Articles
Gardening Articles
Research-based horticulture information to help keep your plants and gardens thriving.
Chives, Allium schoenoprasum
Chives are a popular culinary herb in the home garden. This herbaceous perennial can also be used as an ornamental, and is particularly attractive when in bloom. To find out more about this herb, read this article…
Virginia Bluebells, Mertensia virginica
Virginia bluebells are spring blooming herbaceous perennials that disappear for the rest of the year. With pink buds and true pale blue flowers, this plant combines well with daffodils and tulips. Combine with other perennials to hide the spaces left behind when the bluebells go dormant. You can find out a lot more about this native woodland wildflower in this article.
Non-Yellow Daffodils
Everyone recognizes yellow daffodils, but these reliable spring bloomers also come in white and combinations of white, yellow and orange. Shake up your spring bulb palette by considering some of the many non-yellow daffodil cultivars. If you’re ready for something other than yellow, check out the possibilities in this article…
Aztec Lily, Sprekelia formosissima
With bold red flowers, Aztec lily is a dramatic “summer bulb” to consider growing this year. This tender perennial can be grown as a houseplant or planted in the ground once the soil has warmed. To learn more about this Mexican native, read this article…
Arkansas or Thread-leaf Blue Star, Amsonia hubrichtii
Amsonia hubrichtii has been chosen by the Perennial Plant Association as their Plant of the Year 2011. With blue flowers in spring and bright foliage that really shines in the fall, this plant is a great addition to both formal and informal gardens. You can find out a lot more by reading this article…
Bleeding Heart, Lamprocapnos (Dicentra) spectabilis
Bleeding Hearts are an old-fashioned perennial suitable for light shade areas in Wisconsin gardens and landscapes. Learn more about growing this dependable early flowering perennial in this article.
Chenille Plant, Acalypha hispida
Chenille, the French word for caterpillar, refers to a type of yarn with a characteristic texture and appearance that is echoed in the pendulous blossoms of the tropical plant Acalypha hispida, leading to it’s common name of chenille plant. If you want to know more about this exotic species grown as a houseplant or seasonal annual in our part of the world, read this article…
Zinnias
The National Garden Bureau has declared 2011 the “Year of the Zinnia”. Among the easiest flowers to grow, these annuals come in a wide range of colors, heights and flower types. It may be hard to choose from the hundreds of cultivars and hybrids. To learn which ones I particularly like, read this article…
Horseradish, Armoracia rusticana
Every year the International Herb Association chooses one plant that is used as an herb to highlight. For 2011 this plant is horseradish, a plant long used as a condiment. To learn more about this tough herb, read this article…
Golden Trumpet, Allamanda cathartica
Looking for a flowering tropical plant to enliven a really bright corner of your house or sunroom? Allamanda cathartica is an attractive landscape ornamental in tropical locations, but can also be grown as a houseplant or seasonal outdoor plant in colder climates. To learn more about this “golden” plant, read this article…
Tradescantia zebrina
Tradescantia zebrina is a popular houseplant grown for its variegated foliage. This tender perennial native to southern Mexico and Guatemala can also be used as a seasonal groundcover or trailing accent in containers. To learn more about this tough plant in the spiderwort family, read this article…
Golden Creeping Jenny, Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea'
There are plenty of green groundcovers, but not as many that offer the interesting contrast of golden foliage. The leaves of Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea’ vary from lime green to brassy gold, depending on light exposure. This vigorous, very low grower is useful in containers as a trailing plant or to fill in around larger perennials. Learn more about this cultivar by checking out this article…
