trees & shrubs Archives - A Way To Garden

topiary’s therapeutic powers, with mike gibson

margaret — Fri, 20 Jun 2025 20:20:33 +0000

WE’RE GOING TO do some pruning, but not the same old straight-forward kind. Instead we’re going to talk topiary, and its transformative powers—not just on the plant that is the subject that’s getting clipped, or on the garden that the living sculpture will eventually adorn, but potentially on the creator, too. Topiary artist Mike Gibson and I talked about the horticulture and the artistry in what he does, and also about the therapeutic properties of making topiary. Mike Gibson has been engaging with plants since his childhood in Ohio. Starting in late 2021, he contributed to the restoration of Pearl Fryar’s famed topiary creations at the Pearl Fryar Topiary Garden in South Carolina. Mike now lives in Columbia, S.C., where he operates Gibson Works LLC. He was one of the experts profiled in Amy Stewart’s 2024 book “The Tree Collectors,” has been featured on the HGTV show “Clipped,” and is a popular lecturer and teacher of all things topiary. Read along as you listen to the June 23, 2025 edition of my public-radio show and podcast using the player below. You can subscribe to all future editions on Apple Podcasts (iTunes) or Spotify (and browse my archive of podcasts here). […]

The post topiary’s therapeutic powers, with mike gibson appeared first on A Way To Garden.

powerhouse native shrubs to enliven the garden, with dan wilder

margaret — Sat, 03 May 2025 21:20:43 +0000

WOODY PLANTS, especially trees, can be pure ecological powerhouses, but most of us don’t have room for an entire forest in our backyards. So on a garden scale, which shrubs in particular really get the job done best? Dan Wilder, a longtime native plant expert who is director of Applied Ecology for Norcross Wildlife Foundation in Massachusetts, shared some ideas about just that. Dan urges us to make room for more shrubs in our landscapes to support birds and caterpillars and other animals, while at the same time getting to enjoy their beauty in flower and fruit and even the showy fall color that some of his favorite species boast. In addition to his work at Norcross Wildlife Foundation in Wales, Mass., and its 8,000-acre sanctuary, Dan’s a board member of the Ecological Landscape Alliance and also co-author with Mark Richardson of the book “Native Plants for New England Gardens.” (Above, native steeplebush, Spiraea tomentosa.) Read along as you listen to the May 5, 2025 edition of my public-radio show and podcast using the player below. You can subscribe to all future editions on Apple Podcasts (iTunes) or Spotify (and browse my archive of podcasts here). powerhouse shrubs with dan […]

The post powerhouse native shrubs to enliven the garden, with dan wilder appeared first on A Way To Garden.

enhancing the winter garden, with warren leach

margaret — Sat, 18 Jan 2025 00:09:42 +0000

HOW’S WINTER shaping up where you are so far or more to the point: How’s the winter garden looking? What’s your view out the window this time of year, and could it be improved with some strategic enhancements, creating a true four-season garden no matter where you are? That was the subject of a recent chat I had with Warren Leach, the author of a new book called “Plants for the Winter Garden: Perennials, Grasses, Shrubs and Trees to Add Interest in the Cold and Snow” (affiliate link). Warren, a nurseryman and landscape designer, is based in Rehoboth, Mass., where he and his wife operate Tranquil Lake Nursery. We talked about a range of ideas for enhancing the wintertime scenes in our gardens, from using winter bloomers like witch-hazels (above, ‘Jelena’ as a tree form), to trees with showy bark and more. Plus: Comment in the box near the bottom of the page to enter to win a copy of his new book. (Author photo below by Mark Pagliarini.) Read along as you listen to the Jan. 20, 2025 edition of my public-radio show and podcast using the player below. You can subscribe to all future editions on Apple Podcasts […]

The post enhancing the winter garden, with warren leach appeared first on A Way To Garden.