A plant native to eastern North America, Little Bluestem, Schizachyrium scoparium, and its cultivars have been named by the Perennial Plant Association as their Perennial Plant of the Year for 2022. Here is the description from the PPA: “Summer through fall, the slender leaves and stems of little bluestem are an ever-changing [Continue]
You’ve probably seen Jerusalem artichokes growing in roadside ditches or along trails and not known that there was a delicious edible vegetable growing below ground. These 6’-9’ tall plants are in the sunflower family and produce bright yellow late summer flowers about 4” in diameter. The leaves have a rough, hairy texture and range [Continue]
The Perennial Plant Association has chosen Calamintha nepeta, common name calamint, as its 2021 Perennial Plant of the Year. Calamint boasts a confetti-like cloud of tiny white tubular flowers sometimes touched with blue or lilac. It has a low, mounding, bushy form that grows 18” tall and wide. Both the flowers and the [Continue]
It’s planting time! You might think that a strange beginning for an October article, perhaps more appropriate for May. But there is no mistake. Mid-October is the time to plant bulbs of many spring-bloomers as well as garlic. Perhaps more planting is the last thing you feel like doing at the end of a [Continue]
The Perennial Plant Association has announced Aralia cordata ‘Sun King’ as its choice for 2020 Perennial Plant of the Year. ‘Sun King’ is a high-impact plant that will provide a large, bright pop of color to shade or part-shade gardens. In appearance, it is like a very large spirea, although the stems are [Continue]
The Perennial Plant Association has named Stachys ‘Hummelo’ as its choice for 2019 Perennial Plant of the Year. ‘Hummelo’ is a colorful compact plant for a sunny perennial border, a specimen plant in a rock garden or massed as a ground cover. Striking midsummer spikes of rose-lavender flowers rise above a basal rosette [Continue]
There are many herbs that can help you relax when the holiday shopping, baking, wrapping and planning get to be too much. While it’s too late for this year, three of them are easy to grow and harvest to be ready for next year’s holiday rush. All three can be dried for tea or potpourri [Continue]
Perennial plants, those that live for more than one growing season, typically have short bloom periods. They may last a week or two, perhaps up to a month. The trick is to have a variety of plants in the perennial flower bed so that something is blooming all season long. Here are three plants native [Continue]
Bee balm is a pretty perennial lavender-colored flower native to Wisconsin prairies. It goes by a few other names including monarda, wild bergamot and Oswego tea. The Latin name is Monarda fistulosa. Another native bee balm, Monarda didyma boasts bright scarlet flowers. Lavender bee balm flowers are about three inches across while the scarlet ones [Continue]
Have you noticed a little blue and red “AAS Winner” logo on some of the flower and vegetable photos in mail order nursery catalogs? Have you wondered what that means and how a particular plant earns that designation? AAS stands for All-American Selection. The AAS designation is like the Good Housekeeping Seal of [Continue]