A stunning white lilac – Syringa pekinensis, known as Peking lilac
First of all, last week was pretty awesome. The weather in Maine had been holding steady, but then on Wednesday, we flew...
Garden Design
Garden Designer vs AI – part 1 – Successful Garden & Lifestyle Design
Rachel Mathews
Professional international garden designer for over 3...
Growing Father Farges Filbert – Corylus fargesii
Yes, you read that correctly—Father Farges’ filbert. And no, this isn’t just another obscure plant name to tuck away in ...
Not Your Grandmother’s Quince: Meet the Double Take Chaenomeles speciosa
You might be thinking, “Wait, are we really talking about quince?” And maybe even, “Aren’t those the thorny shrubs my gr...
Rhapidophyllum hystrix – A Needle Palm Grows in New England?
Of all the plants in the world, I really do love palms. There’s something about them—their bold silhouettes, the way the...
Dahlia ‘Mystic Illusion’: The Golden Retriever of the Garden
If there is a golden retriever puppy of the plant world, it has to be a dahlia. I mean, everybody loves golden retriever...
Designing Through the Midseason Garden Lull
By mid-July, many gardens lose their momentum.
Spring’s exuberance has faded. Late-summer perennials are still gather...
When the Garden Says No: Intention vs. Reality
When I built the cobblestone path leading to the patio, I had a very specific idea in mind.
The stones themselves wer...
Prunus mume: The Japanese Flowering Apricot That Brightens Winter
This is the first year of school for our kids in New England. My wife grew up in Pennsylvania, and I grew up in North Ca...
Cat’s Whiskers Plant (Orthosiphon stamineus): A Stunning Bloomer with a Medicinal Past
During 2015 at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, we are preparing to focus our educational programming around the theme o...