In March you cut down the perennials in anticipation of this — the first green shadows pushing through the mulch. Now it's time to sit back and enjoy... more »

March means cleanup in the garden. It's also a great month to be in the yard, as you won't be tripping over dead plant stems. So get in there and add the ornamental elements you've been missing, such as grasses... more »

We're on the very cusp of gardening season, and if you're eager there's plenty to do. But if you're a lazy gardener, like me, you don't have to do anything in the soil just yet. February is the perfect time to get some major architectural work done in... more »

Here we go! It's the dawn of a new year, and the sun is already getting higher. If dreams of sugarplums danced in your head recently, now the visions are of Blazingstar... more »

I bet you’re starting to miss the garden just a little bit. You’d give anything to feel dirt under your nails. Even a fresh scratch from a maple branch would be somehow sweet. Just as in love, it’s about the anticipation, and winter is the time... more »

If you’re like me you, you feel conflicted about the November garden: one part of you would like to get outside and grab some fresh air, the other part of you is tired at the end of the gardening season. Lucky us — there are small yet important things... more »

Between you and me, no other season comes close to beating fall. Maybe it's because when I was 10, my family moved to Minnesota in late summer, and my first experiences in that new place were in deliciously cold, damp woods in autumn. The chill, the sweet... more »

I’m a teacher, and school always starts in August — way too early. In the Central Plains, that means you’ve got about a month of sweating in your casual dress outfits and being totally confused as to what season it is, especially when your... more »

You want a shrub in that dry corner, but no shrub will work. You want something that looks different. You want superlow maintenance. I've got just the right perennial for you: Baptisia is a quick-growing, uniquely blooming wildflower native to areas from... more »

A cottage garden favorite, this easy-care perennial has it all. Whether you need an attractive alternative to hostas for your shade garden, a unique foliage... more »

Folks are always lamenting that they have few flowers both late in the growing season and early. Well, I can solve the latter with pasque flower, a clumping, slowly expanding native flower that's ahead of the game every April. more »

River birch (Betula nigra) is a one of the best trees for year-round interest. With its multicolored papery bark that peels away from the trunk, this North American native species is a great choice for a driveway entrance, backyard habitat or woodland... more »

The Eupatorium genus has a plant for everyone. From purple to magenta to white blooms, from gold leaves to green leaves, from short to gargantuan forms, you just can't go wrong. In winter the taller species provide fantastic architecture that birds... more »

I first started using Culver's root for kicks — I wanted something different. Thanks to its candelabra blooms adored by butterflies, good yellow fall color and carefree growing, I've come to adore this Midwest native and consider it a staple design... more »