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Medici Courtyard
Japanese Boxwood
Spike Gayfeather, Blazing Star
Garden Pansy
Japanese Boxwood

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.

Spike Gayfeather, Blazing Star

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

Garden Pansy

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

Soils and Compost:

Practice grass-cycling by leaving short grass clippings on lawns after mowing, so that nutrients and organic matter are returned to the soil.

Water Saving Tip:

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.

Integrated Pest Management:

Attract, or buy beneficial insects such as ladybugs and lacewings to control pest outbreaks in your garden.