Featured plants in the Lou!
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March Shrub of the Month-Forsythia
Forsythia and I go way back. My parents had forsythia bushes dotted across the back of our suburban backyard. They were the cheery first signs of spring in the neighborhood and the background…
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March Perennial of the Month-Bleeding heart
Oh, be still my heart! Can there be a more charming perennial than bleeding heart? Lamprocapnos spectabilis (Syn. Dicentra spectabilis) is a super low-maintenance perennial that is a great companion in the shade garden. Typically,…
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February Perennial of the Month-Marginal wood fern
The marginal wood fern, Dryopteris marginalis, is one of Missouri’s native evergreen ferns. If you love ferns and have plenty of shade, it makes a beautiful, well-behaved addition that can reward you year-round, especially in…
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February Shrub of the Month-Junipers
Juniperus spp. By February, we are all craving color, ANY color. There’s still a long way to go before most gardens explode into yummy yellows and passionate purples. One of the best ways…
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February Tree of the Month-Taylor Juniper
Picture the rolling golden hills of an Italian landscape painting. You know, the kind with the sun-kissed stucco facades, olive trees, and the occasional cart pulled by a donkey. Now, what else do…
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January Perennial of the Month-Little bluestem
The doldrums of January have arrived. What if you could turn your Winter Blues to red? Or, more precisely, russet or orange? Little bluestem, Schizachyrium scoparium, is quite the chameleon, providing our gardens with a…
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January Shrub of the Month-Blue star juniper
I admit I’ve never been a big juniper fan. Junipers are spikey, get bagworms, and have been over-used in the landscape for decades. (Think parking lot islands and mid-century homes with overgrown landscaping!)…
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January Tree of the Month-Colorado blue spruce
Evergreens are the kings of ‘Winter Interest’, a term I often use because of its importance in the garden. Winters can be LONG. A third of the year in St. Louis gardens is…
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December Tree of the Month-American Holly
Can there be a more festive tree for the holiday season than the holly? Holly has been the stuff of legends and lore since Roman, druid, and pagan times. The red berries against…
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December Shrub of the Month-Hinoki cypress
Walk most nurseries, and you are bound to come across at least one of the many, MANY cultivars of Chamaecyparis obtusa, commonly called Hinoki falsecypress or just Hinoki cypress for short. The unique texture…
