The Red Maple is red all over. The tree has red twigs, buds, flowers, and fall leaves. The Red Maple is a pretty tree. It fills so many roles such as shade, specimen, autumn accent, or on a wet site. It’s easy to establish, grows rapidly and produces brightly colored flowers and fruit, and fall […]
trees & shrubs
Studying Twigs: A Winter Nature Journal Activity
Draw the twigs of the six most common deciduous trees as a winter nature journal activity.
Studying Buds: A Winter Nature Journal Activity
Buds can be used to identify a tree or tree species. The color of the bud scales, the number of buds, where the buds are located, and their position are key. These little tightly closed bundles will burst and grow when the weather warms and the growing season gets underway. Even in winter, you can study […]
Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana L.)
Common name: Eastern Red Cedar Scientific name: Juniperus virginiana L. Family: Cypress Family (Cupressaceae). Native floristic province: Eastern woodlands Native range: The distribution of red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) spans the U.S. east of the Rockies. The species also occurs in Oregon in the west. The southern red cedar (var. silicicola) occurs only in the southeastern […]
Why Trees Shed Leaves in the Fall
We humans think we understand why trees shed leaves in the fall. As the leaves stops making chlorophyll, the tree seals off the old leaf and then essentially “cuts” it loose from the tree as it no longer needs it. Not only is the production of chlorophyll stopping and leaves dropping, but another process is […]
Paris Lessons: Street Trees and Strolling in the Shade
Paris is hailed as a walkable city, as is Philadelphia. What makes a city walkable are sidewalks, clearly marked areas for pedestrians to cross streets and plenty of traffic lights and directional signs. Where Paris excels and Philadelphia does not is shade trees. When Louis XIV focused on making the city beautiful, he and his advisors […]
A List of Common Exotic Invasive Plants
Invasive exotic plants are plants that are not indigenous to an area but nevertheless have established themselves and reproduced. Not being indigenous to an area, the plants have no natural predators or diseases. This freedom from predators and diseases enables the exotic plants to spread unchecked. Exotic invasive plants run rampant and inhabit space that […]
Native Plants with Neat Growing Habits
In helping clients decide which native plants to place in gardens, I am often asked for plants that are “neat” in habit. I don’t know if this is because they fear native plants are “messy” or they are just neatniks. What I suggest are these plants which grow in easily managed clumps. When you choose […]
Orange and Sunshine
A view from below.
Plants for a Sunny and Dry Garden
Sometimes there is a spot that is like its’ own mini-desert. The soil is thin and dry and the spot receives full sun all day. What is a native plant lover to do? Plant the toughest customers you can find, that’s what. Curl up with a good native plant book, like Native Plants of the […]