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Over the last 30 years ornamental grasses have been gaining ground in American gardens. Famed garden writers and designers Piet Oudolf and Chester County’s own Rick Darke can take much of the credit.

Rick Darke currently operates a garden design business in Landenberg with a focus on conservation and planting in harmony with the natural landscape. One of his most notable designs is portions of New York’s elevated railroad-turned-park the High Line in coordination with Piet Oudolf. This garden incorporates many Northeast native plants in flowing swaths utilizing four seasons of interest. He is also responsible for designs at Chicago Botanic Garden, Pittsburg Botanic Garden, and other gardens across the country. He served over 20 years at Longwood Gardens in various roles and was Curator of Collections for his last ten years there. Rick has written many books, three about ornamental grasses alone.

Rick has also collaborated with Doug Tallamy, Entomology professor at University of Delaware famous for promoting natural gardening and keeping wildlife in balance. Their book, The Living Landscape, is a must-read for anyone interested in beautifully incorporating native plants, in the backyard garden.

Piet Oudolf, a famed Dutch plant breeder, designer and nurseryman follows the theory of “instinct inspired from nature” and “purposeful abandon”. Many of his designs incorporate a color palate of plants interplanted informally, but in swaths or ribbons to guide the eye through a garden. Some of his most famous gardens are Millennium Park in Chicago, the High Line in New York, his own garden, Hummelo in the Netherlands, and many others scattered across Europe.

Both men utilize ornamental grasses extensively in their designs. Grasses lend themselves well to any garden because their fine texture contrasts well with a myriad of flower shapes, bolder textured shrubs and can give movement to a garden. While grasses are deciduous, their stiff stems and seed heads stand up well over the winter to all but the heaviest snow, creating visual interest in the garden well past the normal gardening season.

Grasses fall into two main categories: cool season and warm season. Cool season grasses come up early in the spring and begin to flower in midsummer. These plants can be planted earlier in the spring, and later into the fall months as they tolerate cooler temperatures when getting established. Examples of cool season grasses are blue fescue ‘Elijah Blue’, Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’ and Deschampsia. Native pony tail grass and wildrye are both cool season grasses. During extreme heat, they may go dormant but then show new growth as fall brings cooler temperatures and rain. Pony tails (Nasella tenuissima) is a favorite of Oudolf, its short stature and wispy seed heads feature prominently in many of his designs.

Warm season grasses are slower to wake up in the spring and need warm soil to establish. These are best planted late May- early September when soil and air temperatures are both warm. In contrast to cool-season grasses which generally flower in June, warm season grasses bloom in the fall. There are many native warm season grasses such as little bluestem (Schizachrium scoparium), switch grass (Panicum), pink Muhly grass (Muhlenbergia) and prairie dropseed (Sporobilis). Maiden grass (Miscanthus) is another popularly used warm season grass. It can get large in a garden however and will need dividing periodically.

Shade tolerant grasses and sedges are fewer in number, but still offer many choices of Carex, Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa), and sweet flag (Acorus) for your landscape. Darke favors member of the Carex family as many of the native species play an important role in the wildlife ecology. For example, Carex pennsylvanica hosts 36 different caterpillars and C. plantaginea is a larval host for skipper butterflies. Carex are cool season and flower in early summer. Their seed heads make good food sources for bird and other wildlife. Japanese forest grass is warm season and is grown for it arching colorful leaves. Its flowers are inconspicuous and come on just before the season comes to its end.

Grasses have earned a spot in most landscapes whether it is a prairie recreation or a more formal space and I am thankful to both Piet Oudolf and Rick Darke for promoting them to more widespread use.

We are at the midpoint of this summer’s vegetable gardening season. It’s time to put spring behind us and prepare for the crops that prefer fall’s cooler weather.

I have planted tomatoes, sweet corn and vine crops as late as July 14 over the years but they needed a warmer fall and late frost for them to succeed. This year I put spring to rest by June 30. That included cucumbers, cantaloupes, sweet potatoes and pumpkins.

In reverse order: it may be a dream, no large sweet potatoes wanted, maybe on the melons and a sure thing with cucumbers. I always follow peas with pumpkins and that may be my downfall this year. Peas got in late with early cold wet weather and failed to pollinate with a burst of hot weather as they bloomed.

As fall approaches it is important to study days to maturity in making planting decisions. With adequate moisture, temperature will cut 10 or 20% off that number for July or August plantings.

My next urgency is Brussel sprouts which needs to be planted in early July. The cabbage window closes about August 1. You can extend another week or two with broccoli and cauliflower. Control of cabbage loopers is necessary for success. To date my grand-children turn up their noses when protein floats or crawls out of supper.

I will likely add a zucchini about July 15. My only doubt is that this spring my wife brought home three plants and I foolishly planted them. We may be still digging out after the first blizzard of long green things.

My freezing beans are blooming and look promising but I’ll add a rather short row, just for table use sometime soon. No hints of beetles yet on the beans but they are planted next to the potatoes which were treated with diatomaceous earth several times.

The traditional cool spring entries like spinach, lettuce, radishes, beets stand a good chance if planted near the first of August. Again, read the days to maturity, make the summer temperature adjustment and count back from September 15. Spinach will go until a hard freeze if it has decent size by the first frost.

You can also do peas in the fall. The experts say you will be lucky to get half of a spring planting. I may try it again after my spring disaster just to prove the experts wrong.

I love to experiment. Companion planting is under study. Grandma certainly knew something we have forgotten. This year my experiment was potatoes.

Always trying to make things easier, several years ago I started laying the seed potatoes on top of the ground and ridging dirt over them. Much easier to dig. Knowing that potatoes like high fertility this year I repeated laying on top but then covered them with mushroom soil. Haven’t dug any yet but can’t wait to see what is under the potato trees that grew.

With the virus I have stayed home, which translates into stayed in the garden(s). I still like flowers better.

I heard recently that internet searches for “how to attract butterflies” are only second to “how to grow tomatoes” among new gardeners. Luckily creating a butterfly and hummingbird garden is even easier than making a BLT.

The first lesson in attracting butterflies or hummingbirds is plant the food they need. Butterflies eat different food as larvae(caterpillars) then they do as adults. Caterpillars are very specific. Some of the most common butterflies to attract to your yard in this area are Monarchs and Swallowtails.

Monarch caterpillars have white, green and black horizontal stripes and eat milkweeds. Milkweeds are native to the US, and there are several kinds, both perennial and annual. Chose a milkweed depending on your soil conditions and your garden. Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) with orange flowers prefers full sun and well-drained soil. Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) has either pink or white flowers and grows better in a damp meadow or garden. Common milkweed (Asclepias syriacus) has very fragrant purple flowers, broad thick leaves, spreads aggressively and is often seen along roadways. We leave half of the stalks that pop up in the garden for the butterflies and yank out the other half, so we are not overrun. Tropical milkweed (Asclepias currasavica) grows quickly, produces many medium sized leaves but is not hardy through our winters. Tropical milkweed seems to be a favorite with the Monarchs in our gardens. The last several years we have raised, tagged and released Monarchs in August before their migration back to Mexico and found hundreds of babies on the quick-growing topical milkweeds.

Black Swallowtails look similar to monarchs with green, black and white stripes but have additional yellow-orange dots. They prefer members of the carrot family particularly Queen Anne’s Lace and the popular herbs dill, bronze fennel, parsley and rue. The yellow Eastern Tiger Swallowtail caterpillars munch on leaves of trees common in our woods and edges, cherry, tulip poplar, birches and ash. The caterpillars are a very non-descript brown color.

Once the caterpillars are full-grown they spin their cocoons and go through metamorphosis. Adults emerge looking nothing like their former selves with a totally different appetite.

Butterflies have a long tongue or probiscus to sip nectar from flowers. Most tubular-shaped flowers have tiny nectar glands at the base to lure pollinators. It’s a win-win for both- flowers get pollinated, insects get a snack. But wait, you say, butterflies love asters, coneflowers, Black Eyed Susans, and other daisies and they aren’t tube-shaped. Go outside and look. You may need a magnifying glass. Daisy flowers aren’t one flower- but rather the yellow or brown eye at the center is a group of many tiny tubular flowers called discs. At the base of each is a nectary ready to reward a butterfly. Other popular flowers for butterflies are lantana, pentas, catmint, Joe Pye weed, salvia and bee balm.

When a female butterfly is ready to lay her eggs- she finds the larval host plant and usually lays them on the undersides of the leaves. When the babies hatch, they can just start eating.

Hummingbirds are spectacular to watch as their rapidly beating wings hold them alight above a flower and their long tongue unfurls to feed. Their tiny iridescent body is such a marvel. Ok, I’m getting carried away, but whenever I see one in the greenhouse I have to stop and just watch. They have a similar diet as adult butterflies but flowers I’ve noticed they particularly like are fuchsia, cannas, Black and Blue Salvia, cardinal flower, catmint and petunias.

Attracting butterflies or hummingbirds is easy. Plant a few milkweed, herbs and flowers and watch what shares your garden.

Maybe I’m biased, but I happen to think we live in one of the most beautiful spots in the country. A few things contribute; the rolling hills, picturesque farmland, glacier till rock formations and corresponding wooded areas, access to quality public gardens that inspires home gardeners, and this year- COVID-19.

Never have yards and gardens been so well-tended. With no kids’ activities, entertainment venues or other shopping options open, people found themselves at home with plenty of free time and a desire to reconnect with nature. Home vegetable gardening is trending, as well as continued interest in native plants and pollinator-friendly plantings. This is wonderful- garden centers and greenhouses are thankful for new customers and the enthusiasm new gardeners bring to the community. Educating these new gardeners and through their own trial and error, will determine who sticks with it and who does not. So here’s my take on what is happening in the garden now.

In the vegetable garden, lettuces and spinach are slowing down. Once the plants flower, the leaves become bitter. Time to pull them out. What to replace it with? Cucumbers, melons, squash and pumpkins need warm soil and will germinate quickly. The vines take lots of room, though, so make sure you have the space. Pumpkins planted now will make great jack-o-lanterns come fall. It’s getting a bit late to plant tomatoes or peppers- although a large plant in the ground now will still reward you. In terms of harvesting, peas are coming on and strawberries are at their peak.

In the vegetable garden, weeding, watering and keeping a vigilant eye for insects are more critical than in the flower beds. Fruiting vegetables are heavy feeders- so use a bloom-boosting fertilizer with a higher middle number (phosphorus) twice a month to keep plants producing and healthy. Herbs like dill and cilantro go to seed quickly. Leave the flower stems up to drop seed on the ground and replenish themselves, or keep planting through the summer to keep fresh herbs.

In the perennial garden last months poppies, salvia, and iris are past their peak. Cutting back salvias will encourage a second flush of flowers. You can divide clumps of iris (while you still remember which clumps are which color) now otherwise wait until fall. Fall blooming perennials like sedums, aster and mums benefit from a haircut now. Cut as much as halfway back to encourage them to branch without sacrificing flowering. This should be done by the end of the month.

The parade of spring blooming shrubs is coming to an end. A mock orange, lilacs and fringe tree all perfumed the yard this year, but now can use a trim if they are getting leggy. Prune now before they set their buds for next year and you won’t sacrifice bloom. Evergreens like boxwoods and yews just finished their spring flush. Shape them a bit now if needed. They do not respond well to late fall pruning.

As long as it keeps raining, it is safe to plant perennials and freshen flowerpots. We water new in-ground plantings several times a week for 4-6 weeks, then let them fend for themselves . Flowerpots are a different story. To keep hanging baskets and patio containers healthy and happy, water and fertilize frequently. How often depends on the size of the pot, age and kind of plants they are. But in general, plants in containers need a low level of fertilizer at every watering or a stronger dose once a week. Look at the lower leaves, if they are yellowing that is the tell that they are hungry.

The other key to happy container plants is remove dead flowers and snip the tips from “spillers” or too-tall ‘thrillers”. A lot of people are afraid to trim their plants- but a little pinch will really help leggy plants fill in.

Engaging and educating new gardeners is a group effort. Social media and the internet offer lots of helpful tips- but nothing beats sage advice from a trusted friend or neighbor with a beautiful garden.

April showers brought many beautiful May flowers this year. As I drive around town the irises, salvias, peonies and poppies are on full display. It is a truly glorious sight. A lesser known May-bloomer, but one of my favorites sharing the stage now is baptisia or false indigo.

Baptisia australis, also known as blue false indigo, is a US native plant at home from Vermont south to Georgia and west to Nebraska and Wisconsin. It is a member of the pea family and features tall flower spikes of blue or purple lupine-shaped flowers. During colonial times, both the yellow and blue native baptisia were used as a dye, giving the common name false indigo. Baptisia favors sunny to partly-shaded dry or well-drained soil. In boggy areas or too much shade it will open and become floppy. In bloom baptisia is just over waist high.

There are perennials that are short lived- blooming for a few years then disappearing from the garden without a trace. Then there are perennials that will outlive you. Peonies and baptisia belong to the second group. Baptisia is a deeply rooted plant that spreads slowly forming a large clump. It does not move well, so plant it where you want it to stay. A clump on the farm that has been there at least 20 years is now a patch about 10 feet long.

There are several other species of baptisia offering different colors- mostly yellow and white. Plant breeders at the Chicago Botanic Garden and in Michigan have been cross breeding them since the 1990s and achieved some beautiful color variations. Popular forms include pink and yellow bicolors, white and blue shades and selections (usually named after chocolate) which are shades of purple-brown and yellow. Odd- but it works. We have five or six different plantings on the farm that have proved just as hardy (and beautiful) as the straight species.

Many of the hybrids are sterile, but blue false indigo produces black seed pods in the fall. As they dry, the seeds inside make a rattling sound when the wind blows- or a fun novelty for kids. I also like to use the large decorative seed pods in fall flower arrangements.

The Perennial Plant Association chose Baptisia as Plant of the Year in 2010 celebrating it as a wonderful addition to the perennial garden. They are not plagued by aphids, browsed by deer, susceptible to many diseases and extremely long lived. I wholeheartedly agree, baptisia is a notable perennial for most sunny gardens.