Horticulture

Editor Meghan Shinn Contributing Editor Jennifer Howell Scott Beuerlein | Greg Coppa | Jeff Cox Niki Jabbour | Daniel J. Hinkley  Associate Art Director Carrie Topp Peter H. Miller, Hon. AIA Brian VanHeuverswyn Kristin Beane Sullivan Eric Flynn  Sa

Henry David Thoreau wrote, “It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” This quote came to mind when I spoke with Katherine Macdonald and Joann Vieira of The Stevens-Coolidge Place, a Massachusetts public garden, for “Rising to the Oc

Here is a 10-step formula for building an effective compost pile, based on advice from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Cooperative Extension Service: 1 Select the

As this issue neared its publication date, we checked in with Greg Coppa for the status of his surviving seagrape plant. As of August, the seagrape continued to live and even thrive on his Rhode Island deck. Greg wrote, “The seagrape has come into it

Grow organic fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers all year long in a beautiful Arcadia Greenhouse. We design and manufacture high-quality greenhouses in standard and custom sizes with freestanding, lean-to and kneewall options. Glass or polycarbonat

New Age lilacs solve problems that growers and gardeners have faced with older cultivars. The lilacs in this series are better sized for smaller landscapes and their leaves remain clean all season. They also mature quicker, so growers can have plants

Rose is the new member of the Beacon impatiens series. These plants are highly resistant to impatiens downy mildew. Rather than turning to New Guinea impatiens to avoid problems, gardeners can plant Beacon impatiens and enjoy disease-free plants with

Limelight Prime is a follow-up for ‘Limelight’, a panicle hydrangea beloved for its green flowers. Limelight Prime is touted as an improvement because it has a more compact habit, it blooms earlier, its strong stems won’t flop and its flowers’ colors

SATIN DOLL Blush anemone possesses what Terra Nova calls a low “creep factor,” while older anemone cultivars tended to spread aggressively. Compared to A. ‘September Charm’, Blush is shorter, earlier and longer in bloom and more apt to stay put. ■

Daniel J. Hinkley is a plant collector and explorer who created two storied personal gardens near Seattle, Wash.: Heronswood, which also served as a nursery, and Windcliff, where he and his husband, architect Robert Jones, currently live and garden.

Here are some helpful hints for attracting a multitude of bees to your garden: • Use locally native plants if you can. Research suggests that native plants are four times more attractive to native bees than exotic plants. • Choose different colors o

Choosing flowers of different shapes, sizes, colors and bloom times helps create a garden that will feed a range of bee species. However, there are some parameters that narrow the options. First, choose simple, single-petaled flowers rather than fanc

A cutting garden, where the flowers are grown for use in fresh bouquets, often relies on long-blooming annuals and repeat-blooming perennials in order to prolong the harvest season. With the right plants and a layout that maximizes the space (e.g., p

Tulips — Tulip stems continue to grow after they’ve been cut, so err on the shorter side to avoid later flopping. They will turn to face the light, so keep that in mind with elaborate arrangements. For the best vase performance, tulips should be cut

Dahlias — These can be cut partially or fully open, but be sure that the rearmost petals are still firm. Deadhead flowers that you’ve missed cutting, to spur more. Calla lily (Zantedeschia) — These are a good option for cutting gardens that receive

Meadow phlox attracts butterflies and hummingbirds with its tubular purple flowers that appear in late summer and autumn. It is fairly resistant to powdery mildew and it prefers damp conditions, given its natural habitat of damp meadows and riverbank