Category: Gardening

di Stefano Landscaping’s Favorite Plants

When people find out that I am a landscape designer here in Vermont I always get asked one of two questions or sometimes both. 1. Can you come take a look at my yard? or 2. What is your favorite plant? I typically answer the first question with a laugh and briefly discuss their […]

Poppies And Memorial Day

As Memorial Day approaches many of us think about those we know who are or were in the military, especially those who were lost. You see veterans groups selling Red Poppies for remembrance this time of year, as well as in November at Veterans Day. I have often wondered why this practice takes place. As a landscape […]

Putting Your Garden To Bed For The Winter

This is the time of year, especially with the recent dipping temperatures, that we start thinking about all that there is to do around the house and in the gardens to prepare for the long winter ahead of us. There are two schools of thought when it comes to dealing with the garden in the […]

Frighteningly Beautiful Plants for this Halloween!

Japanese Lantern (Physalis alkekengi) This beautiful plant has an orange papery covering over it’s fruit, which resemble Jack-o- lanterns. This is a perennial that is native across southern Asia and is widely grown all over the world. The fruit can be used in cut flower arrangements and dries nicely. In Japan during the Bon Festival […]

Wild Parsnip

As I was driving along Interstate 89 on Friday night I noticed that the roadsides were lined with Wild Parsnip and earlier that week a friend of mine asked me if I had heard about plant. I have known about this weed for several years, but our conversation made me realize that many people haven’t. […]

Peonies!

Paeonia, Latin for Garden Peonies are among the most fragrant, beautiful and quintessential Vermont perennials. They are extremely long lived plants, which will thrive with little maintenance if planted correctly. They require full sun & well drained soils. Peonies grow best in cooler climates as they will only bloom well after the Winter chill. When […]

Lilacs

With Memorial Day just around the corner I am often reminded of Walt Whitman’s “When Lilacs last in the dooryard bloom’d”: When lilacs last in the dooryard bloom’d, And the great star early droop’d in the western sky in the night, I mourn’d, and yet shall mourn with ever-returning spring. Ever-returning spring, trinity sure to […]

Native Plants

When we are asked about trends in the landscape industry here in Vermont, it is often mentioned that more and more clients are asking for native plants to be incorporated into their landscapes. What exactly is a native plant and why should they be incorporated into our landscapes? Well, according to the USDA (United States Department […]

Moon Gardens

Never heard of a Moon Garden, don’t worry you are not alone. Moon Gardens are spaces that are designed to be enjoyed in the evening hours. These spaces are growing in popularity especially with the busy work schedules we all maintain. They are the perfect place to go on an evening stroll, a place for […]

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