Favorite Plants: Bleeding Heart
Bleeding Heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis, the plant formerly known as Dicentra spectabilis) is one of the highlights of the spring gardening season in our family. Those delicate, dangling pink hearts with their backdrop of ferny foliage are so romantic and old-fashioned looking. I vow every year that I’m going to plant a few more. Hopefully, this...
Best Spring Perennials for Michigan: Bergenia
These gorgeous plants are grown as much for their foliage, which forms a pretty little rosette, and their flowers. Blooming in shades of white, pink, red, and purple, held aloft on sturdy maroon stems, they are a unique addition to the spring garden. Where to Plant Bergenia: Bergenia grows best in full sun to partial...
Summer Blooms: Black-Eyed Susan
In July and August, the cheerful golden blooms of Black-Eyed Susan grace the garden. But before we talk more about them, we need to get something figured out: which Black-Eyed Susan, exactly, do you have in your garden? There are two very different plants that are both commonly called “Black-Eyed Susans,” (one example of why...
Great Plants for Michigan Gardens: Bearded Iris
Bearded irises are the stars of my perennial garden in May. Their tall, frilly blooms and strap-like foliage add a perfect upright element to the garden, and they come in such a huge variety of colors that you are unlikely to ever get bored growing them. Where to Plant Bearded Irises When planting bearded irises,...
How to Transplant Borage
Borage is one of those plants I just NEED to have in my garden. The perfect blue-ness of its blooms (unless you get the occasional errant pink bloom, which happens sometimes, usually after very wet weather, I’ve noticed) and the cucumber-y flavor of the leaves and blossoms makes this a must-grow plant for me. I...
Flower Day at Eastern Market
Be sure to head over to Detroit’s Eastern Market on Sunday May 20th for one of the largest flower shows in the country. Hundreds of growers from across the region will fill the market with over 15-acres of high quality plants.
Wordless Wednesday: Lily of the Valley
I am amazed every year at how fragrant these tiny flowers are!
Spring-Blooming Plants in Our Garden
Michigan winters are long, gray, and (I’ll say it again) long. We need the riot of color that spring brings with it, starved as we are for color and life by the time April rolls around. I haven’t put a ton of effort into my spring garden (being a vegetable garden snob) but I do...
Project 365: Day 3 — Potential
We started planting morning glories along the fence behind our garage because they fill the area, and thrive in this often-overlooked area. It’s a treat to walk behind the garage and be greeted with a beautiful jumble of purple ‘Grandpa Ott’, striking blue ‘Heavenly Blue’, and the magenta tones of a Japanese morning glory...
