January Plant of the Month: Red Osier Dogwood
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January Plant of the Month: Red Osier Dogwood

This hardy, ornamental shrub is my plant choice for January as it can be depended upon to deliver vibrant red colour to the winter landscape. At about 5-6’ tall and wide, this particular dogwood (also known as Red-twig) features a number of notable attributes including stunning fall leaf colour, attractive berries for the birds, vibrant…

Hoary Vervain

Hoary Vervain

The hoary vervain, or Verbena stricta, is a type of herbaceous plant falling under the Verbenaceae family. The flowering plant is most commonly found in different states of the United States, namely Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Kansas, among many others. While it is native to most of the states, it has…

White Heath Aster

White Heath Aster

White Heath Aster is a bushy, compact plant with many branched stems smothered in sprays of small, daisy-like white flowers. These sprays are so densely packed with blooms that the plant turns completely white as a result of the sheer number of flowers. The flowers are usually white, but they can be blue or pink…

Ohio Goldenrod

Ohio Goldenrod

Ohio Goldenrod (Solidago ohioensis) has a compact form that belies its large, exuberant floral display late in the season. It has flat-topped clusters of vivid yellow flowers, while lance-like leaves form a basal rosette. Seeds are produced with fluff, which is dispersed through the wind. Native Americans and early settlers used this plant to make…

Slender Blazing Star

Slender Blazing Star

Slender Blazing Star is an upright, clump-forming perennial with fluffy, purple flowers that bloom in late summer. It is best to plant it with slow-growing perennials or as a border plant, as it is a shorter, non-competitive plant. The long-blooming perennial Liatris, a slender blazing star or gayfeather, is native to eastern North America. It…

Yellow Loosestrife

Yellow Loosestrife

Yellow Loosestrife is a colorful wildflower which likes moist to wet and even seasonally wet conditions in nature but will also grow well in loamy rich soils. With bright showy blooms and deep maroon fall foliage, this plant will have an impact on the landscape. Its natural habitats are meadows and damp woods with dappled…

Great blue Lobelia

Great blue Lobelia

The Great Blue Lobelia is a clump-forming perennial which grows large spikes featuring bright blue tubular flowers. The showy flowers form an elongated cluster on a leafy stem. This blue counterpart of the Cardinal Flower is the most desirable plant for woodland gardens since the blue flowers offer a welcome contrast to the yellows and…

Grey Goldenrod

Grey Goldenrod

Goldenrods are a type of herbaceous flowering plant in the Asteraceae family, also known as the Compositae. Although the plant starts out green, the stem eventually turns grey-green and the plant as a whole turns golden with yellowish flowers. This perennial wildflower is also known as grey-stemmed goldenrod, probably due to its appearance. When you…

Smooth Solomon’s Seal

Smooth Solomon’s Seal

Smooth Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum commutatum) is a drought tolerant perennial for the shade garden, native to Ontraio and Eastern North America. It adds a unique architectural structure with its arching foliage and white bell shaped flowers that dangle along the leaves. It is rhizomatous with lustrous, alternate leaves. You might be interested in learning more…

Rhododendron
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Rhododendron

Rhododendron are highly valued in landscaping. Their gorgeous pink flowers brighten up any location. The flowers also attract bees and the rare bog elfin butterfly (Callophrys lanoraieensis) that drinks its nectar after hatching. They are a remarkable flower because of their explosive, butterfly-like look. Where to Plant In nature, find rhododendron in acid soils and…

Prairie Dock

Prairie Dock

Magnificent Silphium genus, it displays its bright yellow flowers on tall stems in late summer. Grows easily from seed, and is at home on a wide variety of soils, from moderately dry to moist. Excellent for tough clay soils. Birds love the seeds. Why it’s name? Silphium refers to a resin-producing shrub native to Greece. Terebinthinaceum means…

Plants that Attract Monarch Butterflies
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Plants that Attract Monarch Butterflies

Monarch butterflies are superb pollinators, and if they are fed plants they enjoy, they will pollinate your entire garden. Butterflies require two kinds of plants to survive: host plants and food plants. Plant a monarch butterfly garden because their populations have been progressively dropping in recent decades, mostly due to habitat loss and pesticide usage….

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