(5.21) Rain or shine. Head over to City Farm this Saturday and Sunday for Southside Community Land Trust‘s 31st annual Rare and Unusual Plant Sale. How rare and unusual? Well last year they had stinging nettle for sale and I’ve never seen that anywhere ever. Organizers want to help you up your gardening game: “You’ve …
Homegrown owner Russell Stafford was busy organizing the sales yard today when I dropped in to survey the rare and unusual plants on offer this spring. Russell propagates many hard-to-find plants, mostly from seed, mostly native, many shade-lovers. Here are some of his favorites this year: Aquilegia canadensis ‘Corbett’ a columbine with yellow flowers, grown …
I love that they call this a seed “catalog.” The Louise and Larry Moulton seed catalog at the Providence Public Library is stocked with unopened packets of seeds — vegetables, herbs, and flowers — courtesy of the URI Master Garden seed program and a Vermont concern, High Mowing Organic Seeds. This is just one of …
(9.18) Head over to the RISD Museum this Sunday for “Work in Progress: Painting Intuitively” and watch as artist Yukyung Chung turns the Radeke Garden and the adjacent Danforth Hall into her studio. Watch as artist Yukyung Chung (RISD MFA, Digital + Media, 2023) responds to her composed soundscape through live painting. Chung’s artistic practice …
Russell Stafford, owner of the specialty nursery Homegrown, will be the first to admit that conditions are not currently ideal for planting, but you can always start planning for the cooler weather coming up, “Fall is the best time for planting perennials.” And he has plenty of advice for those wishing to transition into more …
Say hello to The Lilac of the South. Maybe these spectacular summer blooms will help take the sting out of climate change. We don’t usually see crepe myrtle trees in these parts, but the one pictured here has survived on the East Side for a few winters anyway. Traditionally planted in hardiness zones 7-10 (and …
(5.15) It’s back! The Southside Community Land Trust’s Rare & Unusual Plant Sale returns in-person this weekend at City Farm, featuring live music and thousands of rare and unusual plants. Unusual and hard-to-find varieties of vegetables, herbs and fruits are offered as well as crowd-pleasing favorites to increase local biodiversity. Prices are kept low to …
Here’s another way urbanites can give nature an assist, bee hotels. From Almanac we learn about native, solitary bees. Unlike honey bees, these solitary bees are extremely docile and up to three times more effective as pollinators. No, you won’t get any honey, but you will enjoy better flowers, thriving plants, and healthier vegetables in your garden! …
We may not be thrilled with all this rain, but the hydrangeas are loving it. Right now the Pee Gee hydrangeas — or Hydrangea paniculata ‘Grandiflora’ — are taking center stage. The Pee Gee hydrangea grows to a height of 10–20′ and a spread of 10–20′ at maturity. Full sun and partial shade are best …
The fragrance stopped me in my tracks. I looked around only to discover that the source was at least twenty feet away. I don’t know the name of this particular variety, but it is a winner. Three white cultivars are listed at “Favorite Wisteria Varieties.” Jako is described as having “intensely fragrant clusters” while Shiro-Kapitan …
The much-anticipated Southside Community Land Trust Rare & Unusual Plant Sale will be held online again this year. Step One: Order online, May 11 through 17 (early access for members, May 10). Step Two: Prepaid Drive-Thru Pickup, May 15 through May 18. A message from organizers: Having figured out how to navigate a contactless Plant …
Whether you call this a large shrub or a small, multi-stem tree, this early bloomer is always a welcome sight. Witch hazel is often taken for forsythia, but those won’t be blooming until April. There are several species of witch hazel — including one that blooms in the fall — this is likely Chinese witch …
Those seed catalogues are mighty tempting — time to plan your garden, or maybe start a plot at your nearby community garden. Whichever you choose, you will need compost (a.k.a. black gold). The Fox Point Community Garden already has some basic compost boxes for its members, but the space outside the fence might allow for …
The eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis) is in bloom. The delicate haze of this small understory tree belies its hardiness. Tolerant of city conditions and deer, it can be grown as far north as Zone 4. Generally referred to as redbud, sometimes cercis, it is known for its habit of squeezing flowers right out of the …
I can think of no better way to boost the mental and physical health of the general population than getting all the gardeners back out into their yards where they will gladly stay away from everyone for weeks and weeks. It’s not too soon to plant the cold-loving pansies, but the other annuals should wait …
Look, we are all suffering from cabin fever and looking for an outlet for all this anxiety, but don’t take it out on the shrubbery. Yesterday a friend mentioned that she had been cleaning up the yard, pruning back the dead wood . . . at least I think it was dead. My heart sank …