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Breaking the Grass Ceiling

For the longest time, grasses, sedges, and rushes weren’t thought of as particularly ornamental in comparison to the innumerable flowering perennials, shrubs and trees that have proven their worthiness in endless gardens worldwide. Luckily, the native plant renaissance and efforts such as Mt. Cuba Center’s Carex Garden Trial have piqued the interests of not only horticulturists, but the general public, when it comes to the incorporation of our spectacularly strappy friends into the ornamental landscape. No longer do we live in a world where Pennisetum and Miscanthus dominate the retail shelves. Slowly, those old-timey grasses are being edged off of their pedestals not only for having questionable spreading habits but, let’s be honest, there are much cooler grasses out there. Sort of like the handful we’ll be talking about this week. So, let’s strap in and take a look at some of these a-maize-ing selections! (Sorry, we couldn’t help ourselves.)

By Kate Irvine Deer Resistant · Fall Bloom · Grasses · Read More

Autumnal Awakening

It’s here! Chilly nights, chunky sweaters, candied apples, roasting bonfires, pumpkin spice everything… but lest we forget the late season blooming plants that add an extra bit of the ol’ razzle-dazzle to the fall landscape. What better to contrast the plentiful reds, oranges, and bronzy greens of Autumn than seasonal golden yellows and diverse purples? Besides: purple is a classic Halloween color, and yellow is an Autumn mainstay. Why not play it up this time of year and really lean into seasonal color palettes? Don’t worry, this week’s helpful guide to fun Fall flowers will do exactly that!

By Kate Irvine Fall Bloom · Perennials · Pollinators · Woody Ornamentals · Read More

Send in the Skippers

Right on the back of butterfly week, we want to pay homage to some of the quickest workers of Pleasant Run Nursery – the skippers. True to their name, these flighty little creatures have been keeping the nursery alive with movement as they skip from flower to flower, hungrily snatching up nectar from a variety of plant material. One thing’s for sure: the skippers seem to have some favorite nectar plants, based on the abundant populations that can be observed watching certain crops for only a few moments. While the list could probably go on, this week we’re going to highlight only a handful of flowering showstoppers that the skippers can’t seem to stay away from, starting with Heliopsis helianthoides.

By Kate Irvine Perennials · Pollinators · Woody Ornamentals · Read More

Beckoning the Butterflies

Happy Labor Day Weekend everyone! It’s hard to believe that we made it through summer so quickly, but here we are. While we get ready for what is sure to be an incredibly hectic fall season, the Nursery is aflutter with butterflies of all sorts. This week, we’re going to touch on some ol’ timeless classics that can be found flitting about this time of year, including everyone’s favorites, the Monarchs and the Swallowtails. We’ll also dive into perhaps a slightly lesser known, but incredibly common native species, the Pearl Crescent butterfly. Let’s ogle some pictures and learn some fun butterfly facts, shall we?

By Kate Irvine Perennials · Pollinators · Summer Bloom · Read More