Regular readers of this blog already know I am a fan of using native plants whenever possible. Mind you, I have nothing against exotic plants (non-natives) and have quite a few in my garden growing quite happily alongside my native plants. But, I do find that more and more often, when I am looking for a specific plant [...]
Archive for the ‘Gardening in Connecticut’ Category
Garden Smackdown Native Plant Challenge
Posted in Gardening in Connecticut, Natives, Sustainable Gardening, tagged Garden Smackdown Native Plant Challenge on March 17, 2010 | 3 Comments »
New Shrubs for 2010
Posted in Gardening in Connecticut, Plant Possibilities, Zone 6 gardening, tagged Bloomerang reblooming lilac, Garden Writers Association, Invincibelle Spirit hydrangea, Lo & Behold buddleia, new shrubs for 2010 on February 19, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Recently I attended New England Grows, a regional trade expo for green industry professionals. In addition to seeing lots of inspiring products and attending some worthwhile educational seminars, I attended my first Garden Writers Association luncheon. In addition to meeting and networking with other garden writers, we were treated to a preview of some of Proven Winners newest shrub introductions for [...]
Connecticut Native Trees and Shrubs
Posted in Deer-resistant, Gardening in Connecticut, Natives, tagged Amelanchier canadensis, American Holly, Clethra alnifolia, CT Botanical Society, Hamamelis virginianarborescens, Hydrangea aCommon Witchhazel, Ilex glabra, Ilex opaca, Inkberry, Low Bush Blueberry, nativar, native shrubs for Connecticut, native trees for Connecticut, Plant Native, Serviceberry, Smoothleaf Hydrangea, Summersweet, Vaccinium angustifolium on January 23, 2010 | 7 Comments »
Gardening with native plants is an important step towards sustainable landscaping, in part because native plants use fewer resources than non-native plants. Over thousands of years, native plants have adapted to not only tolerate but thrive in typical regional growing conditions. When sited and planted correctly, native plants do not require much, if any, additional fungicides, [...]
Foliage Follow-Up
Posted in Gardening in Connecticut, tagged Carex oshimensis ‘Evergold’, Foliage Follow-Up, Leucothoe fonatanesiana 'Rainbow', nandina Harbor Dwarf on January 16, 2010 | 11 Comments »
Thanks to Joene over at joenesgarden, I have just learned about a new opportunity to post photos of my garden – it’s called Foliage Follow-Up (FFU). The inspiration for FFU comes from Pam at Digging . Pam started FFU to give ‘foliage as well as bark, berries, and other non-flowering features a day of celebration. FFU falls on the [...]
Welcoming Winter
Posted in Gardening in Connecticut, tagged doublefile viburnum, First day of winter 2009, Limelight hydrangea, pictures of garden in winter on December 20, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Winter officially begins tomorrow, December 21st, but yesterday Mother Nature gave us an early taste of what’s to come. Here in Stamford, CT, we got off pretty easy with only 5″ of snow from the massive storm that dumped three to four times that amount in other parts of the state. I was out taking [...]
Marvelous Mahonia aquifolium
Posted in Deer-resistant, Gardening in Connecticut, Zone 6 gardening, tagged deer resistant shrub, Mahonia aquifolium, Mahonia aquifolium 'Apollo', Mahonia aquifolium 'Compactum', Mahonia aquifolium 'Smaragd', shade tolerant evergreen shrub on December 16, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Here is southwestern Connecticut (zone 6), Mahonia aquifolium (Oregon Grapeholly) is definitely a relative unknown. A native to the Pacific northwest and much of Canada, it is worthy of a place in shady gardens throughout zones 4 – 8, especially if you have deer browsing in your garden.
Oregon grapeholly has large, glossy evergreen leaves that resemble those [...]
Additions to Connecticut’s Invasive Plant List
Posted in Gardening in Connecticut, tagged Connecticut invasisve plant list, Oriental Lady's thumb, porcelainberry, slender snake root on December 11, 2009 | 1 Comment »
At its November meeting, the Connecticut Invasive Plants Council (CIPC) upgraded three plants from ‘Potentially Invasive’ status to ‘Invasive’ status on Connecticut’s Invasive Plant List. The three plants are:
Porcelainberry (Ampelopsis brevipedunculata (Maxim.) Trautv.) - This woody vine is a rapid grower (up to 15 feet in one season) that quickly forms a dense mat of vegetation smothering almost [...]
Planting to Save on Energy Costs
Posted in Gardening in Connecticut, Landscape Design, Zone 6 gardening, tagged how to plant a windbreak, planting a windbreak, saving money on energy costs, saving money with landscaping on December 7, 2009 | 4 Comments »
Properly selected and sited landscaping can save you money on heating costs by providing efficient wind protection, or windbreaks. And don’t forget, the benefits from a living windbreak will increase as the trees and shrubs mature.
A windbreak works by lowering the wind chill near your home. Wind chill occurs when the wind speed lowers the outside air temperature. [...]
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