native perennials Archives

Tag: native perennials

August 22, 2016

growing baptisia, with george coombs of mt. cuba center

IF YOU’RE NOT GROWING Baptisia, why not? Its credentials are impeccable: Baptisia are native to the United States, drought tolerant, deer resistant, and have not..

July 31, 2016

11 Comments

notable natives, from mountain laurel to milkweed, with andy brand

THE LONGER I GARDEN, the more I see plants as science teachers, bringing nature into focus by playing out its processes right before my eyes...

June 26, 2016

17 Comments

using native perennials in a formal border, with mt. cuba’s travis beck

THE PHRASE “native plant garden” probably conjures an image of a spring woodland of trilliums and other little gems, or perhaps a meadow blooming from..

April 5, 2015

25 Comments

the best heuchera and how to grow them, with mt. cuba center

WHAT SHADE perennial has beautiful foliage in a dramatic color range, attractive flowers, offers multiseason interest with low maintenance, and is also drought tolerant and..

July 21, 2014

12 Comments

evaluating native plants at mt. cuba center, with george coombs

WHICH BEE BALM will really resist powdery mildew—and which of the endless parade of near-lookalike Heuchera (above) is truly a standout? At Mt. Cuba Center..

May 3, 2013

6 early native spring wildflowers for shade

MY GARDEN, LIKE MOST (and like the assortment at the garden center), is a jumble of non-native and native plants. But at the moment of..

October 22, 2012

13 Comments

chasmanthium, a native grass for shade

IN THE WAY THAT PINE CONES fascinate me, I’m taken in by the seedheads of Northern sea oats, too—and actually, they’re a little bit like..

rethinking the lawn, with dan wilder

THE LECTURE that he’s been giving for a number of years is not-so-subtly called “Kill Your Lawn.” Ecological horticulturist Dan Jaffe Wilder knows that starting over and creating an entire native habitat instead of a lawn isn’t for everyone. But Dan just wants to grab our attention and get us to start to make some changes at least in the way we care for the turfgrass we do want in our landscapes. And maybe give up a little square footage of it to some other kind of more diverse planting, too, like the wild strawberries (Fragaria virginiana, inset). Alternative, more eco-focused styles of lawn care, along with some lawn alternatives is what he and I talked about on the podcast. Dan is Director of Applied Ecology at Norcross Wildlife Foundation in Wales, Massachusetts, and its 8,000-acre sanctuary. He’s also co-author with Mark Richardson of the book “Native Plants for New England Gardens.”