Fine Gardening – Issue 138

Subscribe View the Digital Issue

The Magazine

Regional Picks: Plant This, Not That– Southern Plains

1. Overused: Smoke tree Alternative: American smoke tree Name: Cotinus coggygria and cvs. Name: Cotinus obovatus American smoke tree Name: Cotinus obovatus Zones: 4 to 8 Size: 30 feet tall and 25 feet wide…
Regional Picks: Plant This, Not That – Northeast

1. Overused: Salvia 2. Alternative: ‘Eveline’ long-leaf speedwell Name: Salvia nemorosa and cvs. Name: Veronica longifolia ‘Eveline’ ‘Eveline’ long-leaf speedwell Name: Veronica longifolia ‘Eveline’ Zones: 4 to 8 Size: Up to 20 inches tall and…
Regional Picks: Plant This, Not That – Midwest

1. Overused: Silver maple Alternative: Ginkgo Name: Acer saccharinum and cvs. Name: Ginkgo biloba Ginkgo Name: Ginkgo biloba Zones: 5 to 9 Size: 80 feet tall and 25 feet wide Conditions: Full sun; fertile,…
Regional Picks: Plant This, Not That – South

1. Overused: Evergreen azalea Alternative: ‘Kaleidoscope’ abelia Name: Rhododendron spp. and cvs. Name: Abelia × grandiflora ‘Kaleidoscope’ ‘Kaleidoscope’ abelia Name: Abelia × grandiflora ‘Kaleidoscope’ Zones: 6 to 9 Size: 2 to 3 feet tall and…
Regional Picks: Plant This, Not That– Northwest

1. Overused: Tamarisk juniper Alternative: Alpine totara Name: Juniperus sabina ‘Tamariscifolia’ Name: Podocarpus nivalis Alpine totara Name: Podocarpus nivalis Zones: 7 to 9 Size: Up to 6 feet tall and wide Conditions: Full…
Regional Picks: Plant This, Not That– Mountain West

1. Overused: Burning Bush Alternative: Koreanspice viburnum Name: Eounymus alatus* Name: Viburnum carlesii Koreanspice viburnum Name: Viburnum carlesii USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 8 Size: 4 to 6 feet tall…
Exciting Plant Combinations Every Gardener Should Try

All gardeners have that day when they look at their garden and want something new to get their blood pumping again. It doesn’t matter that your neighbors still “ooh” and…
Plant This, Not That

This spring, why not challenge yourself to try something different? Occasionally straying outside your usual repertoire is the only way you’ll find new favorites. Whether you’re a sucker for dramatic…
Two Secrets to Great Design

Coloring outside the lines takes creativity and a good bit of courage. Bryan and Cassandra Barrett have both. As a contractor and garden designer, respectively, this husband-and-wife duo makes a…
Get Serious About Compost: How to Make More, Better, Faster

Compost is not fertilizer. The sooner a gardener embraces this reality, the better. But gardener’s gold does have an undeniable importance in the garden: to feed the billions of critters…
Create an Alpine Trough

The right plants, soil, and container mean that you’ll never have to redo this container again
Must-Have Annuals

When visitors to our nursery admire our display gardens full of rare and unusual shrubs, trees, and perennials, they most often ask about the old-fashioned annuals. These annuals are the magic…