I could be tempted to use this plant just for the fun of saying it’s name – Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (ark-toh-STAF-i-los u-VA er-SI) or one of it’s common names, kinnikinnick. It’s like I am Jane Fonda in Dancing with the Wolves. Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, commonly known as bearberry, is a low-growing shrub native to North America and … Read more
Some have an affinity for the tiny sweetness of the diminutive, but I (and my kin) seem to obsess over the monstrous, huge, and gross enormity of the gigantea plants. Colocasia gigantea, a little girl and a little dog – showing how big gigantea plants can actually be. image from Brian’s Botanicals (where you can … Read more
This past weekend has been a blur. We had a symposium on trees at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens followed by a propagation workshop the next day. Dr. Michael Dirr (author of the indispensible reference book – Dirr’s Encyclopedia of Trees and shrubs) was our distinguished guest speaker. If you’ve had the good fortune to spend … Read more
Aspen trees (Populus tremuloides) have always been my favorite, likely due to my proud Colorado childhood. Do you recall the questionnaires you used to give your friends to fill out during your elementary school days? What is your favorite color? (me: green or blue). What is your favorite car? (me: Lamborghini – because that is … Read more
I’ve been reworking a planting scheme for a commercial project that I want to share with you. It is a huge area (as in multiple city blocks long). My team and I have been managing these beds for years, so we have a good idea of what will work and what won’t. Currently, we have … Read more
This week, I am in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, for the International Plant Trials Conference at Longwood Gardens. I came to learn about how different gardens formally trial plants and to glean many new plants for the gardens of Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. Speaking of CMBG, we have a ton of exciting things going on in Boothbay, … Read more
Hopefully, the title of this post has piqued your interest. What exactly do these three things have to do with one another, you ask? Today, we started planting 23,000 bulbs at Coastal Maine for a wonderful spring display. This is the biggest number of bulbs that we have ever planted in the fall. At the end … Read more
I’ve been flirting with Amsonia for years. I can’t remember where we were the first time it caught my eye. It might have been a moment in a book or a magazine, but those ethereal mounds of yellow needle-like leaves with a texture like no other were definitely giving me the ‘come hither’ look. I … Read more
If you have ever been up close and personal with a katsura tree (Cercidiphyllum japonicum), you’ve probably noticed that smell. Is it cotton candy (or do you call it candy floss tree?), or maybe it is the scent of brown sugar? Burnt sugar? Caramel? I’m going to call it the sweet scent of fall. As … Read more
Gardening doesn’t have to be expensive – especially if you are strategic and patient. That means taking the time to think ahead and plant seeds in the fall to enjoy next spring. I’ve calculated that for less than twenty dollars, you can have a garden full of these five beautiful plants (Cheap and chic gardening at its … Read more