Looking Back on 2025, and Forward to 2026

Posted on Sunday, January 25, 2026 · Leave a Comment 

Overall, my gardens did well last summer despite the lack of rain – largely because of all that sunshine. Most of us had a wet spring and early summer, then a very dry summer and fall. For people planting new trees, shrubs and perennials it meant lots of watering. Until plants have done some root growth, they really need to have soil that does not completely dry out. Vegetables, of course do best with lightly moist soil.

 

Each year I plant a few more trees and shrubs, even though my list includes over 100 different kinds that I have planted since I bought my house in 1970. Last spring I planted a spring-blooming witch hazel, one called ‘Arnold’s Promise’. I’ve had the native witch hazel for decades – they bloom late in the fall with lovely yellow blossoms. This new one is a Zone 5 tree, only hardy to minus 20 F. I’ve been in a Zone 4 area for decades, but have been trying Zone 5 trees for the last few years, and they have all survived our winters. Hopefully, “Arnold” will, too.

 

Last fall I planted a Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides). This is not the California redwood, but a descendent of a trees only found in fossil records until the 1940’s. Then an alert forester found a grove of them in a remote part of China. He contacted the Arnold Arboretum at Harvard, and an expedition was mounted after WWII. Seeds were collected and sent all over the world, and this fast-growing deciduous conifer has succeeded well in many locations. It likes wet soil and prefers full sun, but will tolerate some shade. I have seen several in New Hampshire and Vermont. I can’t wait to see how it performs for us.

 

Sungold cherry tomatoes

Looking ahead, I will soon be studying the catalogs and websites of my favorite seed companies. It’s good to order seeds now, as some popular seeds will sell out – especially small packets of tomato seeds of things like ‘Sun Gold’, my favorite cherry tomato.

 

If you have been thinking about starting your own seedlings, now is a good time to build a simple A-frame stand that will support lights and the flats you will use to start your plants indoors. I’ve written how to make one, so just email me if you want directions on how to do it. Your local lumber store should be willing to cut all the pieces of wood to size for you. It’s quite easy to build – even for non-carpenters.

 

I don’t believe in writing New Year’s resolutions, but do like to reflect each year at this time about what improvements I want to make in how I garden, and what I shall plant. So here are a few of my ideas, and a few from friends willing to share theirs.

 

Young dawn redwood at New England Botanic Garden in Boylston, MA

Although we have large populations of native plants that support pollinators and birds, in 2026 I hope to locate and plant a wider diversity of plants. I am on the list to get the Massachusetts Master Gardener on-line newsletter called The Dirt. In the January issue it lists native plants that are important to support our pollinators that are “at risk” and declining in numbers.

 

Using that list I will see which I can add to our environment. Dr. Gegear, who researched and prepared the list, includes bloom time, whether it is important for pollen or nectar, and what pollinators it is important for. A good source for native plants is the Native Plant Trust garden shop in Framingham, MA and their production facility, Nasami Farm in Whately, MA. Both are open seasonally, opening in mid-April.

 

My friend, Hank, emails this: Over a cup of tea and the last of the holiday cookies I sift through the dog-eared pages of color and hope (the seed catalogs). I take the time to add to the lists, create my To Do’s, and purposely circle plant varieties that I am interested in trying. …I take the time to consider where I’ll be building a new shed and then wander into the barn to spend more time organizing, looking for the tools that need to be cleaned and sharpened.”

 

And Jenny from Vermont emailed saying that she will “try to keep the goutweed in check so the new Mayapple can dominate, and I’ll try to rein in the white cohosh that has gone wild. Last year I tried to add a toad lily and it failed — I may try again …” My thought? Yes, try toad lily again, it’s a great plant (but not a true lily) that blooms in the fall. I always give plants two more tries in different spots if I wasn’t successful with them on the first try.

 

Pawpaw fruit has a tropical flavor but a texture that is mushy.

Last year my friend Mark planted five little pawpaw trees that he got from another friend. Pawpaws send up lots of root sprouts, but they will not produce fruit if they are genetic clones (all from a single mother tree, as his probably are). I have some from another source, so he’ll trade me one of his for one of mine. Most small trees move easily. Pawpaws are a native tree common in Appalachia, but hardy here. Their fruit tastes tropical!

 

Sara told me that she is looking forward to warmer weather. She wants to re-wild areas on her property to include more native species that will support pollinators and wildlife.

 

And my friend Rika e-mailed saying, in part, “My intention every year is to become more relaxed – not casual – and intuitive in the garden.” I like it!

 

I wish you all a successful year in your gardens.

 

Henry‘s column appears once a month. Reach him at henry.homeyer@comcast.net or P.O. Box 364, Cornish Flat, NH 03746

 

 

Filed under Article · Tagged with may apple, paw paw, sungold tomatoes

Native Plants for New England Gardens

It’s rare that I find a book that is as useful, accurate and easy-to-read as Native Plants for New England Gardens by Mark Richardson and Dan Jaffe, both on staff at the New England Wild Flower Society in Framingham, Massachusetts. This book presents over 100 species of wildflowers, trees and shrubs, grasses, ferns, vines and lianas (woody vines). And even though I grow the vast majority of plants in this book, I learned so much that I felt like a third grade boy on an outing with a PhD.

First, the authors define native plants: those that were growing in North America when the first colonists arrived. They stress, right off the bat, that it is important to put the right plant in the right place. Instead of shopping for pretty flowers, they recommend knowing about plants and seeking them out. The glossy photos of the book will help you put together a plant list; their instructions will help you decide if you have a place for a particular plant.

I have always enjoyed eating wild harvested plants. The book covers ramps, which I grow, but also other wild edibles I grow – including two that I didn’t know are edible.

May apple

I have a large patch of Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum). As the authors point out, it spreads robustly and shades out other plants. The blossoms appear beneath the big, wide leaves and are not easily seen; they suggest planting it on a steep incline, so that one can see them – and the fruit, bright red “apples” when standing below the planting. I have seen the fruit, but never knew it was edible until reading about it. Apparently the fruit is also eaten by box turtles. Who knew? Note: “Since writing this, I read elsewhere that that the seeds and rind may be toxic, so better to avoid eating May apples.” 

Another edible fruit described in the book is produced by American spikenard (Aralia racemosa). The authors note that spikenard gets big enough to serve as a handsome shrub, but since it dies back to the ground each fall, it won’t be damaged by snow falling off your roof if you plant it near the house. I grow it in part shade and it gets to be 6 feet tall and wide, and produces masses of berries each fall. The berries start off white, change to red, and end up a deep purple. I shall taste them this fall.

I grow all 3 of the milkweeds described in the book: common, swamp or rose, and butterfly milkweed. The authors explain the pluses and minuses of each, where to plant them. “If you are looking for a well-behaved garden plant, then common milkweed is not the best choice.” It spreads by root, they explain and is suited for “meadows, hell strips or as competition against invasive species.”

Yes, I knew that milkweeds are essential for monarch butterflies, but they point out that they also support tussock moths, swallowtails, and a variety of beneficial beetles. “The plant (swamp milkweed) seemingly supports whole ecosystems on its own, often playing host to bees, ants, and various spiders waiting to eat an unsuspecting pollinator.”

Cardinal flower

I love cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) and have grown both the native species and modern hybrids varieties in a moist, full-sun garden. I no longer grow the hybrids, as they are less hardy than the native species and have all died out. The authors refer to work done at the University of Vermont that showed that at least one of the hybrids produced only 20% of the nectar energy produced by the wild species. So hummingbirds, who love these bright red flowers, get something akin to diet nectar if you grow the hybrid variety. It’s best to avoid planting them, so read the plant tags carefully before buying.

I love the bright red leaves of staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina) growing by the side of the road, but would never consider planting it on my property. Although a native plant with fruit beloved by returning migratory birds in early spring, it can spread very aggressively and is hard to remove. But the authors introduced me to another variety, fragrant sumac (Rhus aromatica), that is smaller, “much slower growing, and fairly easy to control even in a formal garden setting.” I shall look for it, and try to learn from others who have grown it (Please e-mail me if you have grown it).

I grew up in Connecticut where spicebush (Lindera benzoin) was a wild shrub with tasty leaves and twigs that I chewed as a breath freshener. But it is hardy to Zone 4, and I got one two years ago. According to the book, it is an understory shrub that does well in moist soil. I knew it as a plant for dry shade, and hence planted it here in a dry location, and it has done fine.

Aralia berries

What I did not know, until reading Native Plants for New England Gardens, is that spicebush is dioecious – there are male and female plants. That would explain why I have not gotten any of the bright red berries used by the authors in a tea that is “magical for fighting off the common cold and is packed with vitamin C.” I shall get another, and hope for pollination.

One last tip from the book: if you want to grow wintergreen, a low-growing ground cover with tasty red berries, plant it under your blueberries. The sulfur you give your blueberries will make the soil right for wintergreen.

I loved this book. I predict you will, too. And come spring, I’ll go to the Garden in the Woods in Framingham, MA (where the authors work) and buy some wildflowers in the nursery there.

You may e-mail Henry at henry.homeyer@comcast.net or write him at P.O. Box 364, Cornish Flat, NH 03746. Please include a SASE if you want a response by USPS mail. 

Copyright © 2014 Henry Homeyer

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