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...
Garden Design
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...
Aralia Cordata ‘Sun King’: A Bright and Bold Shade Garden Superstar
A few years ago, I planted an Aralia cordata ‘Sun King’ in our shade garden, and ever since, I’ve been wondering why I d...
Building a Dead Hedge: Healing the Land and Creating a Living Barrier
Many of you might recall the ongoing saga with our neighbors—the ones who hired (and I use that term loosely) a so-calle...
Red, Wild, and Revolutionary: The Case for Bee Balm (Monarda didyma)
Every garden needs a plant with presence — something that does more than fill space or bloom on schedule. A plant that c...
Soil, Compost, Mulch: A Garden Practice for a Warming World
Editor’s note:This piece was written during a period of personal and political overwhelm, when climate change felt both ...