BrightleafMany of my clients request native plants in their landscape designs. We have a wide variety of native plants in North Carolina that work well as landscape plants. Read on to learn about my struggles with native plants.
Non-Native Foundation Planting
Tis the season for resolutions and while I don’t tend to make a lot I’ve realized that there are a few changes that could improve my gardening and make my life easier. Read on to learn more.
1. Find an easy way to document the names of plants that I add to my garden. I’ve never been good about recording the plants that I add to the garden. In some cases it’s unnecessary if the plant is easily identifiable or if there are only a few varieties available. But, many perennials are available in tons of varieties and while I always feel confident that I will remember which I selected I never do. Then when a plant does well and I want to order more I can’t remember the name. Part of the issue is that I always leave this task to the end of my gardening day, after the tools are put away, the leaves are raked, and I’m just ready to be done. I think a simple spreadsheet where I could record the name of the plant when I purchase it, rather than after I plant it would be sufficient, so I’m deciding to give that a try this year.
When I was a kid, I learned to make wreaths from my next door neighbor. We used her grapevines to make holiday wreaths. Read on to learn more about plants you can make wreaths from.
Decorated Vine Wreaths
When I look at my favorite design blogs this time of year I’m overwhelmed with the number of gift guides offering recommendations on candles, decorations, furniture etc. And as an avid gardener I know that there are several tools that I regularly recommend to others. So, if you’re shopping for the perfect gift for a gardener here are my recommendations.
Kobalt Battery Operated Blower
While growing up on the East Coast, autumn became my favorite season. As a landscape designer, I like to create seasonal interest that highlights the fall color change in NC. Read on to learn about some fun fall color combinations.
Spiraea and Loropetalum
As we wind down from summer and get ready for fall it’s important to remember that this is also a time of change for our plants. Deciduous shrubs and trees will show their fall color, evergreens may shed, and perennials will start to die back. For my clients who are new to gardening this can be a confusing time. It’s not unusual for me to hear from clients that one of their plants is dead, when in fact it is just entering dormancy. Read on to learn more.
Evergreens
If you’re familiar with the Mimosa Tree (Albizia julibrissin), then you might be interested in my love hate relationship with this plant. Read on to learn why I keep my Mimosa tree for the time being.
Mimosa Tree (Albizia julibrissin)
One of the best features of my house is the big screened in porch in my backyard. Except for the coldest months of the year my family – including our cats – love to spend time here. When we moved in almost 10 years ago I was excited to add plants to the space, but quickly realized that not all plants work well in this environment. Though my porch is on the south side of the house it is actually quite shady, making most flowering plants not an option. Additionally, I am notoriously bad at watering my containers, so my plants need to be highly drought tolerant. Read on to learn about some evergreen perennials that have worked great for my space for several years.
Aspidistra elatior
I spend a lot of time observing the wildlife in my yard. In 2015, my sister suggested I try to certify my garden as a wildlife habitat. Read on to learn about the four elements to a wildlife habitat and how to become certified.
NC Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat Certificate and Sign 
After living in my house for 10 years, I decided to do a yard renovation. I removed the existing foundation plants and completed a new landscape design. Read on to learn about some of the plants I chose.
Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’ Fall Color
I chose a variety of plants for the purple foliage. Loropetalum ‘Daruma’, Distylium ‘Cinnamon Girl’, and Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’ all have seasonal shades of purple in their leaves. I created a cohesive design by repeating these colors throughout the garden.