Common name:Japanese Boxwood
Botanical name:Buxus microphylla japonica
Japanese Boxwood is often used as a hedge. It is compact, with small bright green leaves. It can reach 4-6' tall and wide or be kept smaller through pruninig. It can be sheared to shape. It does better in areas with milder winters. It prefers full sun and a moderate amount of water.
Common name:Spike Gayfeather, Blazing Star
Botanical name:Liatris spicata
This plant will be the center of attention from mid to late summer with 3'-5' stalks of bright, rosy lavender blooms. The bloom stalks rise above a thick grass-like clump of foliage. The tight clusters of flowers make it a long-lasting cut flower and perfect for drying. It prefers moist, fertile soil and full sun, but can also be grown in poor, drier soil where the plant appears stockier but nonetheless blooms beautifully. -Holland WIldflower Farm
Common name:Garden Pansy
Botanical name:Viola X wittrockiana
This annual will grow 6"-10" tall and 9"-12" wide. It has shiny green leaves with flowers that come in a wide variety of colors and are in constant bloom from fall to spring.
Designer: Amy Bartell | Medici Courtyard |
Photographer: GardenSoft |
Practice grass-cycling by leaving short grass clippings on lawns after mowing, so that nutrients and organic matter are returned to the soil.
Change spray sprinklers to low-flow bubbler or drip systems. Shrubs and trees are ideal candidates for this type of irrigation because the water is applied directly to the root zones.
Attract, or buy beneficial insects such as ladybugs and lacewings to control pest outbreaks in your garden.