We recently had a question as to whether black-eyed- Susan is a perennial, a short lived perennial or a biennial. For some gardeners the clumps come back every year, grow bigger and eventually require division. For other gardeners the plants will reseed but the plant never seems to get bigger but there are always black-eyed-Susans...

Muhly Grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) As fall approaches plants go on sale. The lower prices give us the opportunity to take chances with plants that are questionable for our area or the situation in which we wish to grow them. We will be experimenting with a new one this fall. There is a section on the...

  Old Man’s Beard Clematis virginiana For those of you who are native plant enthusiasts there is a native version of Clematis terniflora. It is Clematis virginiana or virgin’s bower, also known as old man’s beard. This whimsical common name comes from the fluffy white seed pods that form in in the fall.  This plant...

    Is your garden well weeded, thoroughly mulched and nary a plant that does not have a tag with its proper name inscribed upon it? You don’t know what you are missing!  I looked out the window last week and saw that a 6 foot azalea bush had suddenly sprouted numerous panicles of white...

    Monarda punctata L. Spotted bee balm, horsemint or Monarda punctata L. call it what you will but by any name it in an interesting addition to the garden. I picked mine up as a seedling at the Shaver’s Creek native plant sale. I wasn’t really expecting to see it this year as it...