Shantung maple’s charming flowers
My young ‘Fire Dragon’ Shantung maple has burst into bloom with starry, acid-yellow flowers. What a pretty surprise!… Read More
Texas flowering trees for bees
Purple flower clusters that put wisteria to shame dangle from Texas mountain laurel, and sweet white flowers of Mexican plum draw the bees.… Read More
Read This: The Pollinator Victory Garden
Today is Earth Day, a reminder to do all we can to help Mother Nature. May I suggest a goal of making your yard or garden more attractive to pollinators? The book The Pollinator Victory Garden will help.… Read More
The buzz at Kew: The Hive and its pollinator-attracting meadow
July 11, 2018 At London’s Kew Gardens last month, I explored the buzzed-about interactive art installation The Hive. Airily constructed of aluminum and towering nearly 56 feet high (which seems even higher atop a small hill), The Hive was created … Read More
Abuzz over gopher plant, plus new plants!
March 14, 2018 Honeybees are out in force, and gopher plant (Euphorbia rigida) is one of their early spring favorites. I’m abuzz over gopher plant’s chartreuse bracts and yellow flowers too — so sunny on these early spring days. Lemon-lime … Read More
The subtle beauty of Mexican buckeye in flower
March 09, 2018 One of the few things I didn’t plant in my garden, the Mexican buckeye (Ungnadia speciosa) came with the house. When I first saw the buckeye-shaped seedpods dangling from its branches, I was excited to realize I’d … Read More