Topics
Special Series
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2006 Titan Arum Bloom (Video)
Watch as the rare corpse flower, Amorphophallus titanum, blooms at Brooklyn Botanic Garden in August, 2006.
By BBG Staff -
Unusual Hardy Aroids—Tropical-Looking Beauties for the Northern Gardener
If I had to pick my favorite plant family, I think it would be the Araceae, or aroid family (also called the philodendron family or arum family). The species in this family have such bold, striking foliage and bizarre, interesting flowers.
By Scott D. Appell -
Hardy Cacti: Living Sculptures of the American West
The explosion of interest in hardy cacti has come about because of the increasing availability of inexpensive, nursery-grown plants as well as more adventurous gardeners with improving horticultural skills.
By Panayoti Kelaidis -
Dazzling Borders for Sun and Shade
The art and practice of creating dynamic, colorful, four-season borders planted with a mixture of perennials, shrubs, ornamental grasses, annuals, and bulbs has come of age in America. Never before has there been such a wealth and diversity of ornamental plants to combine in mixed borders.
By Bob Hyland -
Spring Beauty—A Woodland Wildflower With Tasty Tubers
One of our prettiest and earliest-blooming wildflowers—spring beauty (Claytonia virginica)—is also a delicious vegetable.
By Scott D. Appell -
Being in the Garden: Four Vignettes From a Traveler to Japan
Opposites are brought into equilibrium, but in the best gardens, this equilibrium is anything but static. Rather, it is informed throughout with a dynamic and delicate tension. For the visitor, the result can be a magical feeling that is both tranquil and intense, of a heightened consciousness of that potential for a harmonious relationship to nature and to our own humanity.
By Adrian Bennett -
An Easy-Care Rock Garden—Designing With Durable and Delightful Perennials
Rock-garden plants have a way of capturing the imagination with their delicate features and subtle adaptations to harsh—usually alpine—environments. Beautiful flowers, interesting foliage, and unusual textures make them irresistible additions to the sunny, well-drained garden.
By Megan T. Ray -
Easy Monochromatic Gardens
Combining shades and tones of the same color or limiting yourself to using a related group of colors is a fun way to create an exciting yet harmonious garden design.
By Walter Chandoha -
Deer Deterrents That Work
Once roaming open fields and forests and controlled by natural predators, deer now must make their home near housing developments, office parks, and shopping malls, and their populations are growing. Little wonder then that they treat our gardens like buffet bars. Thoughtful plant choices, fences, dogs, and repellents help to keep deer at bay.
By Walter Chandoha -
A Houseplant Harvest—Tropical Trees That Really Do Fruit Indoors
I've been collecting and propagating fruiting tropical shrubs and small trees on my four-acre property in Vieques, Puerto Rico, like a man with a mission. My ultimate goal is to supply my own table with a diverse mix of fresh produce year-round, grow enough surplus fruit to be able to vend to local restaurateurs, and establish a modest nursery and display garden.
By Scott D. Appell
