The Glorious Kousa Dogwood
Name: Cornus kousa aka the kousa dogwood Type of Plant: A small tree that’s native to Asia but grows so well in Zones 5 to 8. There are a few named cultivars that have larger flowers, slightly later blooming or pink flowers. Why I love this: Yesterday I had the...
In My Gardens ~ Week of June 5
It was a cool and damp month of May at Poison Ivy Acres and the first four days of June continued in the same mode. This is fine with me, because I’m still planting. The veggie garden is planted, but I still have annuals to add to perennial gardens and...
Tree Peonies
Imagine: The early morning sun streamed into Karla’s yard as she stood with her morning coffee, contemplating the space around the patio. She wanted something in that bed that would celebrate her mother’s birthday every year. “Mom was exuberant…maybe even a bit...
Saponaria Ocymoides, aka Creeping Pink Soapwort
Imagine: I pictured a sea of color below some grasses. I needed a plant that would do well despite the fact that half of the area it would be growing in was more gravel than soil. And yes, I was greedy…I wanted a plant that would self-seed and fill in, but not in an...
Growing Sunflowers
Imagine: When I first moved to Poison Ivy Acres the front entry to the house was a lawn. That’s all, just a lawn. I knew I wanted a flower garden to be the first “room” that someone entered when coming to our house, so the lawn was immediately tilled and planted with...
I Hate Rhododendron ‘Blue Baron’
Imagine: Yes indeed. Imagine a plant that looks fantastic in the garden center when it’s fresh from the grower. But that plant is out for just one thing: to break your heart. Normally I post a “I Love This Plant!” every Saturday. Today, I’m not...
Fragrance Under The Bedroom Window
Imagine: Carla loved to sleep with the window open. For her, the arrival of spring wasn’t announced by daffodils or tulips, but by her ability to smell the fresh, outdoor air through the cracked window at night. “Maybe we should put plants with fragrant flowers...
Cook Every Day
One of my favorite things is a linen dishtowel from Studio Patro, in San Francisco. I don’t know if they still make it, but if not you should email them and ask that it be revived. Because the message is both important and universal: Cook Every Day. I want to...
Cyperus papyrus, aka King Tut Papyrus
Imagine: Cheryl was feeling especially stressed. She had projects due at work, the kids had upcoming dentist appointments and dance lessons, and she’d promised her husband that they could have at least one weekend day at home as a family. But she’d also told her best...