Blog

Call us biased, but we think every garden should include grasses. We know some don’t, but we’re working on it. Call us crazy, or lazy, but y’know what else we think? We think gardeners and landscapers should leave grasses right where they are in fall. Let ‘em stand. Ignore them while you do other cleanup chores.Ornamental Grasses provide movement, interest and sound even in winter, even when dormant, just as they did all summer. Stan… Read more

It’s rank blasphemy to rank any ornamental grass higher than world-famous Calamagrostos 'Karl Foerster'. It is, after all, the first grass ever named Perennial Plant of the Year, and rightly so. It’s a handsome workhorse that makes a designer look like a genius. And it’s one of our top sellers. You won’t hear us dis it.But we WILL say there are other options in that very same species that give you Karl’s legendary reliability in a fresh… Read more

Geography Lessons in the GardenA good mixed perennial border is like a trip around the globe. Let’s start up north and work our way south, as wise migratory birds and human snowbirds do before winter sets in. This particular migration takes us from the world’s largest island to the USA. Polemonium boreale 'Heavenly Habit'The specific epithet is the ticket. “Boreal” is Latin for north, as in the Aurora borealis, a.k.a. the northern l… Read more

We’re big fans of Carex. We’re hooked!This is a multi-talented group whose members shine as individuals or in masses. Carex can edge borders and fill containers. It can be “green mulch” or a lawn alternative. It looks, grows and sells like a grass, but it’s actually a sedge, in the Cyperaceae family.Growth habit in general is clumping and cascading, with many variations. Foliage colors comprise a rainbow spectrum including handsome bronze, chocol… Read more