Plant Profile: Spider Flower (Cleome hassleriana)
Karen Also called pink queen and grandfather’s whiskers, this annual is a native of South America and a member of the Cleomaceae, a family closely related to the mustard family. The…
Garden Journal: June 13, 2010
High temperatures and humidity, with occasional torrential rains set the stage for the gardens this week. The rain was wonderful for the vegetable but was a negative for the roses…
Plant Profile: Guinea hen flower(Fritillaria meleagris)
Guinea Hen Flower, Chequered Lily, or Snakeshead Lily, all apply to this old fashioned plant. A half dozen bulbs would flower in my mother’s Long Island garden every spring and…
Name This Plant Game: Spring Blooming Perennials 6
Chuck This simple game tests your gardening knowledge by identifying five plants shown in photos from a list of possible names. Photos of each plant are accompaned by a clue describing…
Plant Profile: Catmint (Nepeta x fassenii ‘Walkers Low’)
Picture a medium sized mound of lavender-blue flowers with silver-gray foliage in front of your favorite pink rose bush and you are probably seeing ‘Walker’s Low ‘ catmint. Beloved by…
Pollination of Cucumbers, Squash, and Melons
As you plant cucumbers, squash, and melons you may think about the possibility of these plants cross pollinating and producing fruits with off flavors or some bizarre new fruit you…
Garden Journal: June 6, 2010
Many hot and sunny days have pushed the plants to grow and flower but some are looking floppier than in other years. This was a productive week of work as…
Plant Profile: Scotch Broom (Cytisus scoparius)
Scotch broom is a deciduous to evergreen, nitrogen-fixing shrub growing 4-8’ tall and is member of the pea family, Fabaceae, that also includes lupine, mimosa, and black locust. It is…
Name This Plant Game: Spring Blooming Perennials 5
This simple game tests your gardening knowledge by identifying five plants shown in photos from a list of possible names. Photos of each plant are accompaned by a clue describing…
Facts about Thrips that Eat Roses
There are many different kinds of thrips; some are beneficial (can you believe it?) others are not, and this post is only on the destructive kinds, that feast on rose…