you’d expect the surrounding gardens to be lush and tangled, …
I wanted to take a minute to tell you about one of my favorite garden plants, Turk’s cap (Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii). It’s a perennial, semi-woody shrub that gets to be about 4 feet high and wide, and I’ve planted it all around the barn, …
