book cover

July 8, 2008

fallen hero: bottlebrush buckeye

Filed Under hot p(l)ants, trees & shrubs | 4 Comments

THE SAYING GOES THAT A THING OF BEAUTY is a joy forever. I guess “forever” in this case is in the mind’s eye. My darling, oldest bottlebrush buckeye (Aesculus parviflora) went down for the count a week ago, or at least half of it did, and there’s nothing beautiful about the aftermath of its demise. Read more

July 1, 2008

hot plant: stewartia, an ideal small tree

Filed Under hot p(l)ants, trees & shrubs | 33 Comments

I LIKE PLANTS THAT EARN THEIR KEEP. By that I mean they do more than a week or two of showing off; they look good in more than a single moment, or season. The small-ish to medium trees in the genus Stewartia are a good bet if that’s the kind of multi-season interest you are looking for. Sound good?

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June 30, 2008

fruit you definitely don’t eat

Filed Under annuals & perennials, hot p(l)ants, trees & shrubs | 6 Comments

FRUITING SEASON is beginning here in the perennial beds and shrubberies at A Way to Garden, but some of the early crop (like the red baneberry, Actaea rubra, above, a native woodlander) isn’t fit for eating…unless you’re a bird or mouse.

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June 22, 2008

weeping kousa: does it stay, or go?

Filed Under hot p(l)ants, trees & shrubs | 67 Comments

SOMETIMES HAVING EXPERT FRIENDS just makes your head spin, instead of adding clarity or bringing resolution. That’s certainly been the case this season on the topic of my weeping Kousa dogwood, which everybody has a strong point of view about…but nobody agrees. Does it stay, or go? Can you help us?

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