The Node

Woodlander's resource center for plant education, how-to's, garden inspiration, and latest news from Woodlanders.

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The Wisdom of Withering: What a Southern Garden Teaches Us in July

There comes a time in every Southern garden when the exuberance of spring has worn itself thin. By July, the once-rhapsodic green of May has dulled to olive; leaves begin...

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A Tang of Tenacity: The History of Cold-Hardy Citrus Varieties

The development of cold-hardy citrus didn’t begin in a backyard orchard—it began in the laboratories and trial fields of early 20th-century horticulturalists. These early scientists, often working in southern universities...

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A Journey Through the Hypericum Genus

The name “St. John’s Wort” conjures images of golden summer blooms and herbal remedies meant to lift the spirit. Yet, behind this familiar name lies the expansive Hypericum genus, encompassing over...

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The Quiet Giant: Quercus phellos and the Soul of Southern Landscapes

The willow oak (Quercus phellos) is not a tree that boasts. It does not flaunt ornate leaves or perfume the air with blossoms. It is not the stuff of children's...

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The Wild Blueberries of the South

"In the leanest sandhill or beneath the pine’s green hush, there grows a shrub that asks little, gives much, and remembers a time before concrete and imported ornament. That shrub...

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Milkweed and the Memory of Wings: A Garden Meditation on Asclepias

By a porch-shadowed field, where the air is sweet with summer clover and the cottony drift of seed rides the wind like the ghosts of dreams, the milkweed blooms. And...

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The Rare-Hearted Gardener: Community Stewardship

In every true garden, whether broad as a plantation field or bound within the fencing of a humble town plot, there exists the potential for legacy. Not merely the legacy...

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From Sakura to Sugi: A Journey Through Japan’s Botanical Heritage

Japan’s lush landscapes have enchanted plant lovers for centuries. Picture a spring mountainside dappled in pink cherry blossoms and an autumn forest ablaze with red maples – it’s no wonder...

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