Coyote Willow (salix exigua), a small tree, is on my list for planting early this spring. I intend to use it as a back drop in beds and to help blur the edges. I have edges in my garden — ...
https://pithandvigor.com/2024/08/native-utah-salix-exigua-coyote-willow/
Am I the only one who associates persimmons with warmer, dry climates? I think of California or Sicily, where I once feasted on them at a winery on the slopes of Mt Etna. So I am as surprised ...
https://pithandvigor.com/2024/08/diospyros-virginiana-american-persimmon/
Instead of writing about a particular plant or plant group, this week I thought I would talk about one of my favorite horticultural pruning techniques. The first time someone mentioned to me an �...
https://pithandvigor.com/2024/07/aerial-hedges-pleached-tree-privacy/
I fell in love with Larix years ago when I came across a stunner of a specimen in a design client’s garden. It was huge and, understandably, just about the only thing they wanted to keep in t...
https://pithandvigor.com/2024/07/larix-decidua-pendula-weeping-larch/
Redbud trees (that is the common name): because sometimes, Mother Nature just wants to show off. If you need me to demonstrate, check out this video I took last spring of some redbud (Cercis cana...
https://pithandvigor.com/2024/06/eastern-redbud-cercis-canadensis-tree/
I am lucky to live near Walden Pond; I walk or swim there almost every day. Taking myself offline gives me a chance to reset. I go to the forest to breathe with the intention of reinvention, and ...
https://pithandvigor.com/2024/04/shinrin-yoku-forest-breathing-reinvent-experience/
One of the earliest harbingers of the season is the arrival of pussy willows in the flower markets. Their arrival is as much a visual trigger for the re-emergence of plants and the new leaves�...
https://pithandvigor.com/2024/03/50-natives-ohio-salix-discolor-pussy-willow/
Guests are usually surprised when I tell them that our willow arbor only cost $35. Back in 2005, I spent $8 plus shipping for four hybrid willows... The post How to Plant and Grow a Living Will...
https://pithandvigor.com/2024/01/making-a-living-willow-arbor/
Perhaps this post should have a different title, like “How to Have an Orangerie Even if You Aren’t a Member of a Royal Family”. Or “Juicy Fruits – The Taste is Gonna Move Ya”. Growi...
Spring is such a treat. It is so full of unique and beautiful flowering trees and shrubs that it is hard to take it all in and really feel like you have enjoyed it before it fades into the gree...
https://pithandvigor.com/2024/01/a-flowering-tree-wish-list/
Rodney’s thoughts: I will start by admitting that I have never been impressed with the Allegheny Serviceberry tree (Amelanchier laevis). The first serviceberry or shadblow (Amelanchier spp.) t...
https://pithandvigor.com/2024/01/a-new-respect-for-serviceberry/
If you have ever been up close and personal with a katsura tree (Cercidiphyllum japonicum), you’ve probably noticed that smell. Is it cotton candy (or do you call it candy floss tree?), or mayb...
https://pithandvigor.com/2024/01/yes-a-tree-that-smells-of-cotton-candy/
In the world of trees, there’s a modern-day Johnny Appleseed whose mission goes beyond planting apple orchards. His name is David Milarch, a man with a remarkable vision and an even more extrao...
https://pithandvigor.com/2023/12/the-disruptors-david-milarch/
Rhus typhina, commonly known as Staghorn Sumac, is a genus of plants known for their striking foliage and resilience. Within this diverse genus, one newer gem that truly stands out is Rhus Typhin...
Aspen trees (Populus tremuloides) have always been my favorite, likely due to my proud Colorado childhood. Do you recall the questionnaires you used to give your friends to fill out during your e...
https://pithandvigor.com/2023/10/growing-populus-tremuloides-native-quaking-aspen-in-your-yard/
As a Northeasterner, I’m accustomed to sugar maples dominating many of my nearby forests. And from the pervasiveness of this tree stems a healthy set of cultural associations (everything from o...
https://pithandvigor.com/2023/10/50-natives-virginia-liqidamabar-styraciflua-sweetgum/
I looked up yesterday and was surprised to realize my Heptacodium miconioides (Seven Sons Tree) was in full bloom. Even though it is mid-september, it somehow seems early – but maybe not. T...
This past weekend has been a blur. We had a symposium on trees at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens followed by a propagation workshop the next day. Dr. Michael Dirr (author of the indispensible ...
https://pithandvigor.com/2023/08/in-praise-of-the-tupelo-nyssa-sylvatica/
How on earth did those small arborvitae I planted in front of the house get so huge? It happens all the time. Either a previous owner, or maybe it was you, planted something that was tiny when it...
I just clicked through nearly 40 pages of google image results looking for one good image of an arborvitae hedge. That I found NONE is my first piece of damning evidence in a little rant about ar...
For years, I used the planting bed near my front door as a holding area for new things that didn’t yet have a permanent home. It was a mish–mash mess that was exhausting to look at. I neede...
https://pithandvigor.com/2022/07/how-to-plant-a-tree-so-that-it-doesnt-die/
If you have allergy offending trees or shrubs in your neighborhood (probably because of a very common case of botanical sexism), one of the best things you can do to protect yourself from the pol...
https://pithandvigor.com/2022/06/stop-allergies-how-to-plant-pretty-protective-hedges/
For many states, Arbor Day is the last Friday of April. But Plant a Tree Day is typically in late September. Due to climate differences, many places host an annual tree planting day at other time...
https://pithandvigor.com/2022/05/placing-trees-arbor-day-is-right-around-the-corner/
This past Sunday, I had the honor to attend Maine’s TED conference, TEDxDirigo. In case you do not know, TED is a movement started in California to bring together some of culture’s thought le...
First of all, last week was pretty awesome. The weather in Maine has been pretty good and then on Wednesday, we had our spring board meeting for CMBG in Chicago. It was in the mid-80’s when we ...
This is the first year of school for our kids in New England. My wife grew up in Pennsylvania and I grew up in North Carolina. During our school years, we became accustomed to a week long Spring ...
https://pithandvigor.com/2013/02/japanese-flowering-apricot-a-tree-of-nostalgia/
January of 2013 was cold. As my first January in Maine, I was not prepared for the lack of light and just how frigid it can get here. One thing that has really been fun and helped alleviate the c...
Yes you read that correctly, Father Farges filbert. This is one of the most exciting trees that I have come across in the past half decade. This alliterative filbert is named for Father Farges....
I have been experimenting with citrus in my zone 5/6 home for the last few years. I can’t say that I have mastered the science of keeping lemons, limes and oranges in this unnatural climate (...
I love Mondays and the fresh starts that they bring each week. This morning, while I organize my notes and pictures from a weekend visit to the New York Gift Fair (in preparation for sharing l...
https://pithandvigor.com/2012/01/kiss-the-earth-here-we-go-a-wassailing/