Search results for: 'plants'

  One of the most widely known willows is pussy willow.  The botanical name is Salix discolor and it’s native to North American wetlands. Its catkins are as soft as a kitten’s paws and it’s one of the first plants to signal spring is nigh. The botanical genus for willow plants is Salix and there are about 400 water loving species in the genus. Where I live in Pawling, NY we are situated in the 6,000 acre Great Swamp Watershed, designated as a Class I wetland by the NY State Department of E...

  We spoke with Lisa Ringer of Two Pony Gardens in Long Lake, MN about how she prepares for the dahlia season. Many parts of the country are experiencing a late spring, so her advice on how to lengthen the growing season is particularly relevant this year, even to non-Minnesotans. Here's what she told us, commenting that she has two feet of snow on the ground and it's the middle of April (!)  This is not typical, even for Minnesota. Since Lisa's growing season can be cut short by a mid-Septem...

We interviewed Rochelle Greyere, garden writer and designer, about creative ways she engages her kids in gardening.  Rochelle is also featured in our current catalog for her extensive peony collection, but more on that later. "Plant experiments are an easy way for adults to help their kids continue to connect to the garden as they get older and into the teen years," says Rochelle. "As my kids get older, it is harder to get them to join me for some hands on digging in the dirt - but if they are doin...

  In the process of creating a successful public private partnership between a garden club and a state park in NY, a historic section of the Hudson Valley Highlands was reinvigorated with native plants, and a pollinator community of bees and birds was established. In addition, the contribution of Jane Colden, America’s first female botanist, was given a voice. Colden, who left behind a voluminous manuscript of her botanical notes, with outline drawings of leaves, lived in NY’s Hudson Valley r...

  Michelle Lam’s happiest childhood memories are of sitting in fruit trees eating fruit on her parents’ farm in Hong Kong. Those memories bubbled to the surface when she and her husband and daughter Lily moved to Dutchess County, NY, to ‘put down roots,’ says Michelle. The previous owners of the 7 1/2-acre property they fell in love with had “lots of animals and the soil was great,” says Michelle. Also, the house sits on a hill facing south, so the sun traverses the front of the prope...

[caption id="attachment_2431" align="alignleft" width="300"] Containers made at Stonecrop Gardens[/caption] Hypertufa containers offer the perfect environment for succulents and alpine plants. They're porous and provide a good vessel for the arid, fast draining soil required by these types of plants. They also have an unmistakable charm if you're a pushover for anything made of stone or resembling stone! What is hypertufa? Hypertufa is a manufactured substitute for natural tufa, which is a slowl...

For two years in a row our local land trust has sponsored a milkweed giveaway at our local farmers market. The momentum has grown and this year we had an eager crowd of friends and neighbors waiting to receive their plants. In addition, there were plenty more who did not yet know the value of milkweed and were delighted to learn they could make a contribution to improving our local ecosystem! We contacted two sources for our milkweed plants this year. One source was Monarch Watch, a national organization...

Fall is a great time to plant and divide perennials and shrubs.  This is because, as in Spring, temperatures are cooler and there is usually plenty of rain. If you are in the market for new plants in fall you can usually find sales at garden centers when they are trying to make room for holiday trees and greens. Also, blooming plants will get a head start by being planted the previous fall.  Even if the ground is frozen for much of the time between planting and blooming, roots begin to grow in early sprin...

[caption id="attachment_1009" align="alignright" width="204" caption="Streptocarpella saxorum taken from my aunt’s house in Minnesota"][/caption] There are lots of houseplants which I love, but my favorite would have to be streptocarpella saxorum. The tongue-twisting name alone might dissuade some potential homeowners from growing this plant, but chances are you'll immediately fall in love after seeing it for the first time. It's also quite easy to grow, requires minimal light and maintenance, and it ...