Focus on Flowers is a weekly two-minute program about flowers and gardening hosted by master gardener Moya Andrews. View local airtimes »
If you have shady areas in your garden you may like to try growing a shrub that is known as Japanese Kerria. Its botanical name is Kerria Japonica. This is a fine textured, deciduous shrub that contrasts nicely with evergreen shrubs and also with plants with broad leaves.
From late fall through winter Ilex verticillata produces a grand display of bright red berries that persist and light up its branches long after all of the leaves have fallen. Commonly called winterberry, but also known as Michigan holly or swamp holly, this is a deciduous type of holly for cold climates.
If you garden in zones 5 through 9 and are looking for a small to medium shrub that has fall color, Itea virginica, commonly called Virginia Sweetspire, may be a good candidate for you. It has an upright growth habit and flowers in early summer.
Michael Pollan wrote an intriguing book called “The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s-Eye View of the World” published in 2001 by Random House. Pollan sees plants as willing partners with humans, in ten thousand years of co-evolution.
When we look at a mature landscape we see many layers that provide dimension and depth to the overall pattern. There is the solidity of the trees and large bushes and the varied shapes and foliage types that they contribute as anchors in a garden.
It was 10 on a quiet Sunday morning, and I stood on my front porch looking out across my flower beds. Suddenly it appeared as if a projectile had been launched from the hydrangea bushes on the left side of the porch. But the projectile turned out to have four legs and landed on the driveway.
It is best to pick flowers either early in the morning or late in the day, to use clean clippers and to plunge the stems into water quickly, so carry a container of water around the garden as you snip.
Moya Andrews
Master Gardener Moya Andrews is a native of Australia and has lived in Bloomington since she joined the IU faculty in 1971. Read More »
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