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. […]

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 […]

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 Break, usually around the Easter holiday. In New England, we learned, our kids get two week-long breaks after […]

If there is a golden retriever puppy of the plant world, it has to be a dahlia. I mean, everybody loves golden retriever puppies, right? And everyone loves dahlias, too. They’re cheerful, charismatic, and full of personality. This year, I only added one dahlia to the gardens at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens—Dahlia ‘Mystic Illusion.’ And […]

Of all the plants in the world, I really do love palms. There’s something about them—their bold silhouettes, the way they sway in the breeze, the unmistakable tropical energy they bring to a space. But what really fascinates me is that, at their core, these towering trees are essentially giant blades of grass. That’s right—palms […]