Garden Experiments
For the love of gardening and wildlife habitat
Blue anise sage (Salvia guaranticia) is an excellent addition to your pollinator or butterfly garden. Its gorgeous, small peacock blue flowers attract hummingbirds, butterflies, honeybees, bumblebees, and other insects. Hummingbirds love to feed on these blooms, which are their favorite food plant in my garden. Best of all, this salvia with blue …
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Cooper’s ice plant (Delosperma cooperi) is a favorite of mine. Don’t let the name fool you – this hardy plant thrives in the dog days of summer. It’s perfect for adding bright color to dry, hot areas of your garden. You’ll recognize Cooper’s ice plant by its dozens of tiny, bright magenta, daisy-like flowers and fleshy leaves. The plant grows …
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Give a living plant this year for long-term beauty It's almost Valentine's Day, and you might be thinking of sending your loved one cut flowers like roses - but wouldn't it be nice if you got the beauty of a flowering plant that lasts so much longer? There are several potted plants available at this time of year that would make a great …
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Black-eyed Susan is My Favorite Plant-It-And-Forget-It Flower: If you're looking for a plant-it-and-forget-it type of plant that still produces lots of flowers AND attracts pollinators, then look no further than the black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta). This easy-to-grow wildflower is found throughout North America, alongside roads, in grassy …
As I was working to remove some hellebores, ferns, hydrangeas, and cast iron plants from my shade garden, I made an interesting discovery at the base of the cast iron plants, hidden under the leaves - a cluster of cast iron plant flowers! When I dug up the base of the cast iron plant and saw the flower, my first thought was, 'It's the plant from …
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Have you ever plucked a honeysuckle flower, turned it around, and gently sucked the nectar from the tube-shaped back of the flower? If you grew up in the southeastern U.S., I bet you did. That taste of super-sweet honey nectar always makes me think of summer nights spent chasing fireflies and summer days spent running wild and free. Imagine …
Continue Reading about Japanese Honeysuckle vs Native Honeysuckle Vine
