Irvin Etienne

  • pollinator plants for the Midwest
    Midwest Regional Reports

    Pollinator Plants for the Midwest

    Whether you have the space to create an expansive, pollinator-friendly landscape or just enough room to pot up a couple plants that are pollinator favorites, we can all do our…

  • Trumpet spurflower
    Midwest Regional Reports

    Unusual Fall Perennials for the Midwest

    In Andy Brand’s article Unusual Fall Perennials, he discusses some out-of-the-box plant picks for this spectacular time in the garden: “As we reluctantly accept the inevitable and begin preparing our gardens…

  • staking tall plants
    How-To

    Expert Staking Tips for Tall Plants

    If you garden in a low-wind situation, your tall plants probably won’t need staking. However, my big, bold garden is out in the open prairie, so staking is often a…

  • big bold plants
    Design

    Big and Bold Plants for the Back of the Border

    A garden and a chorus have certain similarities, with lots of different plants or lots of different voices coming together to create something beautiful. If all the plants or voices…

  • Midwest Regional Reports

    Perennial Rebloomers for the Midwest

    Dan Robarts says in his article on reblooming perennials, "...the criteria I generally adhere to for earning a spot in the beds at my home or botanical garden workplace center…

  • Design

    3 Autumn Favorites to Anchor Your Garden Design

    I am addicted to acquiring new plants, perhaps more than most people. If you tell me all the glorious details of a recent introduction, I will buy it by the…

  • 3 Steadfast Summer Bloomers
    Design

    3 Steadfast Summer Bloomers

    I am addicted to acquiring new plants, perhaps more than most people. If you tell me all the glorious details of a recent introduction, I will buy it by the…

  • Design

    5 Spring Beauties to Start the Gardening Season Off Right

    I am addicted to acquiring new plants, perhaps more than most people. If you tell me all the glorious details of a recent introduction, I will buy it by the…

  • Midwest Regional Reports

    Regional Picks: Tough Plants—Midwest

    See regional picks for tough pretty plants, and read the article by Julie Lane Gray for even more ideas. It’s important to define first what I mean by a “tough”…

  • Midwest Regional Reports

    Regional Picks: Short Plants—Midwest

    See regional picks for short plants, and read the article by Steve Aitken for even more ideas. “As I began amassing countless short varieties, only some of which worked in…