Andrew Bunting is vice president of public horticulture at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and vice president of the Swarthmore Horticultural Society. This page features an archived collection of Andrew’s pieces from 2019-2021.
This week, Andrew Bunting explores less well-known broadleaf evergreens.
For decades, I have marveled at the native American persimmon, Diospyros virginiana, which is found in our native deciduous woods from Connecticut in the north to Florida in the south, and as far west as Kansas. This upright tree is easily identified in any season by its black trunk and alligator-skin-like bark. The American persimmon bears round orange fruits about the circumference of a quarter. Eating the fruit before it is fully ripe produces an astringent sensation in the mouth, because its tannins are still soluble. And if the fruit has not been subjected to frost a couple of times, it will make your mouth pucker.
No tree is more emblematic of Philadelphia than the iconic Franklin tree, Franklinia alatamaha. In 1770, the Philadelphia botanist and explorer John Bartram discovered this small, flowering, multi-stemmed relative of the Stewartia, Gordonia, and Camellia growing along the banks of the Altamaha River in Georgia. Bartram collected a specimen, and then cultivated Franklinia on his property along the Schuylkill River (now Bartram’s Garden).
No tree is more emblematic of Philadelphia than the iconic Franklin tree, Franklinia alatamaha. In 1770, the Philadelphia botanist and explorer John Bartram discovered this small, flowering, multi-stemmed relative of the Stewartia, Gordonia, and Camellia growing along the banks of the Altamaha River in Georgia. Bartram collected a specimen, and then cultivated Franklinia on his property along the Schuylkill River (now Bartram’s Garden).
October is one of my favorite times of the year in the garden. Many annuals and tropical plants are at their peak brilliance and will look great right up to the first significant frost. And their displays are often enhanced because they are surrounded by a myriad of fall blooming perennials—which are just coming into flower now.
Goldenrods, which many had long seen as merely a roadside weed, have in recent years become very popular plantings: they are great, stalwart perennials; they are durable and resilient, attract myriad pollinators, are relatively deer-resistant, and provide golden flowers throughout late summer and into the fall.
This week, Andrew Bunting highlights one of the most effective approaches to create privacy: to use living plants as formal or informal hedges.
This week, Andrew Bunting examines garden plants that support pollinators such as the threatened monarch butterfly.
This week, Andrew Bunting is in Chicago to attend meetings for the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, but traveled there early and will stay through the weekend to try to see as much gardening as possible.
Andrew Bunting reveals some of his favorite colorful plants that thrive in the hot summer months.
Each year, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s Gold Medal Plant Program evaluates the best trees, shrubs, vines, and perennials for the mid-Atlantic region. In this week’s “In the Garden with Andrew,” Andrew points out some of the 2021 recipients he’s particularly fond of.
Tropical plants provide luxuriant and bold foliage. Here are some tips from Andrew on how to plan them in your garden.
You don’t have to go far from Swarthmore to find some of the greatest horticultural institutions in the world.
Andrew Bunting sheds light on the origin of yellow magnolias and describes some of his favorites.
In this installment of “In the Garden with Andrew,” Andrew explores broadleaved evergreens.
Garden columnist Andrew Bunting on his favorite varieties of the early-blooming witch hazel.
In this installment of “In the Garden with Andrew” horticulturist Andrew Bunting describes a variety of local pines.
In this installment of “Andrew in the Garden,” garden columnist Andrew Bunting takes a second look at evergreen magnolias.
Swarthmore is perfectly positioned to grow many of the deciduous magnolias that enjoy hot summers and cold winters. But our winters are also generally warm enough to grow some evergreen magnolias as well. This is the first of several articles on the incredible diversity of magnolias we can grow in our region.
We are fortunate to live in the mid-Atlantic region, one of the best places for growing hollies and home to the largest diversity of hollies in the United States. If I could choose only one species of holly for my garden, I would have to select the winterberry, Ilex verticillata, which, unlike most hollies, is deciduous.
Over the years, I have attempted to be increasingly mindful of adding plants to the garden that will provide winter interest. Fortunately, in this area we have abundant choices.
Last Friday, the volunteer Friends of Little Crum Creek Park convened for work. Our goal was removing invasive plants such as Norway maple, Acer platanoides; Amur honeysuckle, Lonicera maackii; and the burning bush, Euonymus alatus. We were discussing some good native alternatives to these plants when I thought of a counterpart to the burning bush: Euonymus atropurpureus, the Eastern wahoo. Unlike burning bush, which has choked out most of the understory in parts of Eastern forests, this shrub is not invasive.
A couple weeks ago, several of us toured Little Crum Creek Park. A large portion of the tour focused on invasive plants and how they are impacting the natural areas of the park. As a gardener, I think it is valuable to have a working knowledge of invasive plants. With knowledge, our actions can help remedy their damage; conversely, in ignorance, we can inadvertently contribute to the problem.
A couple weeks ago, several of us toured Little Crum Creek Park. A large portion of the tour focused on invasive plants and how they are impacting the natural areas of the park. As a gardener, I think it is valuable to have a working knowledge of invasive plants. With knowledge, our actions can help remedy their damage; conversely, in ignorance, we can inadvertently contribute to the problem.
I recently ran into Swarthmore resident Ginny Scott at a Swarthmore Horticultural Society open house at my garden. She asked, “What general tips can you share for garden design, especially for the small gardens typical of this area?” It’s a great question. Her query made me think about my own evolution as a garden designer. I never attended any garden design classes, but perhaps something like Garden Design 101 would have been helpful.
Today I thought I would walk around Swarthmore to see what interesting perennials are in flower this time of year in the town’s many great residential gardens. Most years, in the Delaware River Valley, we expect good flowering throughout October. Some years, flowering extends well into November.
A gardening friend said to me the other day, “I never met a fern I didn’t like.” I generally agree. While some ferns are too aggressive for my garden, almost all can find a niche in somebody’s landscape.
Many of the most ornamental annuals and perennials are part of the genus Salvia. This includes culinary sage, Salvia officinalis. I use several culinary sages for their ornamental foliage, like Salvia officinalis ‘Purpurea’ with its smoky purple leaves and ‘Berggarten’ with its broad oval ones. ‘Icterina’ is dark green with a soft yellow edge, and ‘Tricolor’ combines green, pink, and white. Like many sages, these are fairly deer resistant due to the aromatic leaves. If the culinary sages are given good drainage, they will be perennials.
I have always loved gardening’s wide accessibility. Gardening transcends ethnicity, socioeconomic status, religious affiliation, and political party. I am fortunate that my passion is my profession. Going to work has never felt like working. After “work,” I come home and garden. When I go on vacation, I often seek out gardens to visit around the country and world. I still find as much joy growing an orange zinnia from seed as embarking on plant exploration tours in the wilds of China or Vietnam.
The hydrangea may be the most planted shrub in North America, if not the world. The genus comprises dozens of species and over 1,000 cultivars, selections, and hybrids. One hydrangea or another will grow in every state. Some species are native, while others have been hybridized for decades.
