Introduction Photo: Famartin (CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons) Photo: Japanese fine prints, pre-1915 (Public domain, Wikimedia Commons) Wisteria (Wisteria sinensis) is one of the most spectacular climbing plants that thrives in temperate climates. From May to June, its winding vines become covered in drooping flower clusters up to 50 cm (20 in) long, in blue,…
Photo: Acabashi (CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons) Photo: Acabashi (CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons) Photo: Acabashi (CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons) Climbing roses transform plain walls, pergolas, and rose arches into a romantic sea of blooms. Unlike true climbing plants, roses don’t form clinging structures of their own; they need a support to lean against,…
Photo: Joyce Cory on Flickr as docentjoyce (CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons) Photo: Mokkie (CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons) Photo: Mokkie (CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons) Honeysuckle (Lonicera), sometimes nicknamed “longer-and-dearer” for the way it lingers and climbs, is one of the most romantic climbing plants for the garden. Its trumpet-shaped, intensely fragrant flowers open…
Photo: Matt Lavin (CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons) Photo: Matt Lavin (CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons) Photo: Matt Lavin (CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons) Sedum species, also known as stonecrop, are among the most valuable and low-maintenance ground covers for sunny, dry locations. With their fleshy, water-storing leaves, they withstand even extreme drought and form…
Photo: George Chernilevsky (Public domain, Wikimedia Commons) Photo: Robert Flogaus-Faust (CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons) Photo: Johannes Robalotoff (CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons) Periwinkle (Vinca minor and Vinca major) is one of the most reliable, time-tested ground covers for shady and partly shaded areas. With its glossy, evergreen leaves and delicate blue, violet, or white…
Photo: Frantisek horak (CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons) Photo: Matt6798 (CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons) Photo: Agnieszka Kwiecieล, Nova (CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons) Creeping phlox (Phlox subulata), also known as moss phlox, is one of the most rewarding and colorful ground covers for sunny sites. From April to June, it transforms rock gardens, wall…
Barren Strawberry vs. Periwinkle and Pachysandra: Best Shade Ground Cover Shady spots under trees and along foundations are notoriously difficult for lawns, which is why gardeners so often turn to ground covers instead. Barren strawberry (Waldsteinia ternata), periwinkle (Vinca minor), and Japanese pachysandra (Pachysandra terminalis) are three of the most widely planted options, and each…
Photo: George Chernilevsky (Public domain, Wikimedia Commons) Photo: en:User:Laineypaige (CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons) Photo: George Chernilevsky (Public domain, Wikimedia Commons) Daylilies (Hemerocallis) are among the easiest-care and most fascinating perennials you can grow. Each individual bloom lasts only a single day, which is where the plant gets its name, but the plant keeps producing…
Photo: Acabashi (CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons) Photo: Bene16 (CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons) Photo: Juan de Vojnรญkov (CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons) Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens) has been a staple of European garden design for centuries. Whether shaped into a neat sphere, clipped into a precise hedge, or sculpted into an ornamental topiary, this evergreen…
Photo: Chrumps (CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons) Photo: Agnes Monkelbaan (CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons) Photo: Dominicus Johannes Bergsma. (CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons) With its magnificent flower clusters in white, pink, red, purple, or yellow, rhododendron is one of the most spectacular flowering shrubs you can grow. For this Asian beauty to bloom abundantly…
