Category: How to Grow..

by Ken Lain, the mountain gardener This gorgeous shrub explodes with masses of solar yellow flowers followed by shiny green leaves. Every home should have one for sheer beauty, fall color, and gentle natural care. Forsythias are a genus of…

by Ken Lain, the mountain gardener This impressive bloomer is covered with flowers late Winter through Spring. Animal resistive with fragrance all pollinators adore. A knee-high evergreen is super easy to care for in the ground or containers. The evergreen…

by Ken Lain, the Mountain Gardener Your grandmother would fall in love with these larger varieties with so many colors to choose from. There’s nothing like the enormous flowers to add vibrant stunning pops of color. Lovely springtime blooms are…

by Ken Lain, the mountain gardener This gorgeous shrub loves growing in the summer shade of a Pinyon Pine. This bold winter evergreen delights with dramatic firey growth in spring, producing clusters of fragrant flowers. Exquisite wedding cake layers of…

by Ken Lain, the mountain gardener Rich green mounds of juniper beauty only grow ankle-high for the perfect mountain ground cover. An ideal choice for low water, low care erosion control on natural banks where monsoon run-off is a problem.…

by Ken Lain, the mountain gardener Botanical Names – Pinus edulis Common Name – Two-Needle Pinyon Pine Plant Type – Evergreen tree Mature Size – 20 feet tall, 15 feet wide Sun Exposure – At least 6+ hours per day…

by Ken Lain, the mountain gardener Yews, Taxus, plants are conifers, so they produce cones, along with red berries. They feature evergreen needles in two primary forms, a spreading shrub or a tall columnar tree. They have a relatively fast…

By Ken Lain, the mountain gardener Winter Gem Boxwood The Buxus genus includes about 70 species of slow-growing broadleaf evergreens. Most varieties used in mountain landscaping are dwarf varieties. These dwarf boxwood shrubs are prized for their densely packed, light-green…

by Ken Lain, the mountain gardener Red Cluster Berry Cotoneaster, Cotoneaster lacteus, is a graceful arching shrub perfect for natural, low-maintenance landscapes. Plants grow quickly to head height with an informal, organic form. The small oval leaves are dark green…

by Ken Lain, the mountain gardener This updated Chinese Juniper has brilliant mint green foliage displayed over an arching form. One of the most constant shrubs in the mountain landscape is planted as shrub borders, mass plantings, or the fringe…