root2shoot

Articles

Mar. 17, 2016
Some of the earliest blooming iris, in fact some of the earliest blooming flowers, are the iris commercially available as Rock Garden Iris or Dwarf Iris. They often bloom concurrently with crocus here in the Catskills, and are comparable to crocus in... Read more
Mar. 10, 2016
Spring is beginning here in the Catskills!   This post surveys the earliest spring flowers, blooming now or within the next few weeks. The plants producing these flowers are small but the flowers are relatively large and conspicuous, standing out sharply... Read more
Aug. 9, 2015
Clematis in the Catskills region are perhaps not the most often recognized garden plant, but Catskills gardeners know that they can be spectacular additions to our gardens here. Some varieties can be a bit fussy about their planting location, but once... Read more
Jul. 26, 2015
Why are daylilies such mainstays of our Catskills gardens?  They are super sturdy and they survive most conditions but flower best in full sun.  All daylilies are members of the genus Hemerocallis, which means ‘day-beauty’ (hemero- = day, -callis =... Read more
Jul. 12, 2015
One of the most popular annual flowers for window boxes and planters is the Pot Geranium, known to most folks just as geranium. It bears clusters of flowers on strong stems and is very tolerant of sunny, hot, dry conditions (pictured above). In contrast... Read more
Jun. 26, 2015
Not a regular blog post this week folks, as I am busy preparing for the garden tour! This Sunday, June 28, from 11am - 3pm, one of our favorite gardens will be participating in the Delhi Garden Tour. Check it out! I will be there at Stop #3, and would... Read more
Jun. 20, 2015
The foxglove, a favorite Catskills flower, is now blooming. Some people think that it is a wildflower, because they see it growing in uncultivated ground. But those foxgloves are actually naturalized, having escaped from gardens and spread into the wild... Read more
Jun. 13, 2015
Catskills peonies are blooming now! They may be one of the all-time favorite flowers now blooming in our gardens. The peony is well-known for being very long-lived, enduring for decades and even centuries. The famous peonies at Williamsburg were reputed... Read more
May. 29, 2015
Last week I posted about 2 Catskills wildflowers, Dutchman's Breeches and Squirrel Corn. Both are species in the genus Dicentra, and they are very closely related to the popular garden plant, the Bleeding Heart. I described their special relationship... Read more
May. 22, 2015
The local cast of characters changes throughout the season. The fly fisherman knows that different fly patterns are effective at different times of the season. Throughout our gardening season, different plants flower and fruit at their own particular... Read more
May. 15, 2015
Last week, I focused on the Bleeding Heart, a popular garden plant which used to be in the genus Dicentra.  Dicentra has two species native to the Catskills region.  One is Dicentra cucullaria, the Dutchman’s breeches (pictured below) and the other is D... Read more
May. 8, 2015
Gardeners often hate it when botanists change the names of plants, but gardeners and botanists use names differently. Gardeners use a plant name as a tag, an identifier, a way of searching on the internet. To botanists, a plant name is rich in... Read more
May. 1, 2015
A TASTE OF ANEMONE Anemone is a genus (a closely related group of around 150 species) with representatives in our gardens and with native species here in the Catskill Mountains as well. The genus Anemone as a whole has a very interesting history to... Read more
Apr. 24, 2015
Not all narcissus are daffodils, but all daffodils are narcissus.  We are all familiar with this flower in its many forms. It is one of the most popular flowers in Catskills gardens at this time of year. Narcissus is a genus, a grouping of closely... Read more
Apr. 17, 2015
           Black willow stand at Sherwoods Bridge near Delhi Some of the most conspicuous, distinctive trees in the Catskills region are the willows. There are three types of willows commonly found in the Catskills. First is the black willow, our most... Read more
Apr. 3, 2015
 If we are referring to the time when our first garden flowers bloom, for most of us that means crocus. So are the crocus really late this spring?   Yes, they are pretty darn late, by at least 3 weeks! Longtime observers of our local weather patterns... Read more
Jun. 22, 2013
All iris have a particular flower shape. While a daisy has all the petals the same shape radiating from the center like a pinwheel, an iris flower has a distinct top and bottom. The flower petals that stand up like flags are called the standards (an old... Read more
Jun. 8, 2013
Honeysuckles are a large group of species and there are quite a few different kinds in Delaware County, as well as throughout Europe and Asia. The 180 species of honeysuckle form the genus Lonicera. Over half the species are from China; there are only 20... Read more
May. 26, 2013
All azaleas are rhododendrons, but not all rhodies are azaleas. And not all small leaved rhodies are azaleas either. Rhododendron is a huge genus (group of species) that has over a thousand species in the wild, and there are also thousands of varieties... Read more
May. 11, 2013
Spring is here and gardeners all over Delaware County are very busy. Here at Root to Shoot we’ve been enjoying the beautiful weather as we work, and I’ve been waiting for a rainy day to do a blog post. The weather has not cooperated until now, and with... Read more

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