Fine Gardening – Issue 215

Subscribe View the Digital Issue

The Magazine

Praise for Perennial Evergreens | Letter from the Editor

If you live in a place that gets a fair amount of snow, is it important to have evergreen perennials? For many years we have debated this question around our…
Evergreen Perennials for Your Region

I don’t know about you, but nothing is more depressing to me than looking out my windows in February and seeing nothing but brown. I have some conifers and broadleaf evergreens throughout…
9 Special Junipers with Unique Forms for the Garden

Few plants generate more revulsion in the garden than junipers. The mere suggestion of planting one often musters a similar reaction to that of saying a dirty word. Maybe we’ve…
Cacti and Succulents for Cold Climates

Many succulents, including cacti, can survive outdoors where winters are cold. These long-lived plants bring four seasons of living sculpture to a sunny, well-drained garden, and they offer up striking…
Captivating Combination: Cold-Hardy Cacti and Succulents

This extensive unirrigated planting of cold-hardy cacti and succulents basks on a warm south-facing slope in the Undaunted Garden at the Gardens on Spring Creek in Fort Collins, Colorado in…
Tips for Growing Cacti and Succulents in Cold Zones

While these plants can take the cold, they may need special care to thrive in certain environments. Follow these guidelines to ensure that your hardy cacti and succulents last for…
Jazz Up Your Garden with Annuals You Can Easily Grow from Seed

You know that old saying that “friends don’t let friends grow annuals”? I now ignore that sentiment. Some of the best plants in my garden are annuals, and they are…
Tips for Starting Annual Seeds Indoors Successfully

While growing plants from seed is less expensive, it does require extra steps when compared to growing plants or starts from your local garden center. 1. Buy seeds from a…
A Stunning Fall Bouquet with Annuals

Annuals do more than just look good in the garden; they also make excellent cut flowers for floral arrangements—especially in fall as they give it their all and put out…
Scaly Liatris Is a Native That Offers Blooms All Summer Long

On the first day of August 2006, my botanizing companion and I were making only our third trip to a barrens on a farm owned by friends in Kentucky. We…
Yellow Thread Rohdea Is a Rare Perennial Jewel for Shady Nooks and Crannies

While some may be familiar with Japanese sacred lily (Rohdea japonica, Zones 6–10), Rohdea pachynema is an uncommon species that is indeed a Rohdea less traveled. Found only in the…
Eclipse® Bigleaf Hydrangea: An Amazing New Hydrangea with Black Leaves

There are a bazillion bigleaf hydrangeas out there. So when a new one comes out, it really needs to stand out from the crowd. Meet Eclipse® bigleaf hydrangea—a unique selection…
How to Use the Science of Plant Survival Strategies for a Healthier Garden

The biggest epiphany of my horticultural career was learning about plant survival strategies. Like most gardeners, I was accustomed to classifying plants as annuals, biennials, or perennials. But dividing them…
4 Midsummer Favorites From a Plant Breeder's Garden

Although it would be nearly impossible for any plant lover to choose just one favorite, here are a few of the standouts that look especially good in my Zone 6…
Designing Deep Garden Beds for Privacy and Interest in Your Outdoor Space

When I moved to Michigan 13 years ago, I was excited by the endless plant possibilities afforded by my new Zone 6 location. Compared to the secluded 5-acre garden I…
Deep Borders Let You Have It All: Plant IDs

In Deep Borders Let You Have It All, Hans Hansen writes, “When I moved to Michigan 13 years ago, I was excited by the endless plant possibilities afforded by my…
Evergreen Perennials for the Mid-Atlantic

‘Twisted Tongue’ agave Agave × amourifolia ‘Twisted Tongue’ Zones: 7–10 Size: 3 feet tall and 4 to 5 feet wide Conditions: Full sun; well-drained soil Native range: Hybrid of Southwestern…
4 Must-Have Tools for Seed Starting

Tested by Niki Jabbour, the award-winning author of Growing Under Cover and The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener, who lives and gardens in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Learn more about the how's, why's,…
5 Inspiring Naturalistic Dry Creek-Bed Designs

The following five garden spaces are a good representation of the variety of styles that dry creek-bed designs can encompass. Each of these designs also solved a unique issue stemming…
How to Build a Stylish Dry Creek Bed

Stormwater runoff, and the damage it can leave behind, has become a seemingly unmanageable problem for gardeners from coast to coast. The perfect mix of  unpredictable and changing weather patterns, urban…