E is for Epimedium, a beautiful lowgrowing groundcover with heart-shaped leaves that likes dry shade. I admired it for years, but never planted it because I thought it was tender. That was a mistake. Epimediums are hardy in zone 5 where I live. My new house and garden might even be zone 6, the climate is changing so rapidly. The MissouriBotanical Garden website says epimedium flowers are showy, and they are in their own way, but they…
D is for Dappled Willow. A friend has a beautiful garden in front of her house that is enjoyed by the whole community. I watched the foliage a shrub that she planted turned cream and pink as it matured. Needless to say, when we started planting shrubs in our very wet new yard/garden I ran out to buy a dappled willow of my own. Why did I especially want a Dappled Willow? First, Salix integra ‘Hakuru Nishiki,’…
C is for Clethra alnifolia, otherwise known as sweet pepperbush. It was one of the first plants I put in my new, and very wet, garden last summer. It has everything I need: is very hardy, likes some shade, tolerates clay soil, likes a wet so much that it can be used in a rain garden where there is occasional flooding. Clethra is also the right size for my garden. It will grow between 4 to 6 feet…
How much do you spend on parsley over the year? Or fresh basil or cilantro? The $1.99 supermarket bundles don’t cost that much but it all adds up over time. If you want to save money, have fun, and very little work, an herb garden is the answer. Lots of books about herb gardens have beautiful photographs of herbs set out in geometric parterres bordered with box or some such, but that elegance takes work to maintain. My…
B is for Buttonbush, more properly known as Cephalanthus occidentalis. I was thrilled to find this native woody shrub which will grow to about eight to ten feet because it is not only wet tolerant, it has been known to live on river banks where the water often rises enough so that the buttonbush is actually growing in the water. My garden is periodically inundated for days at a time after rain. However, I am trying to…
A is for achillea, a wonderful perennial that has an ancient history. It is named after Achilles, the legendary Greek hero. He was the son of the sea goddess Thetis and the mortal king Peleus. Thetis, wanting to make her baby invulnerable dipped him into the River Styx. She had to hold him my his heels which never became wet leaving that spot vulnerable. Hence comes our saying that someone might have a weakness, an ‘Achilles heel.’ The…
Spring has come early, and so has the opening of the Bridge of Flowers. Tiny iris cristata and crocuses are blooming - with more blossoms to come very soon. There was great excitement at our beautiful new Garden House yesterday when Nancy Katz and Mark Liebowitz installed the beautiful stained glass window they designed and created. It is not terribly visible during the day from outside, but in the evenings it will be illuminated from inside. The Garden…
It is easy and fun to start seeds indoors. Seeds are just magical - tiny bits of stuff that can turn into a delicious fruit or vegetable or gorgeous flower with only the help of a little soil, sun and rain. That magic is available to us all. All of us can plant seeds, and wave our magic wands to keep ourselves busy while we watch the magic show produced by Mother Earth, Father Sun and Sister Rain.…
It's spring and I went shopping for Spice Bush. Yesterday, at the Hadley Garden Center I found a Spice Bush with bursting green buds. This Spice Bush, Lindera benzoin, is hardy, takes shade, and gets big, up to 12 feet tall and just as wide. I will plant it next to the fence which a relatively dry spot, but spice bush can also tolerates some wet. One special reason for planting spice bush is that it attracts Spice…
I felt we were ready for the first day of spring when I saw all the pansies from Andrews Greenhouse at the Western Mass Master Gardeners Spring Symposium on Saturday. Lots of vendors selling books and tools and plants! And best of all presenters teaching us all the things we wanted and needed to know about gardening. Keynote speaker Karen Bussolini explained why native plants are so necessary to attracting bugs, and pollinators and birds to our gardens.…