Larkspur Design

05/25/2026

Last week we had the pleasure of touring Garden in the Woods with staff horticulturalist, hummingbird-enthusiast, native plant-lover . We are in awe of this beautiful, native plant garden tucked away in a residential neighborhood of Framingham, MA. 45-acres of intentionally-tended, ever-evolving gardens offering snapshots into some spectacular habitats - woodland, meadow, bog, swamp, pond, coastal sand plain, rocky ledge, etc.

They do a great job of demonstrating ecological management practices. Arborists selectively leave dead trees standing in the forest to benefit wildlife who use ‘snags’ as habitat. Horticulturalists collect seed from nearby reference plant communities to create assemblages of plants that thrive well together in specific conditions. Gardens are full of weaving groundcovers that mimic the dense coverage on a forest floor.

We had so many favorite plants that we can’t list them all. The robin’s plantain (Erigeron pulchellis) was a show stopper, as were swaths of wild geranium (Geranium maculatum) & golden ragwort (Packera aurea) in bloom. We loved seeing a lush Carex pennsylvanica lawn to demonstrate an alternative for Kentucky Bluegrass turf. Honorable mention goes to a patch of Trillium that has been recorded on site for over 40 years!

If you haven’t made it there yet, we highly recommend a trip to this magical place!

05/23/2026

Polemonium -
Oh, how we love you!

Currently blooming here in southern Maine…but we’re always obsessed! Polemonium reptans (Jacob’s ladder), native to much of Eastern North America, is a small woodland plant, though we’ve found it can thrive in full sun if there’s enough moisture. Polemonium is a great source of nectar for early season pollinators, such as the bumblebee seen here, and miner bees (Andrena spp.).

It reseeds & fills in gaps in the garden and helps create a nice baselayer. features this great plant in their book Native Ground Covers for Northeast Landscapes.

Plant it alongside other woodland loving plants, such as Eastern columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), wild geranium (Geranium maculatum), ferns, & Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum biflorum) for a spectacular springtime show in your garden!

05/22/2026

Two of our designers, Julie & Eva, had such a fun time volunteering with the City of South Portland’s Resilient Yards program yesterday. They walked a group of volunteer coaches through site analysis - sun / shade, water, existing vegetation, paths & circulation, etc. - and how to translate this information into informed and intentional plant placement on a site!

The volunteer garden coaches have been paired with over 50 South Portland residents who will be gifted native plants from . This program is getting folks excited to learn about native plants and how they can add resilience to their home landscapes.

05/21/2026

This week we took a field trip to Deerfield, N.H., to visit Van Burkem Nursery, our favorite wholesale perennial nursery.

We were reminded of some fun plants that we’re looking forward to incorporating into future designs, like Stylophorum diphyllum (celandine poppy), Uvularia grandiflora (Bellwort), Trollius laxus (American globeflower), & Sibbaldiopsis tridentata (three-toothed cinquefoil).

The Van Berkum operation is impressive! Powered by awesome, plant-loving people who are growing high-quality, beautiful plants.

05/20/2026

Periwinkle (Vinca minor) has been a favorite garden plant for centuries. It was first introduced in North America in the 1700s and it’s still commonly sold as an ornamental ground cover. But the bad news? Vinca escaped cultivation and has invaded natural areas–mostly shady woods–where it grows dense mats on the forest floor, crowding out native plants.

If you have vinca in your garden, consider replacing it with some gorgeous, adaptable native groundcovers instead!

Dwarf crested iris (Iris cristata) and common blue violets (Viola sororia) are excellent woodland companions, and happily mingle under trees. Iris cristata is native to wooded uplands of the mid-Atlantic, but thrives in New England in optimal conditions: partial shade and medium-moist soil.

If you have a sunnier, dryer spot, consider planting bird’s-foot violet (Viola pedata). It does best in full sun and well-drained soil. Violets are the host plants for several species of Fritillary butterflies. The flowers are edible to humans too! Here in the Portland area, you can often find these purple cuties at local nurseries like O’Donals & Skillins

05/14/2026

If you live in northern New England, you’re likely seeing the blossoms of both Callery pears and serviceberries blooming right now! And we’re here to tell you, it’s time to take down your Callery pear and consider planting a serviceberry instead!

Pyrus calleryana, the Callery pear, is a species of pear tree native to East Asia. Its cultivar Bradford pear (known for its offensive odor) was widely planted 50+ years ago. They do not support our native pollinators and are now considered invasive.

Serviceberries’ white blossoms emerge at the same time and they are incredibly ecologically beneficial here in Maine. We absolutely adore these trees, and include them in almost every design - and for good reason!

Their berries, also familiarly known as juneberries, are delicious. They’re a popular snack for birds, like cedar waxwings, robins, catbirds, & thrushes. If you can beat the birds to them, they’re great for jams and pies, or just on their own.

Serviceberries are also a larval host plant for many butterflies and moths, such as the striped hairstreak (Satyrium liparops), viceroy butterflies (Limenitis archippus), and the red-spotted purple butterfly (Limenitis artemis astyanax).

Your local nursery likely has serviceberries in stock! There are many species, and some of our favorites are Amelanchier canadensis (shadbush), Amelanchier laevis (allegheny serviceberry), and Amelanchier grandiflora (apple serviceberry).

If you want to learn more about the magic of serviceberries, we recommend reading Robin Wall Kimmerer’s beautiful book titled ‘The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World.’

05/08/2026

05/06/2026

While lots of people love forsythia in their gardens for an early spring pop of yellow, here’s a friendly nudge to reconsider! Forsythia, native to parts of Eastern Asia, attracts pollinators but does not actually provide our native pollinators with nutritional pollen and nectar.

A better choice is our native spicebush (Lindera benzoin). Spicebush is easy to grow and highly adaptable to shady and sunny sites. It prefers moist soil. Best of all, it blooms bright yellow at the same time as forsythia.

It’s also the primary host plant for the spicebush swallowtail (Papilio troilus). Female spicebush swallowtail butterflies lay their eggs on spicebush plants, and the caterpillars feed on the leaves. Humans can also use the leaves to brew an aromatic tea.

Once the yellow flowers pass, forsythia is pretty much done for the year. Spicebush is just getting started! It has beautiful yellow foliage in the autumn, making it a great alternative to burning bush (a bonus nudge to cut down burning bush now before it goes to seed). In the fall, spicebush also produces high-fat, high-protein red berries for our native birds.

Butterfly photo on second slide by Jayson Kowinsky

04/28/2026

It’s that time of year!! Spring clean up. You can take care of our native stem-nesting bees and wasps by cutting dead plant stems back to various heights between 8 and 24 inches. In no time at all new growth will hide the stubble, and you’ve just created nesting habitat for next winter’s hibernating bees!!

Photos from Heather Holm and the Ecological Landscape Alliance. Fact sheet on our website.

04/24/2026

Cedar Wax Wings!!! They’ve been loving the crab apples (Malus) & chokeberries (Aronia arbutifolia) in our garden for weeks now 💛Always so thrilling!