If you want large red fruit on a reasonably compact plant, Ilex verticillata ‘Shaver’ is the standout choice. Said to have the largest fruit of any winterberry, the upright ‘Shaver’ gets to just 5 feet tall and several feet wide.
whither goest my winterberries? 
uh-oh, or yippee? which is it for you? 
Juicy Bits
name that weed I KNOW A LOT OF PLANTS by their proper names, but my “weeds,” not so much. These great weed-identification websites are helping me finally address them with the proper (dis)respect.
everything old is new VINTAGE 'GREEN' POSTERS from the WPA 1940s look fresher than ever.
shrubs to covet THE OLDER THE GARDEN and I get, the more we love these shrubs.
tomato troubles STAY AHEAD OF tomato diseases with these organic tactics.
the edible garden GROW YOUR OWN 2010: my vegetable seed order.
plants that perform 21 POWERHOUSE PERENNIALS you will love for your garden.
herb-garden help GROWING AND STORING a year of parsley.
berry peachy-keen CLAFOUTIS BATTER how-to (the solution for easy fruit desserts).
rex, rhizomatous and more FANCY-LEAF BEGONIAS, beauties for indoors and out.
crispy refrigerator pickles WHAT IS IT ABOUT refrigerator pickles that makes everybody so happy? Get those cukes ready!
winged victory THE GARDEN as bird habitat: 11 tips on what birds like.
hellebore porn SEXY, EXTRA-EARLY, evergreen shade perennials I can’t garden without.
success with heirlooms CAN GRAFTING TOMATOES help insure a bountiful harvest?
the garden is a showoff 375 VISITORS, 1 BIG RHODIE: spring garden open day, in a virtual visit. How it looked, and also what they all asked.
keeping deer out DEER FENCE: I tried every anti-deer potion and trick till I got real and fenced. Strategies for every garden.
secrets to great tomatoes TOMATO TIPS, seed to harvest: Dozens of tricks for a better crop.
yes, even in dry shade MY 4 TOUGHEST GROUNDCOVERS perform even in the worst spots, like dry shade.
5 great small trees GARDEN-SIZED TREES can’t just be the right scale; they need to have multi-season interest, too. Have room for one of my favorites?
10 underplanting do’s and don’ts MAKING MOSAICS—that’s what I call good underplanting of trees and shrubs with a tapestry of plants. Here’s how.
a ribbeting bullfrog whodunit LET BULLFROGS BE BYGONES? No way. Where did all my biggest frogboys go?
stars of the spring shrubbery BEYOND LILACS (and forget forsythia!), a slideshow of some fine spring shrubs you may not grow (yet).
speeding up the compost DRIVE BY, HIT-AND-RUN composting speeds up the decomposition process while making good mulch quickly. Here’s how.
making a 365-day garden THINK FALL (YES, FALL): Don’t get sucked in by spring-bloomers only at the nursery. A great garden happens 365 days: Shop smart to make it so.
the facts about bulbs SOMETHING UP with a flower bulb? Paltry bloom, or wondering when to feed or cut off the foliage? It’s all here.
must-read garden poem MY FAVORITE POEM celebrates loss, one of gardening (and life’s) realities. It does it with humor: "Why Did My Plant Die?” is a must-read.
12 steps to sanity? HELP FOR GARDENERS: Hi, my name is Margaret, and yes, we operate a 12-Step program here.
orchid rebloom made easy I REBLOOMED MY FIRST ORCHID recently (finally!) and it turns out to be pretty easy going. Here’s how.
my seed-starting 101 WHAT ABOUT SEED-STARTING in general? The A Way to Garden method.
hail the stewartia I LIKE PLANTS THAT EARN THEIR KEEP, that do more than a week or two of showing off. The small-ish to medium trees in the genus Stewartia are a good bet if it’s multi-season interest you crave.
can-do pruning REPEAT AFTER ME: I can prune. I can prune. If you follow this simple method for starters, your woody plants will thank you.
the ‘other’ peonies JUNE IS PEONY TIME, the big raucous kind of peony time, but just before that another kind of peony does its subtler, wonderful thing.
which lilac to plant? SO MANY LILACS, so little space. Browse a glossary of some of my favorites before you shop.
everything old is new VINTAGE 'GREEN' POSTERS from the WPA 1940s look fresher than ever.
shrubs to covet THE OLDER THE GARDEN and I get, the more we love these shrubs.
tomato troubles STAY AHEAD OF tomato diseases with these organic tactics.
the edible garden GROW YOUR OWN 2010: my vegetable seed order.
plants that perform 21 POWERHOUSE PERENNIALS you will love for your garden.
herb-garden help GROWING AND STORING a year of parsley.
berry peachy-keen CLAFOUTIS BATTER how-to (the solution for easy fruit desserts).
rex, rhizomatous and more FANCY-LEAF BEGONIAS, beauties for indoors and out.
crispy refrigerator pickles WHAT IS IT ABOUT refrigerator pickles that makes everybody so happy? Get those cukes ready!
winged victory THE GARDEN as bird habitat: 11 tips on what birds like.
hellebore porn SEXY, EXTRA-EARLY, evergreen shade perennials I can’t garden without.
success with heirlooms CAN GRAFTING TOMATOES help insure a bountiful harvest?
the garden is a showoff 375 VISITORS, 1 BIG RHODIE: spring garden open day, in a virtual visit. How it looked, and also what they all asked.
keeping deer out DEER FENCE: I tried every anti-deer potion and trick till I got real and fenced. Strategies for every garden.
secrets to great tomatoes TOMATO TIPS, seed to harvest: Dozens of tricks for a better crop.
yes, even in dry shade MY 4 TOUGHEST GROUNDCOVERS perform even in the worst spots, like dry shade.
5 great small trees GARDEN-SIZED TREES can’t just be the right scale; they need to have multi-season interest, too. Have room for one of my favorites?
10 underplanting do’s and don’ts MAKING MOSAICS—that’s what I call good underplanting of trees and shrubs with a tapestry of plants. Here’s how.
a ribbeting bullfrog whodunit LET BULLFROGS BE BYGONES? No way. Where did all my biggest frogboys go?
stars of the spring shrubbery BEYOND LILACS (and forget forsythia!), a slideshow of some fine spring shrubs you may not grow (yet).
speeding up the compost DRIVE BY, HIT-AND-RUN composting speeds up the decomposition process while making good mulch quickly. Here’s how.
making a 365-day garden THINK FALL (YES, FALL): Don’t get sucked in by spring-bloomers only at the nursery. A great garden happens 365 days: Shop smart to make it so.
the facts about bulbs SOMETHING UP with a flower bulb? Paltry bloom, or wondering when to feed or cut off the foliage? It’s all here.
must-read garden poem MY FAVORITE POEM celebrates loss, one of gardening (and life’s) realities. It does it with humor: "Why Did My Plant Die?” is a must-read.
12 steps to sanity? HELP FOR GARDENERS: Hi, my name is Margaret, and yes, we operate a 12-Step program here.
orchid rebloom made easy I REBLOOMED MY FIRST ORCHID recently (finally!) and it turns out to be pretty easy going. Here’s how.
my seed-starting 101 WHAT ABOUT SEED-STARTING in general? The A Way to Garden method.
hail the stewartia I LIKE PLANTS THAT EARN THEIR KEEP, that do more than a week or two of showing off. The small-ish to medium trees in the genus Stewartia are a good bet if it’s multi-season interest you crave.
can-do pruning REPEAT AFTER ME: I can prune. I can prune. If you follow this simple method for starters, your woody plants will thank you.
the ‘other’ peonies JUNE IS PEONY TIME, the big raucous kind of peony time, but just before that another kind of peony does its subtler, wonderful thing.
which lilac to plant? SO MANY LILACS, so little space. Browse a glossary of some of my favorites before you shop.
never stop wanting more plants, my garden mentor instilled in me 20-plus
years ago, regularly reminding me of another gardener, past 90, who still lusts
for every new thing he can get a cutting of. I promise not to, until I myself
am back in the soil.
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