With fall comes an initial blaze of color as the trees turn, followed by a whole lot of brown and gray. Luckily we have a gorgeous plant for fall color: Winterberry holly, or Ilex verticillata if you like botanical names. …
If you’re looking for a funky little accent plant, Pieris japonica is a great choice, and the variety ‘Mountain Fire’ seems to do pretty well in northern Virginia. What’s also important is that the deer don’t seem to want to…
This is a boxwood I specify a fair bit. Why? Scale. Justin Brouwer stays tight and compact. The ones in the profile picture were taken at the home of the grower’s relative. They were planted over twenty-five years ago, if…
This is actually a fairly under-utilized plant, which is a darn shame. I love the Chinese Fringe Tree (chionanthus virginicus), partly because it’s just so unusual that its blooms stop people in their tracks. The best advice I can give…
Everyone and their brother does a favorite plant, plant of the week, etc. I decided to change it up a little and present the plants a little differently. I used to love the detailed background info that came with my…
While I was driving around today, I kept hearing a commercial for one of the big box home improvement stores, advertising a special on Knockout (R) roses. In the ad, they talk about how easy they are to care for,…