Home is where the heart is.
Do not be deceived by other trees using “date palm” in their common names. The only tree that grows dates is the real date palm (Phoenix dactylifera). This palm is regarded as native to North Africa, but grows around the world in dry, warm, frost-free regions in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9…
If you enjoy container gardening but do not have a sunny spot, you can still have colorful blossoms in flower boxes by picking plants that prefer shade. Your choices include tall plants with impressive flowers, bushy specimens that fill space well, trailing plants that cascade over a planter’s border and brief, mat-forming bloomers. Mix and…
The wispy beauty of this palo blanco shrub exerts its capacity to handle the tough growing requirements of the desert, including regions with heat. The attractive foliage of this desert native, along with its distinctive white trunk and peeling bark, leaves the palo blanco a prized addition to the ancestral landscape. The title palo blanco…
When is a lily maybe not a lily? As it turns out, quite frequently. A number of the plants which we call lilies — canna lily, lily of the Nile, daylily and calla lily — are all, in reality, not lilies at all. Although both magnificent, these blossoms belong to distinct plant genus entirely, so…
Apache plume (Fallugia paradoxa) is a gorgeous, lively wild thing that’s certain to make your heart glow. A dizzy bulk of fine-textured branches, ever-blooming white flowers and gaudy plumed seed heads make this native shrub a yearlong advantage for dry landscapes and landscapes. Jocelyn H. Chilvers Botanical name: Fallugia paradoxaCommon name: Apache plumeUSDA zones: 3…
June is a good month in the South; the humidity hasn’t yet arrived (for the most part), these days are long and the children are out of college, placing us in summertime. Our routine has changed — a change that is welcome indeed! Summertime also brings backyard time, fresh-food period and al fresco dining period.…
After two retired educators built their dream house, their property has been basically two acres of mown grass. The couple loved the rustic Maine landscape, and they were not interested in mowing two acres every week. So they called in landscape architect Matthew Cunningham to decrease the maintenance needed and help their house match in…