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Spring Equinox 2010

Mar 7, 2010 1:16am

The spring equinox for 2010 falls on March 20. What is the significance of this day? Well, as Larry West says in an article on the spring equinox, "equinox" is Latin for "equal night" (as in daylight hours and nighttime hours being equal). Says Larry: "The idea is that on...

March To-Do List for the Yard

Mar 6, 2010 12:55am

March has arrived, and I know that I'll need to turn my attention now to cleaning up the yard and getting my plants ready for the growing season. I'll undertake these tasks with a smile, as their performance is essentially a rite of spring (Oh, that word has a wonderful...

Flora of Floras

Mar 5, 2010 12:19am

Plant books in the West evolved from the florilegia composed during the periods of discovery and exploration to the floras of the Enlightenment. Europe's upper classes had eagerly collected strange plants from the New World, etc. and showed off images of them in "florilegia." But in the Enlightenment, "floras" began...

Fast-Growing Shrubs

Mar 4, 2010 12:33am

In a prior post, I compared planting fall-blooming perennials in spring to making an investment, noting that it wouldn't "pay off" for several months. But one could extend the analogy to all sorts of landscaping plants: At one end of the spectrum are annuals, which are rather like cash At the other...

Dwarf Trees

Mar 3, 2010 12:32am

Dwarf trees would seem, at first glance, to be at a definite disadvantage in any PR struggle with their taller cousins. After all, we're so used to looking up (literally!) to those gentle giants with admiration. For many people, the word "trees" is almost synonymous with tall "shade trees." But sometimes,...

Wolf Tree

Mar 2, 2010 12:41am

As a follow-up to my autumn travels on Route 66 from start to finish, I decided that the 1960s TV series Route 66 would be must viewing for me over the winter (even though few of the episodes deal directly with the highway, Route 66). After the DVD set arrived...

Pictures of Outdoor Easter Decorations

Mar 1, 2010 12:30am

OK, so outdoor Easter decorations aren't nearly as popular as their Halloween and Christmas counterparts. But I'll tell you what: In my neck of the woods, the landscape could use some color right now. As these pictures will show, outdoor Easter decorations inject some much-needed color into the yard. And...

Maltese Cross

Feb 28, 2010 12:39am

Maltese cross is the type of perennial that gardeners interested in tradition tend to collect. A plant with a storied past, Maltese cross is an old-time favorite that has been grown for centuries for its bright red color. This plant's flower structure can bear a resemblance to those Maltese cross symbols...

St. Patrick's Day 2010

Feb 27, 2010 12:28am

I think of Groundhog Day, Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day as the three stepping stones along the path to spring. We've already left two of them in the dust; and St. Patrick's Day 2010 looms on the horizon, less than three weeks away. For those of you who...

Plant "Form" and "Texture" Explained in Pictures

Feb 26, 2010 12:52am

You may wonder what seemingly abstract terms like plant "form" and "texture" have to do with improving the look of your yard. You may object that you're not painting a masterpiece, after all; you're just putting plants in the ground. Yet it is not coincidental that landscape design shares some...