I'm not saying I want the kind of bizarre snow that hit Buffalo earlier this year (60+ inches? Nope) but if it's going to be cold and gray, …
Virginia plants
Smells Like Sauvignon Blanc? Why I Love Boxwood
I'm a wine drinker, and I love a good, crisp Sauvignon Blanc. One of the ways people describe Sauv Blanc is to say it smells like boxwood. …
Pros and Cons of Native Plants in the Landscape
This week I got an email from someone interested in hiring me to do a planting plan. One of the things she said that stood out to me was …
Specimen Magnolias-A Few of Our Favorite Varieties
When you think of magnolias, what first comes to mind? The cloud of white dinner plate-sized flowers, shiny evergreen leaves, and hundred …
Lamb’s Ear (The Plant You so DESPERATELY Want to PET)
Today’s plant is Stachys byzantina, more commonly known as Lamb’s Ear, Rabbit’s Ear, or Donkey’s Ear (i.e. pretty much any long-eared furry …
Black Beauty Sambucus (Sambucus nigra ‘Black Beauty’)
There’s a dramatic new look for elderberries, and its name is Black Beauty. No, not the novel by Anna Sewell, or the fictional horse. No …
Variegated Aucuba (Aucuba japonica ‘Variegata’)
Shining, shimmering, splendid… are the gold and white spotted leaves of the variegated Aucuba (Aucuba japonica ‘Variegata’ and similar …
Tricolor Beech (Fagus sylvatica ‘Purpurea tricolor’ or ‘Roseo-Marginata’)
Tree… tree… tree… Green… green… green… Wait, does that tree have pink edges on its leaves? Why yes, I do believe it does! Characterized …
Japanese Plum Yew (Cephalotaxus harringtonia)
Hmmm…. What kind of plant can we put in that deep, dark corner of the yard over there? A question many of us ask ourselves time and time …