by Anthony J. Zemba Now that spring is here and our migrant songbirds have returned to our yards, gardens, and woodlands it is a time to consider giving something back…
Native Plants
California Native Plants Gain Popularity among Suburbanites
by Bernadette Balics Thanks to mandatory water use cutbacks, turf removal rebates, and media reports on the plight of monarch butterflies and European honeybees, California homeowners are in search of…
Mass-produced Materials and the Garden…or What I Found Across the Street
by Benjamin Crouch Here in Massachusetts we fondly use the abbreviated form of our state name – Mass. A common trait among all peoples seems to be fidelity to and…
A Wild Garden in the Middle of Brooklyn
by Jenny Blackwell It’s hard to imagine what New York City looked like before settlers arrived and cleared the way for development, but a new one-acre garden in the middle…
From Nursery to Garden: Establishing Plants in the Landscape
by Kate Stafford and Mark Richardson There’s little mystery to successfully establishing plants in the landscape. Most plants will thrive when given the right growing conditions. But, it’s our job…
How Will Climate Change Affect Our Plant Palette?
by Peter van Berkum As the climate warms up, we are faced with some daunting facts. Our frost free season is getting longer. Our winters are warmer, at least sporadically….
A Meadow Comes to Stoney Creek: The First Year
by Silvana Valiani What started out as a routine after dinner dog walk in the spring of 2012 resulted in the implementation of our municipality’s first Meadowscape to avoid annihilation…
Making Magic with Mosses
by Annie Martin aka Mossin’ Annie Moss landscapes offer a magical appeal with verdant expanses that seem to encapsulate our spirits with a sense of serenity. Yet, the environmental advantages…
Designing Hedgerows to Connect Habitat
by Rebecca Lindenmeyr Habitat fragmentation is a serious problem across the country and a significant contributor to the loss of biodiversity worldwide. Here in Vermont, development in the Burlington area…
The Lives of Spring Wildflowers
by Carol Gracie Our spring wildflowers, many of them ephemerals that grace our woodlands for only a brief period each year, are intricately tied to other organisms in the environment….
Planning for Succession in a Residential Landscape
by Daniel Peterson I often see new landscapes that look great immediately after installation, and continue to thrive for five to ten years. Beyond those five to ten years, I…
MV Wildtype: Acting Locally on the Island of Martha’s Vineyard
by Tim Boland This article first appeared in the Spring 2009 issue of Meristems, the newsletter of Polly Hill Arboretum. There are many good reasons for growing native plants: Native…