What are those plants? Culpeper County has been working hard to plant Virginia native plants around the county, so I made that a focus of this design. Here’s the plant list: Willow Oak, Quercus phellosSt. Johns Wort, Hypericum spp.Virginia Sweetspire, Itea virginica ‘Henry’s Garnet‘Joe Pye Weed, Eupatorium purpureum ‘Baby Joe’Blue False Indigo, Baptisia australis How […]

The usual common name for Pieris japonica ‘Mountain Fire’ is Japanese Andromeda, which I will not use. I’ve never heard a homeowner call it “Andromeda”. I’ve heard pieris, I’ve heard japonica – that one’s fun, since there are a gazillion plants that are blahblah japonica – but never andromeda. Now you kids get off my […]

When I say “holly” it probably puts a very specific image in your mind: bright green, shiny leaves with lots of jagged edges, and bright red berries too. Compact Inkberry Holly (Ilex glabra ‘Compacta’) is different, with its dark green leaves and dark bluish purple berries. Inkberries are American native shrubs. They also tolerate wet […]