I used to be all-in on tulips. Picking colors and shapes to fulfill my spring Kuekenhof dreams. From early April to early May, I’d anxiously await the arrival of those big colorful cups on stems. He drama, that early spring thrill. But I’ve fallen out of love with the high-maintenance heartbreak of planting dozens of big Dutch-style bulbs only […] The post Tiny, Tough, and Worth It – The Case for Species Tulips appeared first on PITH + VIGOR by Rochelle Greayer.|
Spring means ramps. These wild leeks (Allium tricoccum) are among the earliest edible greens to pop up in Eastern woodlands, and they’ve long been cherished as a seasonal delicacy—especially in Appalachia, where their arrival is celebrated with full-blown festivals (and very fragrant breath). What Are Ramps, Exactly? Ramps are a type of native wild onion […] The post Ramps (Allium tricoccum): Spring’s Wild and Pungent Treasure appeared first on PITH + VIGOR by Rochelle Greayer.|
Every garden needs a showstopper—something with real presence, something that hums with life and story. For me, that’s Monarda didyma, better known as red bee balm. Sure, the purple varieties are nice (I grow those too), but the red? The red makes me swoon. It’s electric. It buzzes—visually and literally—with pollinators, color, and energy. This […] The post Red, Wild, and Revolutionary: Why I’m Obsessed with Bee Balm (Monarda didyma) appeared first on PITH + VIGOR by Rochelle G...|
Many of you might recall the ongoing saga with our neighbors—the ones who hired (and I use that term loosely) a so-called logger to clear-cut their property and, in the process, take down 15 of our trees. It was brutal. The woods, once a natural boundary, were suddenly gone, and the landscape changed overnight. Even […] The post Building a Dead Hedge: Healing the Land and Creating a Living Barrier appeared first on PITH + VIGOR by Rochelle Greayer.|
A few years ago, I planted an Aralia cordata ‘Sun King’ in our shade garden, and ever since, I’ve been wondering why I didn’t do it sooner. This plant is one of those hidden gems—something you don’t see in every garden center, yet once you plant it, you wonder how you ever gardened without it. […] The post Aralia Cordata ‘Sun King’: A Bright and Bold Shade Garden Superstar appeared first on PITH + VIGOR by Rochelle Greayer.|
During 2015 at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, we are preparing to focus our educational programming around the theme of Myth, Magic, and Medicine of Plants. Over the past couple of weeks, our horticulture staff has been researching plants to support this theme. As part of that effort, I dove into the plant listings from some […] The post Cat’s Whiskers Plant (Orthosiphon stamineus): A Stunning Bloomer with a Medicinal Past appeared first on PITH + VIGOR by Rochelle Greayer.|