Tag: Garden Writer
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Native Plant Spotlight: Dicentra A Spring Blooming Ephemeral
In the spring we often see the plants commonly called Bleeding Hearts in our Kentucky landscape. The common ones we see at a lot plant nurseries are a type from China called, Lamprocapnos spectabilis, so they aren’t even in the genus Dicentra. However, there are a few types of Dicentra Bleeding Hearts native to Kentucky! The…
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Native Plant Series: Blazing Star (Liatris)
One of my favorite perennials is the Blazing Star, or commonly referred to as ‘Liatris’ as its latin name. It is also called Gay Feather as I’ve seen large nursery companies refer it to. There are a lot of varieties of Blazing Stars, about 30 total, but overall they have many similar characteristics. They are…
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Native Plant Series: Serviceberry
The Serviceberry is a beautiful flowering small tree or large shrub native to Kentucky and appear in other parts US. It is called serviceberry because about the time the fruit comes out, the waters of the creeks are warm enough to be baptized in. The genus Amelanchier, has several varieties. There is the Allegheny, Downy,…
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Native Plant Series: Pussy Willow (Salix discolor) A Spring Flowering Tree
Last summer I came across the Pussy Willow shrub somewhere among my research. I had always seen its stems put into floral arrangements (or even faux ones that light up!) but never really thought of it much as a plant. The native variety around Kentucky, and much of North America is Salix discolor. Of course different…
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Plant Series: Snowdrops A Blooming Winter Flower Bulb
Snowdrops are one of the earliest flowers to bloom in late winter or early spring, they can even bloom when there is snow on the ground! They are a sure sign spring is near. Snowdrops naturalize and begin blooming heavily after a year. They can be divided and planted in other areas of your garden.…