Articles about my experiences with landscaping and gardening in Southeast Wisconsin
Woodland wildflowers make excellent companions for hostas, ferns, and other shade garden plants. They thrive under these conditions, provided they get some sun in the spring when they bloom. Most prefer a rich, moist, woodland type soil. Some may be evanescent, which means that they go dormant just after seed production. These are referred …
Continue reading "Twinleaf is a Unique Plant for the Shade Garden"
What will happen if all the world’s forests disappear? Dr. Meg Lowman, an American biologist, teacher, and ecologist, who pioneered the science of tree canopy ecology, was asked this question in 2020 after fires burned millions of acres in the Amazon, Australia, Indonesia, California, and other locations. In Australia alone, it is estimated that …
If you are a gardener who will either purchase a plant in a container this year or pot up annuals to place on your patio, chances are you’ll find peat in the planting mix. Peat is used for its water-holding capacity (20 to 25 times its dry weight), ability to hold and supply nutrients …
After three long months of winter, we all look forward to some sign of spring. For me, that sign is the emergence of woodland wildflowers in my front yard shade garden. One of the most conspicuous early risers is Virginia bluebells, Mertensia virginica. This member of the forget-me-not family, the Boraginaceae, loves rich, moist …
Continue reading "Virginia Bluebells Ring in the Season of Spring"
In some years it seems to take forever for spring to arrive in Southeast Wisconsin. An east breeze off of the cold water of Lake Michigan can keep the temperature ten or more degrees colder close to the lake as opposed to inland. When our daughter was a freshman at Concordia University Wisconsin, located …
Epiphytes may not be too familiar to Midwest gardeners, but they are found in just about any environment. Moss growing on rocks or lichens on your roof could be considered epiphytes. For those of you who are a long way removed from your last biology class, perhaps I should start with a definition. An …
Cacti are members of the Cactaceae family, which contains about 127 genera and 1750 known species, all but one of which are native to North or South America. The lone wolf is a species that is also found in Africa and Sri Lanka. Even Wisconsin has three species of cactus that are native, which I …
Succulent house plants tend to be easy to grow and a good starting place for indoor gardeners. All they need to thrive are a sunny window and well-drained potting soil. They are very forgiving if you forget to water them on a regular basis. In fact, most like to be totally dried out before …
Continue reading "Crinkleleaf Plant is Perfect for the Sunny Window"
As we approach the midpoint of meteorological winter, most of us are already looking forward to spring. Gardening catalogs and websites have been perused and orders for plants and seeds will soon be placed. Unfortunately though, it will be a long time before the first bulbs and wildflowers will make their appearance. Many think …
Ever since I was a graduate student (somewhere in the middle of the Jurassic period), I have been fascinated by the geographic distribution of plants, known as phytogeography. Why do many North American plants have similar Asian counterparts? There is baldcypress (Taxodium) in the Southern US and its fraternal twin, Dawnredwood (Metasequoia) in China. Flowering …
Continue reading "Phytogeography: The Geographic Distribution of Plants"
The Cottage Gardener 