Living screens are as versatile as they are varied. They hide the neighbors, block ugly views, provide backdrops and create garden rooms. Originally, though, screens were used to hem in livestock. When humans made the leap from hunter-gatherers to start an agrarian lifestyle, they prevented animals from wandering by using living screens left behind as […]
The lowdown on low conifers
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The interest and versatility of these slow growers makes them attractive for residential and commercial settings Conifers grow with such variation of habit that even of the low-growing types, the options are vast, offering a number of combinations of texture, color and height to meet a variety of landscape needs. From prostrate to spreading, low-growing […]
Native tree selections for urban shade
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Approximately 80 percent of the population of the United States now lives in urban environments where trees are both beloved — and imperiled. Estimates are that urban environments are home to 77 percent of invasive species introduced for horticulture and 13 percent for forestry. Species such as Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana) and Norway maple (Acer platanoides) […]
Plants for pollinators
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Strong consumer interest drives demand for pollinator friendly plant selections As bees and other pollinators decline, the importance of building habitat in home gardens, parks, fields and commercial properties has edged into the public consciousness. Wholesale and retail nurseries can benefit from the market demand for plants that attract and nourish bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. […]
A perennial favorite
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Traditional and new Agastache varieties offer beauty, fragrance and other endearing qualities If not for agastache’s manifold attractive qualities, growers and landscapers may have given up on this sun-loving flowering perennial long ago for its finicky and sometimes sprawling growth habit. Agastache has endured as a garden favorite with growers and landscapers because it checks […]
Natural by design
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The concept of designed plant communities combines the synergy of nature with the order and beauty of horticulture Some neighbors are better than others. They’ll take in your mail, watch your dog or bring you soup when you’re sick. Then there are those who fight over boundaries or play their music at 2 a.m. So […]
Small, tall and packed together
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The trend toward smaller spaces drives intensive use of perennials and grasses The midcentury ranch house with the huge yard is a thing of the past. Replacing it is the tall house with a small yard — and that’s changing the shape of home landscaping. Everywhere across the country, homebuilders are squeezing as many new homes […]
A houseplant awakening
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Growers and retailers tap into a renewed interest in indoor plants Lisa Eldred Steinkopf is addicted to houseplants and has a huge collection to prove it. She recently published a 272-page hardback book on the subject, Houseplants: The Complete Guide to Choosing, Growing and Caring for Indoor Plants. “If I had only paid a dollar […]
Growing under the lines
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Growers and researchers seek short, tidy and tough trees that can coexist with utilities When the power goes out in a storm, daily life halts abruptly. Our TVs go dark; we can’t cook our food or keep it cold, much less brew coffee, charge our many electronic devices or turn up the heat. We are […]
Awe-inspiring vines
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Gardeners are often awestruck when they experience climbing vines in bloom. “It takes so long for a plant to get out into the public,” said Maurice Horn, co-owner of Joy Creek Nursery in Scappoose, Oregon. “It takes an encounter to fall in love with it. You turn the corner, and there it is. Then you […]
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