Q. I won a 4-inch potted toad lily and planted it in a whisky barrel. It draped over the sides and from late September until now has had a profusion of remarkable spotted lavender blooms. It is lovely ...

If plants could talk, what would the toad lily say about its name? Certainly, it's peculiar, as is the bloom of this woodland perennial. Yet the toad lily is a bewitching beauty in the fall garden.

Shade gardens offer gardeners the option of growing unconventional plants that do not tolerate the scorching heat that usual sun-lit landscapes provide. While it may not be the easiest thing to do, ...