What will be the first plants out of the snow? The answer is a native plant generating so much heat that it melts the snow around it in order to emerge — Eastern skunk cabbage! In fact, a pollinating fly is attracted to the pollen in the emerging skunk cabbage “flower,” and from there, our…
White oak leaves Recently I was asked to identify an oak at the edge of a woodland where a new house had been built. This was a woods tree, with whitish bark somewhat resembling a hickory tree: clearly a white oak. Another clue was the rounded lobes on the leaves. The Latin name for white…
Recently I read the Boston Sunday Globe article about a field of 3,000 sunflowers that artist Euka Holmes has planted in front of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. What a great idea to take advantage of the full sun and bring a smile to the faces of passersby! And another artist, Elizabeth James-Perry, has surrounded the…
This Asian dogwood comes into bloom in early June. It is resistant to many pests and diseases, including the anthracnose virus that has impacted our native white and pink dogwood trees. The bark of its trunk features exfoliated patches that provide year-round interest. Heart-shaped, dark green leaves are tough enough to withstand the summer heat. There are many…
May 1 is an annual public holiday in France (Labour Day) and other countries around the world. A symbol of this event is the fragrant Lily of the Valley flower, blooming around that time. In 1560, Charles IX of France was presented with Lily of the Valley flowers as a good luck token. In appreciation, he decided…
This native grass quite literally jumps out of the snow with bright green, hairlike foliage. It makes a great lawn substitute, gradually spreading and filling in from small potted plants. Or use it as an accent among other low native flowering plants such as American ginger, American pachysandra, or Meehan’s mint. In earliest spring, we quickly shear back…
What could be better winter interest in the snowy landscape than a lovely evergreen? We’re all conscious that the deer population has been gradually increasing in our area. These two plant suggestions are not preferred by deer! And while not native to the Northeast, they are perfectly hardy in our region and harmonize well with other native plants…
Now that the leaves have fallen, we notice any scrap of color outside our windows! Shrubby dogwoods offer stems of yellow, red or coral as a means of photosynthesizing during winter. By spring, these stems will magically turn dark again as the new leaf buds emerge. There are newer, more compact cultivars for smaller gardens that remain…
Looking around the garden, I notice that many native plants are vigorous despite the drought! Here are just a few: Solomon’s Seal – Polygonatum biflorum A staple of the shade garden, Solomon’s Seal blooms in May with dangling white bell-shaped flowers on an arched stem. In fall, leaves turn a lovely golden yellow. This plant…
I was thrilled to learn recently that the native rose mallow, Hibiscus moscheutos, is returning to the shores of the Charles River! This plant is reclaiming space once taken by the invasive purple loosestrife. Now that the release of a beetle that eats the loosestrife has been successful in our area, native plants like this can return…