Plant Profiles

Not all Milkweeds Deserve the Group’s Bad Rap.

This viburnum’s berries turn a variety of shades, including pink.

Unless you pulled a mini Rip Van Winkle over the last four years, you’ve watched a revolution take place in the genus Echinacea. We now enjoy orange and peach petals, sweet fragrance and more. From where did these extreme echinaceas come? Here’s a brief history.

Looking for a plant that can hold its own?

An Alaskan gardener’s thoughts on this classic, flower.

Look past the familiar bedding annuals for a host of exciting options

My notion of the perfect flower garden was formed early in life. I took it directly from a fanciful illustration of an English cottage garden in my nursery-rhyme book.  I recall being enchanted by the towering spires of blue blooms—probably delphiniums, but possibly ladybells—before which Mistress Mary flounced contrarily down her garden path…

Today we have available from nurseries a number of other species and their hybrids that offer not only sweet-smelling blooms but splendid habit and leaves that stay fresh and healthy all summer. Some of them also color handsomely in autumn…

Right now a visit to my favorite garden center sits high on my agenda. I’m in search of plants that dazzle in the spring, some luscious colors, great foliage, and unusual shapes—a bit of horticultural “bling.” If I choose the right jewels, the garden will look even better next year…

Invasive species alter the structure and function of ecosystems and displace native plants. When we design a landscape, aesthetics often rule our choices, but it is equally important to consider each plant’s potential to invade…

In his series on invasive plants, C. Colston Burrell discusses many plants that can take over the landscape. Here he provides two lists of additional plants to be wary of…