My appreciation for shade trees has certainly changed over the years. Like many gardeners, it was a group of plants I valued yet rarely used in designs or planted! Of course, perspectives change and I am now a huge proponent of planting shade trees. I have grown especially fond of trees that can tolerate the abuses associated with tough sites and are beneficial to wildlife. Hackberry or Celtis occidentalis was a shade tree I initially learned in school, although I recall it was often...

During my drive to work, I pass a number of homes whose landscapes mostly consist of a tidy row of shrubs paired with a neatly trimmed lawn. The spring may offer some floral enhancement, but by-and-large, the landscapes remain a steadfast green. Few homeowners consider replacing some of those shrubs and the lawn with a stylized meadow featuring sweeps of various flowering perennials and grasses. This style of design provides color, texture and a much-needed habitat for our insects and...

In this age of readily disseminated literature and specialty nurseries delivering novel and little-known plants to your doorstep, logic would have it that all the intriguing and easily grown plants would be well-known and readily available for purchase. Should a gardener needed to evaluate a plant further, they would need only visit their local public garden where they could see these unique gems firsthand. However, some very good plants have managed to sidestep public gardens and literary...