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The Latest on Miss Smarty Plants

Grasses that stand up in winter

by Keri Byrum | Feb 26, 2019 | Around Our Yard

What can I say? Its been a long winter. We had a blizzard on Sunday– a real one. All of this snow is giving me a new appreciation for grasses that stand up in winter. The photo above shows the ‘Northwind’ switchgrass standing strong with about 8″ of snow at the base. The photos below show the same plants with about 15″ of snow at their base. I have other grasses in my garden, but none of them seem to hold up like these. What use is a floppy grass if you can’t appreciate it in the winter? Grasses that stand up in winter are something to be appreciated, quite honestly, all year long. Their vertical punctuation in an otherwise flat landscape is exactly what is needed.… Read Full Post

Farfugium as a houseplant

by Keri Byrum | Feb 15, 2019 | Plant Spotlight

I’ve had a love affair with Farfugium for a long time. When we moved from Florida to Iowa I brought one along to try the lovely farfugium as a houseplant. The good news is that it is flourishing! The big, bold leaves of farfugium, also known as Leopard Plant, are the main attraction. It is a member of Daisy family, so while it does send up spikes of yellow flowers, to me these seem out of place with the large tropical leaves. I’ve even heard farfugium referred to as Tractor Seat Plant, and I can certainly see that in the broad leaf shape. I first referenced Farfugium on here back in 2015 in my New and Underused Plants post. Back then it was really hard to find.… Read Full Post