The Importance Gardening Magazines

Creeping Phlox

The Creeping Phlox is a low-growing perennial plant with small, vibrant pink flowers that form a dense carpet-like display in spring. It forms a beautiful, lush pink carpet array of blooms and is an excellent spreading groundcover plant that will control weeds and overgrowth near hillsides and banks you can not maintain. Due to its numerous benefits and aesthetic appeal, it is a popular and versatile plant used in landscaping.  The creeping phlox is a solid option for those who want to add gorgeous color to their yard. This plant, also known as the mountain type, moss type, and moss pink, is native to the central and eastern United States, and its beauty makes it a popular option for gardens around the globe. What are the benefits of adding this vibrant plant to your yard or garden? Creeping Phlox Has Brilliant Colors Creeping Phlox's flowers are stunning, with colors ranging from pale blue, white, and pink to bright violet. Each flower has five hardy petals, but some have six petals. The plants bloom through the spring and summer, providing lasting color for approximately one month. As an evergreen perennial, the plant remains green throughout the year. It can brighten up an otherwise dull, dreary yard in the peak of the cold weather season. Creeping Phlox Is A Filler Plant This plant grows five inches tall and up to 13 inches in diameter. In addition to the expanse of a single plant, the plant proliferates. Many use its beauty as an alternative to grass or a filler in their more extensive gardens. Because of its short height, it does not need to be cut back like grass and other ground cover. Weeds increase and can make your yard look poorly maintained in a matter of weeks. The plant is dense with tightly clustered leaves. When in bloom, the flowers blanket the tops of the plants. Because of its unique traits, the plant prevents or minimizes weed growth. As a result, your gardens can continue to look fabulous without needing to devote hours of your valuable time to pulling weeds regularly. Creeping Phlox Helps With Soil Erosion Prevention  Grass generally only thrives on ledges and steep banks, making your grounds look barren and subject to erosion. The creeping phlox, however, thrives in these areas. Its presence can dramatically reduce the damaging effects of erosion while enhancing aesthetics. It is well-suited for providing immediate and long-term benefits to your property.

Cardinal Flower

The Red Cardinal Flower has vibrant red blooms and tall, erect stalks. It adds color and elegance to gardens, parks, and various outdoor spaces. Beyond its aesthetic appeal, it offers several advantages, making it a popular choice for landscapers and gardeners. The scarlet-hued Lobelia cardinalis is a perennial in the bellflower family. Its tall, nectar-filled bloom spikes attract hummingbirds and create a beautiful display in your garden. The plant's common name refers to the red robes a Roman Catholic cardinal wears.     Natural Habitat Of The Cardinal Flower Lobelia is native to the North and South American continents and blooms from July through September. This moisture-loving plant grows on stream banks and in low woods, marshes, and meadows across the United States. If you want to create a handsome show in your garden, Lobelia will surely delight. The plant's fiery spires yield brilliant red blooms that open gradually from the bottom to the top of their racemes. Each long, narrow, tube-shaped blossom has two flat upper petals and three lower petals at the tips. The delicate plant crown leafy 2’-4' stems, covered with shiny, lance-shaped, bright green leaves that sometimes have a bronze or reddish tint. The leaves alternate as they climb the stems, enhancing the blooms to create a lively riot of color. Cardinal Flower is a favorite of gardeners who love adding bold splashes of crimson. This plant is perfect for shady woodland plots, wet meadow plantings, water gardens, pollinator gardens, and rain gardens. Its long stems can add height to borders and create depth when placed in the back sections of your landscape. The blossoms are most spectacular from midsummer into fall and make excellent cut blooms. Ecology Of The Cardinal Flower Some people say Lobelia will bring hummingbirds in from the sky. The plant's blooming period coincides with the late-summer migration of ruby-throated hummingbirds traveling south to Mexico. The birds pollinate the plant by dipping their beaks into the plants' long, red tubes. The blossoms are also beautiful to swallowtail butterflies and bees, making them a wonderful centerpiece in a pollinator garden. Cardinal Flower Is A Bold Statement In Any Garden  When you want to make a bold, beautiful statement in your garden, include the Cardinal Flower in your plan and celebrate the summer season.

Spigelia Indian Pink

Spigelia Indian Pink is a native wildflower beloved for its striking tubular, red-and-yellow flowers, which attract hummingbirds and thrive in shaded woodland gardens. Incorporating landscaping projects offers many benefits, enhancing outdoor spaces' visual aesthetics, ecological diversity, and overall vibrancy. This unique perennial plant presents distinct features that contribute to various aspects of landscape design. Spigelia Indian Pink is a stunning herbaceous perennial native to woodland areas across the inland regions from Texas to Florida and Virginia to Missouri. This wildflower plant has a distinctive flower and is commonly grown in gardens as an ornamental plant. After a closer look at this beautiful flower in the Astrid family, you can easily incorporate it into your landscaping design. The Eye-Catching Beauty Spigelia Indian Pink This wildflower has a stunning look that is easily identifiable. The flowers bud straight out from the top of the stems in an elongated fashion. This bright red or pink bud then sprouts a small, delicate flower at the top. This yellow flower has a star-like shape with six petals. The large, pointed leaves have a dusty green hue. When the plants are in full bloom, usually in May, you can enjoy a sea of green, red, and yellow in your garden. Spigelia Indian Pink is Great For Supporting Wildlife  This plant strongly attracts hummingbirds to its flowers. Hummingbirds are natural pollinators, promoting the health of other plants in your garden. In addition, hummingbirds eat wasps, mosquitoes, aphids, ants, and other pesky insects that you may prefer to keep out of your space. The roots of this lovely plant also dispel several types of worms that could otherwise damage the plants. The Hardiness Of Spigelia Indian Pink While this wildflower plant prefers moist soil, it is hardy enough to withstand drought. When it has adequate moisture, the plant will grow taller and thicker. The dry months of the year stymie growth and often transition into the colder weather season when the plant lies dormant. However, the blooms will return in the spring months. Spigelia Indian Pink grows in clumps up to two feet tall and two feet wide. When planted ornamentally, these plants are often shaped through pruning. Commonly, they are rounded to appear as bushes. However, they can also grow broadly by retaining their free, wildflower look. The plants spread through natural propagation, and you can facilitate growth by planting the cut stems.

Wood Poppy

Wood Poppy has deeply lobed, blue-green foliage that forms an attractive ground cover that adds texture and interest to the landscape even when the plant is not blooming. It bursts into a profusion of cheerful yellow flowers with four petals in early spring, creating a picturesque display that enlivens the garden. These vibrant blooms contrast the fresh green leaves, creating a focal point in any garden design. The wood poppy is native to the eastern part of the United States and Ontario, Canada. However, it's endangered in Canada due to habitat loss. It's officially known as Stylophorum Diphyllum. Gardeners commonly refer to it as the yellowwood or celandine, and it's part of the Papaveraceae family. This wildflower is frequently found in forests, rivers, streams, and ravines. History buffs may be pleased to know that American Indians once used the yellow sap as a clothing dye. Prized Features of the Wood Poppy The Stylophorum Diphyllum is loved for its yellow to orange four-petaled flowers. It can reach heights of 18 inches, and the flowers can grow to two inches across. The leaves of this brilliantly-colored wildflower are green or gray-green, and they contain lobed leaves that can get up to six inches. Gardeners can expect this flower to bloom from March to May. The Stylophorum Diphyllum thrives in areas that mimic its natural habitat. This means it does well in shade gardens, native regions being rewilded, water features, available shade, and wooded areas. Gardeners can even plant it under and around tall shade trees and shrubs to help brighten the area. Wildlife Seen Around the Wood Poppy The seeds of Stylophorum Diphyllum primarily attract chipmunks. However, the pollen in the flowers has been known to attract various bees. Ideal Companion Plants For Wood Poppy The Stylophorum Diphyllum does well around other wildflowers, trees, shrubs, and ornamental grasses. Some ideal companion plants include bleeding hearts, foamflowers, wild ginger, hostas, columbines, and spiderworts. Gardeners can also pair it with ostrich ferns, Virginia bluebells, wild geraniums, and the woodland phlox. Gardeners can enjoy Wood Poppy anywhere in their yards. However, they may find it looks best under and around trees and shrubs and as part of a wildflower or native plant garden. It can also be planted alongside shaded paths to help define the walkway.