​This gal gives you the beautiful hydrangea panicles you would expect, but the oak leaf makes it a good looking shrub when not flowering.  Very dependable.  Not too large.

Ruby Slippers Oak Leaf Hydrangea  
Hydrangea quercifolia 'Ruby Slippers'

• Large coarse oak leaves makes this an outstanding hydrangea choice – wait. I love the large white to ruby red flowers  

• Dwarf Oak Leaf 40” H x 40” W

• Prefers full sun to dabbled shade in consistently moist well-draining soil; best to mulch well and give it some winter wind protection

• Firm, upright stems hold panicles up to 9” long; blooms on OLD WOOD.  Little pruning needed, but best to prune in fall just after flowering if needed
Photo by Spring Meadow Nursery

​I'm seeking a long term relationship.  I love the outdoors.  I'm very outgoing and have lots of friends.  You could say I'm all the buzz around town.  I'm tall and slender with measurements of 24" H x 18" W.  My favorite color is purple.  If you'd like to get to know me, I'll be around in the spring.  I don't do meet ups for coffee.

Tall Garden Pholx     
Phlox paniculata 'Laura'

• Prefers rich, moist soil in full sun

• Try to water from below and provide good air circulation; thin out when needed

• Produces masses of purple fuchsia blossoms with a long bloom time; dead-heading will produce rebloom

• 24”H x 18”W

• Is fragrant so good cut flower

I hope your coffee is hot and your book is a good one! As I look out my window on this snowy weekend, what plants do I see? I can always count on those tall grasses. Not only do they stand tall, but those seeds help all kinds of wildlife. They also will block the many man made objects that get in the way of our views. I raise my mug high to the tall grasses! Here is a good one.
Karl Foerster Ornamental Grass
Calamagrostis acutiflora 'Karl Forerster'
• Also known as Feather Reed Grass
• Cool Season clumping grass; perfect choice for northern Michigan
• 60” H x 24”W Erect Growth Habit
• Outstanding for screening pipes, fences and power boxes!
• Wheat like seeds appear in late spring and stay all season – terrific effect in the breeze!
• Prefers full sun and dry conditions, any soil including clay, cut back to 6” in spring
• Deer Resistant
Photo by Walters Gardens Inc.

Start This - Get That
Our family lived in Kentucky for 3 years where I fell in love with white flowering dogwoods and redbuds growing on the hillsides. They put on a fabulous spring show! You will find a few Eastern Redbuds (Cercis canadensis) in northern Michigan but are not widely offered as we are on the northern fringes for success. Well apparently folks in Minnesota love them too. The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum developed a variety called the Minnesota Strain (good article for plant nerds https://northerngardener.org/plant-profile-redbud-tree/ ), I have been growing this strain from seed for the past 3 seasons. If all goes well, I should have some small trees this fall. Here is a picture of my partial 2020 crop of 500 I am starting. Who else loves Redbuds out there???