Richard Hawke
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How-ToThe Ins and Outs of Molinia
Naming issues Research at Kew Gardens in England established that the different foliar traits of Molinia caerulea ssp. caerulea and M. caerulea ssp. arundinacea are cultural rather than genetic, which…
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DesignPersicarias Deserve Your Love—Trial Results
For many years, persicarias—also known as knotweeds—inhabited the periphery for me. I saw them but mostly looked past them, thinking of them as filler more than thriller. My first genuine…
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How-ToWhat’s Wrong with My Coneflower?
Several diseases and pests affect coneflowers. While your coneflowers may never get any of them, it can be troubling if they do. Powdery mildew This disease typically occurs in overly…
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DesignNew Kids on the Coneflower Corner
While perhaps not brand-new, these coneflowers were new to our trials in 2019. They all show great promise with just one year under observation. 1. ‘Julia’ is another lovely coneflower…
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DesignWhat’s New With Coneflowers?
I think many gardeners oscillate between loving and hating coneflowers—I know I do. It’s a phenomenon I’ve observed for nearly 20 years. I was there at the turn of the…
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Design10 Perennial Standouts
The Chicago Botanic Garden’s evaluation program has looked at nearly 10,000 different plants during the past 30 years, most of which were included in one of the more than a…
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DesignTerrific Tender Salvias
Patience is a virtue, as I’ve been reminded too many times. Whether that’s true or not, I waited over 20 years to evaluate tender salvias, which are hardy in warm…
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How-ToHow to Care for Plants with Taproots
Digging deeper with taproots There are two main types of roots—taproots and fibrous roots. A taproot is typically a long vertical, somewhat thickened root that is deeply anchored in the…
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DesignBluestar: A Native Plant for the Masses
In the 1990s there was an electrifying buzz around Arkansas bluestar (Amsonia hubrichtii) that rocketed it from a collector’s plant to a phenomenon in the gardening world. Its alluring blue…
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DesignLady and Painted Ferns—Trial Results
If you’re like me, you find that plants come in and out of favor all the time. A few years ago, I was all over blue grama grass (Bouteloua gracilis,…
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