Author Archives: Meghan Shinn

Ornamental Grasses for a Small Garden Space

July 21, 2018 | Meghan Shinn | 0

Santa Fe garden designer Donna Bone recommended these five ornamental grasses as excellent options for creating soft texture and movement in the summer and autumn garden.

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Corydalis lutea Brings Sunny Color to Shade Gardens

July 14, 2018 | Meghan Shinn | 0

Virtues: Corydalis lutea, or yellow corydalis, adds soft texture to the garden with its fern-like foliage. Its frothy bright yellow flowers appear in late spring and can continue through the summer. This perennial’s tolerance of shade makes it a good …

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Inca Joli Alstroemeria Warms the Garden with Red Flowers

July 7, 2018 | Meghan Shinn | 0

Virtues: Inca Joli alstroemeria is the perfect warm-color flowering perennial for the garden or containers. It boasts a bushy, full, upright habit and nonstop scarlet-and-orange flowers. Its compact (20-inch) size makes it easy to mix into the flower border or …

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Globe Amaranth Flowers All Summer in Gardens and Pots

June 30, 2018 | Meghan Shinn | 0

Virtues: Globe amaranth is an annual flowering plant long popular in cutting gardens, cottage gardens and pollinator-friendly gardens. It bears curious spherical blooms all summer long. These are plentiful enough to provide for many fresh or dried flower arrangements without …

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Colocasia Esculenta, or Elephant Ear, for the Garden

June 23, 2018 | Meghan Shinn | 0

Virtues: Elephant ear is a tropical plant that produces large leaves that quite obviously inspire its common name. (There are several plants that go by “elephant ear,” but here we’re talking about Colocasia esculenta). Elephant ear has a few demands, …

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Plant Allium Blue Eddy for Its Flowers and Foliage

June 16, 2018 | Meghan Shinn | 0

Virtues: Allium Blue Eddy is a clumping allium that provides fun, rounded purple flower heads in late summer. These are attractive to bees and butterflies. However, unlike bulbous alliums, Blue Eddy offers prolonged interest from spring to fall with its …

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Sedum Pure Joy Is a Perfect Edging Plant

June 9, 2018 | Meghan Shinn | 0

Virtues: Sedum Pure Joy is a drought-tolerant perennial that makes a perfect edging alongside the flower garden, rock garden or in a large mixed container. It offers the handsome, succulent foliage and puffy late-summer flowers we expect from tall sedums …

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Geranium Dark Reiter Offers Unique Dusky Foliage

June 2, 2018 | Meghan Shinn | 0

Virtues: ‘Dark Reiter’ is a variety that offers all we’ve come to enjoy about hardy geraniums: vibrant summer flowers, ease of care and ground-covering ability. However ‘Dark Reiter’ goes a step further with its dusky-colored foliage, which makes a beautiful …

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Key Window-Box Tips for Growing Success

May 31, 2018 | Meghan Shinn | 2

When you’re looking for window-box tips think about these three things: 1) how to choose the right type of box; 2) selecting the right plants that will thrive in the window box, and 3) how you will keep the boxes watered. Follow these tips for success when you’re planning and planting window boxes.+-+

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Enchanted Indigo Is a Compact Veronica for the Sunny Garden

May 29, 2018 | Meghan Shinn | 0

Virtues: Enchanted Indigo veronica has a shorter, more compact size than other veronicas, making it a good choice for the front of the flower garden. It has spiky flowers in a deep, dark shade of purple-blue and it can thrive …

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Hosta Island Breeze Brightens the Shade Garden

May 22, 2018 | Meghan Shinn | 0

Virtues: Hosta Island Breeze features bold foliage that brightens any garden area with its bright gold color in spring. It continues to contribute color and substance throughout the summer. This hosta’s thick leaves are resistant to damage from pests.