Create a more "exotic" native garden with these lesser-known regional beauties, shared in vivid color, from The New England Wildflower Society.
Add these easy-growing native northeast plants to your garden for lots of low-maintenance color through the seasons.
Do you grow native asters? If so, you can collect the seeds to save for next year’s garden. Learn how easy it is to become a seed saver on Gardener’s Path.
Kalmia latifolia is often overlooked garden shrub especially for woodland landscapes. Mountain laurel growing notes from New England gardens.
Our monthly gardening calendar is a guide for gardeners living in the Northeast to follow throughout the year. These tasks will help you keep your garden healthy and thriving!
I've grown, divided and propagated dozens of New England Aster plants for over 5 years. I will teach you all you need to successfully grow this plant!
Although this unusual plant is not native to New England Bitter Dock or Rumex obtusifolius after it was introduced to New England spread to wetlands, meadows, and fields as well on to the shorelines of rivers and lakes. Native Americans found several interesting uses for this plant. About Bitter Dock This perennial herb is a member of the Polygonaceae family and is easily recognizable by its broad wavy oval leaves that have rounded tips and cordate bases. They are similar to basal leaves. Some of the bottom leaves have red stems. The flowers bloom in Connecticut from June to October and the seeds ripen from July through October. The flowers cluster in whorls at the top of the plant and each branch has ten to twenty-five flowers that are light green to pink in color. The seeds have sharp spines and pollinate by the wind. Bitter Dock can grow up to three feet tall. They prefer shady areas with moist soil. Medicinal Uses The Chippewa used an infusion of the root as a dermatological aid to treat skin eruptions on children. The Delaware and the Oklahoma had two uses for an infusion of the root as a blood purifier and to treat jaundice. The Iroquois made a compound decoction of the roots and used this to treat blood disorders and, it was also used as a contraceptive. A decoction of the root was given to children to treat whooping cough. Did you Know... Young leaves are edible fresh or cooked and get more bitter the older they are. Because the flowers are wind-pollinated they do not attract insects. They do attract a number of birds that help spread the seeds to new areas. In folklore, it is said that touching bitter dock is an antidote to a nettle sting. In the 1959 Weeds Act, this plant was named one of the five injurious weeds because it proliferated in pasture land.
The health benefits of goldenrod are like many herbs: antifungal, diuretic, diaphoretic. The actions to the kidneys, skin, and allergies are impressive!
Reading Bill Noble’s new book—Spirit of Place: The Making of a New England Garden—about the creation of his garden in Vermont—was both insightful and a delight. The book is very much about landscape and the ways in which spirit of place lives in the land.
I'm adding Amsonia to my New England garden. Amsonia Hubrictii? Amsonia Tabernaemontana? or another variety? which is the best one to add?
Do you grow native asters? If so, you can collect the seeds to save for next year’s garden. Learn how easy it is to become a seed saver on Gardener’s Path.
Steep banks and slopes are particularly challenging for most gardeners. Often difficult to access, poor and sandy, they are prone to erosion, soil drying and tend to be overrun with weeds. Be
You can count on these cold-hardy perennials to take a polar vortex or two in stride and come back strong in the spring.
by Ellen Sousa and Russ Cohen Edible gardening generally brings to mind beds of lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, melons, and other foods with origins in distant continents. As natives of often...
In preparation for designing our parking lot gardens, CMBG horticulturist and landscape designer Jen Dunlap researched forest restoration and studied...
This ravishing mixed border brings a cheerful splash of color in the late summer and fall garden. Combine the golden blossoms of Goldenrod (Solidago rugosa) and glowing Brown-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia triloba) with clouds of rich purple New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae) and you will brilliantly celebrate the coming of fall.
I paid another visit to the Mount Auburn Cemetery Wildflower Meadow last week and I was floored by the intensity of the blooming. While it...
Swedish garden designer Annika Zetterman, author of , brings to life gardens that seamlessly extend the natural Swedish landscape. For clients on the islan
These perennials can live for many years without needing much maintenance from you.
Northeast gardeners face unique conditions—cold winters and humid, hot summers. Here are 10 flowers that are ideal for gardens in the Northeast.
Create a more "exotic" native garden with these lesser-known regional beauties, shared in vivid color, from The New England Wildflower Society.
Vernonia lettermannii - Lettermans' Narrowleaf Ironweed is the native plant I didn't know I needed or would love so much.
Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a retail nursery located in Bryn Mawr, PA, specializing in showy, colorful, and unusual plants for shade. The only plants that we ship are snowdrops and miniature hostas…
These perennials can live for many years without needing much maintenance from you.
Learn how to create watering stations for pollinators in your yard or garden and provide essential hydration for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. Help contribute to a healthier ecosystem right from your own backyard.
Australia is the driest inhabited continent, a fact that might scare off some gardeners. Not David Glenn. Two decades ago Glenn, a nurseryman from England
Add a splash of color to your autumn garden with cheerful New England aster. Learn how to plant and grow this native perennial now on Gardener’s Path.
Small trees can still pack a big punch in your landscape. Whether you've got a modest-size yard or are just filling in larger spaces, these varieties will fit in perfectly.
We are fortunate to live in a country with a unique flora. Here are 15 tips to help you create your own stunning native garden.
Starting from scratch on this northern NSW property, garden designer Carolyn Robinson has created an all-Australian garden with a New England twist.
Create a more "exotic" native garden with these lesser-known regional beauties, shared in vivid color, from The New England Wildflower Society.
Change fills earth and sky cold fronts float full above hills pails of moisture fall flora and fauna season palette rendering bright movement flows thick Within the gardens magical animation flurry of flutter feasting frenzy flux asters sway within the breeze Monarch sustenance Bold orange accents floating over southern field southward migration Wild asters glow honey light amber flowing fleeting autumn days It is 'Wildflower Wednesday' over at Gail's Clay and Limestone. This is also a contribution for Katarina's Blooming Friday for Monarchs LOVE asters! It has been so amazing in the gardens with all the Monarch butterflies. I have never seen so many on one plant in my gardens. I am certain there were well over one hundred each day this week all about the gardens on the sunny days. Many if not most of these featured butterflies I believe emerged here at Flower Hill Farm, for they are so fresh and I know too well how tattered their wings become in no time. I still have two chrysalises that will emerge in a few days. This is a monarch way station too and so I guess I can never know for sure which are just migrating through here or may have lived here as caterpillars. In any case it is a joy to be with them. The butterflies are more concentrated right now on two clumps of asters right behind the farmhouse. Other Monarchs are more scattered about the south field. This experience refocuses the image I had years ago when visiting the over wintering sites in Mexico, where I saw thousands streaming down a mountain side and watched in amazement as the bright orange stream turned right in front of me and floated off down a narrow dirt road. I was so close to them and that made it more magical than even seeing many thousands hanging from the far away trees higher up in the boreal forest. I wish you all could have been here with me to share this enchanting encounter. I am glad I have these images to share.
