Serenity in the Garden

Polygonatum odoratum ‘Variegatum’ Variegated Solomon’s Seal was the   2013 Perennial Plant of the Year . It is deer resistant and loves shade. It flowers in spring. It is a shady woodland gem... Variegated Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum odoratum ‘Variegatum’) grows 18 to 24 inches tall and tolerates full-shade. It is a great companion plant to hostas, brunnera, dicentra, ferns, and astilbes.  The sweet fragrance of its small, bell-shaped white flowers will enhance your walk along a pathway on a spring morning. And you can use its variegated foliage in spring floral arrangements. And finally, this all-season shade lover offers yellow fall foliage color. photo by George Weigel It will spread by rhizomes to form colonies.  Increase by dividing clumps every two to three years. photo by Rush Creek growers Below are all of the Perennial Plants of the Year since the beginning of the program in 1990. Click on the name for more info o...

Do you garden in a dry area?  I love this teaching approach by Olivier Filippi. 1: Salvia chamaedryoides 2: Rhodanthemum hosmariense 3: Artemisia abrotanum 'Silver' 4: Phlomis 'The South' 5:  Senecio vira-vira 6: Salvia fruticosa 7: Salvia leucophylla 8: Artemisia lanata This photo and information is from a French website that I cannot translate into English. It is by the authority on dry gardens, Olivier Filippi, and is very good. Check it out:    http://www.jardin-sec.com/ Also he wrote a great book called 'Planting Design for Dry Gardens'.  Nigel Dunnett says,  "In  Planting Design for Dry Gardens  Olivier Filippi has charted a future for garden and planting Design. Combining authoritative practical advice with deep ecological insight, Olivier shows how learning from nature can give us the best of all worlds: beautiful and sustainable gardens with a unique sense of place. I challen...

A Solid Take on Landscaping Meets a Perennial Classic Esther Jackson  is the Public Services Librarian at  NYBG ’s  LuEsther T. Mertz Library  where she manages Reference and Circulation services and oversees the Plant Information Office. She spends much of her time assisting researchers, providing instruction related to library resources, and collaborating with NYBG staff on various projects related to Garden initiatives and events. Jan Johnsen ’s  The Spirit of Stone  is a new book from Pittsburgh-based publisher St. Lynn’s Press. Johnsen, an instructor with The New York Botanical Garden’s Adult Education Department, brings 40 years of experience to bear in her newest book. In the introduction of  The Spirit of Stone , Johnsen writes: Stone is often an overlooked player in a landscape. While we may swoon over the many shapes and colors of plants within a garden, the stone walks and walls stand silently by, perhaps unnoticed. This ...