Detailed plant profiles with growing tips for weekend gardeners. Browse by category or search for a specific plant to find zone-specific planting advice, care instructions, and troubleshooting help.
Black birch is a handsome native deciduous tree valued for its glossy bark, graceful form, and spicy wintergreen scent in its twigs. It makes an excellent long-term shade tree for larger landscapes and naturalized plantings. Gardeners also appreciate its wildlife value and strong adaptation to eastern North American woodland conditions.
Eastern hemlock is a graceful native evergreen tree prized for its soft, feathery needles and elegant, slightly drooping branches. It makes a beautiful specimen tree or screen in cool, moist landscapes and brings year-round structure to woodland gardens. This long-lived conifer is especially valued for its ability to tolerate shade better than many other evergreens.
Eastern cottonwood is a towering native shade tree valued for its rapid growth and ability to provide shelter along streams, fields, and large open landscapes. Its triangular leaves shimmer in the breeze, and mature trees quickly create cooling shade for rural properties and restoration plantings. Because it grows large and has vigorous roots, it is best suited to spacious sites away from buildings and pipes.
Virgin's-bower is a vigorous native perennial vine grown for its masses of fragrant white flowers in summer and its attractive feathery seed heads later in the season. It is a great choice for naturalized plantings, fences, arbors, and wildlife gardens where it can scramble and climb with a soft, romantic look. This clematis is beginner-friendly when given support, decent moisture, and room to grow.
Weekend Plant