Green City Design

03/02/2026

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In stock and gorgeous - Helleborus 'Shotgun Wedding' of the WEDDING PARTY® Series

02/05/2026

Discover stunning fast-growing plants for the Southwest region that are easy-to-grow drought-tolerant, and attractive to pollinators.

01/25/2026

01/19/2026

A perfect guide to the design of a Japanese Garden.

05/20/2025

It’s magnolia time in Georgia! There are 3 species of native magnolia blooming right now. We’ll feature them over the next 3 days. The first one is the bigleaf magnolia (Magnolia macrophylla). It is one of several deciduous magnolias, but this one is the biggest of all. This species has the largest single leaf of any native plant in North America – up to 36 inches long (there is another plant with larger compound leaves).

This species is native to scattered counties in Georgia and makes a fine specimen tree in part shade. It is naturally an understory tree within a canopy of oaks, beeches and tuliptrees. The flowers are large and fragrant, one of several characteristics that distinguishes it from the similar looking umbrella magnolia (M. tripetala) whose range overlaps with it.

03/14/2025

IT"S TIME TO PLANT FOR POLLINATORS!

03/14/2025

Native Gardens.

# greencitydesign1

Incorporating Native Plants in Your Garden – Thinking Ahead by EMG Jenn

Is your garden planning in full swing? I know mine is, and I’m in the process of starting seeds! As you make plans for this spring and summer, it would be great to find ways to include some native plants (see my hashtag below for all of the plants I have written about since June 2020). Could you plant something for specialist bees, for example? See https://vnps.org/specialist-bees-need-special-plants/. Or include some keystone plants? See https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife/About/Native-Plants/keystone-plants-by-ecoregion.

But in addition to your planting, there are other ways you can make a difference on your property for the wildlife there and the ecosystem that supports them (and us). Dr. Doug Tallamy spoke two years ago for the Sag Moraine Native Plant Community, and he gave us a list of nine things homeowners can do to help. For more about Tallamy’s work and his Homegrown National Park project, see https://homegrownnationalpark.org/. One point he made was about lessening the amount of our lawns. I have seen lawns described by many speakers as pollinator deserts. There is nothing there for them, unless you let the dandelions bloom (and do! They are an important early spring nectar source for bees!).

Tallamy suggests reducing our lawns by half. That may sound like a lot to you…but you don’t have to do it all at once! Could you enlarge a perimeter or island bed and chip away at the lawn acreage? Could you start a new flower bed in the center of your lawn? The picture this week (taken in June) is from my sun garden, which is in the middle of the lawn in my backyard. Every year I increase its size a little. I think it’s OK to have some lawn, especially if you have dogs and kids, but if most of your property is lawn, maybe you could consider alternatives. If you don’t want high-maintenance beds, consider a native groundcover, especially under trees, to support native caterpillars. (https://www.plantnovanatives.org/groundcovers) These caterpillars are tremendously important for birds rearing chicks, and the caterpillars that survive become the beautiful butterflies and moths we enjoy in our gardens!

Photo by EMG Jenn.

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03/14/2025

Flower Friday!

01/06/2025

12/06/2024

This is really helpful for all the Hydrangea lovers out there.

Early spring is the best time to prune panicle hydrangeas, when the first green new growth appears but the threat of frost has passed.

01/08/2024

One of my TOP 10 favorite plants!
'Flaming Silver' Japanese pieris

'Flaming Silver' Japanese pieris for

Also known as Japanese andromeda and lily-of-the-valley shrub, this is one of those rare plants that captures your attention in all seasons.

Slow growing and shade tolerant, lily-of-the-valley shrubs are ideal for adding year-round color to mixed borders, woodland gardens, and foundation plantings. Smaller dwarf varieties can also be planted in containers to provide multiseason interest on porches and patios.

Zones: 5-8 (some varieties are hardy in zone 4 if planted in a protected location). Learn more https://ow.ly/kqLe50Qoma6

11/25/2023