Although not used as commonly as its shrubbier cousins, the climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala spp. petiolaris) is definitely one of the more impressive members of the Hydrangea family. Stretching to over 75 feet in some cases, climbing hydrangeas are deciduous…
Greenspire Linden (Tilia cordata ‘Greenspire’), a cultivar of Little Leaf Linden, is basically the renaissance tree of city living. Although constrained somewhat by its sizeable proportions (it can reach up to 50 feet in height), Greenspires can not only tolerate,…
Although Otto Luyken laurel (Prunus laurocerasus ‘Otto Luyken’) are well-liked and extremely popular with landscape professionals (they make great evergreen foundation shrubs and hedges), these background beauties are less familiar to the general public because they’re not exactly flashy. They…
When the Thunderhead Pine (Pinus thunbergii ‘Thunderhead’) grows, it can look a bit like the creature from the black lagoon crawling out of the pond to eat you. But in a good way! I swear. The multi-lobed mounded form is…
A tough competitor for the ever-popular golden drama queen Forsythia, in terms of bright yellow color, Winter Jasmine (Jasminium nudiflorum) is a slender deciduous shrub with arching evergreen shoots and dark green leaves that produces clusters of beautiful yellow flowers…
Remember that little rumor about impatiens? That there is something out there bent on tracking down, torturing, and destroying all traces of the genus? Well, not exactly, but there is something that’s keeping some of our more commonly used colorful little…
It’s bold, has great crimson fall color, and it’s beautiful. And did I mention BOLD? Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) is not a shrub for the timid or faint of heart. With eight-inch long leaves shaped, not surprisingly, like an oak’s…
Sassafras trees smell like Fruit Loops. No, SERIOUSLY, they do. Scratch their bark or rub a leaf between your fingers, and a sugary, sweet smell that evokes memories of Kellogg’s cereal and brightly colored toucans will permeate your immediate surroundings.…
The American Pussy Willow (Salix discolor) is a plant that is near and dear to my heart. Perhaps, it is because the Pussy Willow is one of the very first harbingers of spring. Every year I wait with baited breath…
