Few gardeners would dispute the fact that garden Phlox is a worthy addition to the summer landscape, and nectar-seeking butterflies emphatically agree. But which varieties among the many offered at nurseries and catalogs do the best job of both adding beauty and supporting beneficial insects?
George Coombs manages the trial gardens at Mt. Cuba Center Native Plant Garden and Research Facility in Delaware. In past conversations, George has helped me make our way through the daunting selections of Heuchera, Monarda, and Baptisia. Now George and the trial garden team have spent three years evaluating 94 different sun-loving selections of Phlox for eye and butterfly appeal and mildew resistance, plus 43 shade-garden choices too. 
Late in the season, when all else in the flower garden is losing its head, dahlias are coming on strong and having their moment–not...
One of my favorite books by our friend Ken Druse is called “Making More Plants,” and though it's about all kinds of propagation, Ken...
When most of us think of growing herbs each spring, what we probably put into our shopping cart, whether from online seed catalogs or...