Chinese Proverb
The footsteps of the gardener are the best fertilizer. Continue reading Chinese Proverb
Book Review: Plant This! by Ketzel Levine
Reading Plant This! Best Bets for Year-Round Gorgeous Gardens is like hanging out with an old friend. You talk about your favorite subject (plants!) but there’s also talk of history, poetry, people and places. There’s weather talk, humor and music (I enjoyed singing ‘Garrya Indiana’). Small in size, this book is only 6 1/2 by 8 inches. Easy to tote around, tuck into a bag … Continue reading Book Review: Plant This! by Ketzel Levine
Pruning Roses: A short list.
A short primer on pruning hybrid tea and floribunda roses. 1. Remove dead wood by cutting 1/2 ” below the dead wood. Dead tissue can spread into living wood. 2. Prune out diseased portions. 3. Remove rootstock suckers. Dig to root and remove from there, not at ground level. 4. Cut above an outward facing bud, at an angle. 5. Remove canes thinner than … Continue reading Pruning Roses: A short list.
xFatshedera lizei Tree or Aralia Ivy
What do you get when you cross Fatsia with Hedera? Fatshedera of course! This resulting hybrid of two genera has been named a ‘botanical wonder’ after it’s entry into the world in 1910 at a nursery in France. It is wondrous with 6-8″ wide glossy, gleaming evergreen leaves. The leaves are what first caught my attention; shiny with a camouflage of greens. Fatshedera can … Continue reading xFatshedera lizei Tree or Aralia Ivy
What am I?
This diminutive delight was growing in the woods last spring. What is it? For native plant enthusiasts, name all the plants/leaves that also appear in this photo. Genus species, of course! Continue reading What am I?
Rainyleaf 