Plant Profile: Forsythia (Forsythia x intermedia)
Karen Nothing announces the coming of spring better than the blooming of forsythia. Even in dead winter this tough shurb is ready to go as soon as a warm spell comes…
Garden Journal: March 28, 2010
A warm week has brought some of our shrubs and trees to flowers, joining a few spring bulbs. Most of the garden, however, is stirring but not rushing into bloom…
Name This Plant Game: Spring Bulbs 2
admin 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: Virginia Bluebell (Mertensia virginica)
A carpet of Virginia Bluebells in spring is a magnificent sight! These clump forming native plants colonize and naturalize readily providing beauty to a woodland garden for about 3 weeks…
What is the Difference Between an Annual, Perennial, or Biennial?
When spring comes and the urge to buy seeds and plants envelops the gardener, one of the first things to consider is the life cycle of the plant involved; is…
A Visit to Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, Claremont, California, March 2010
If you are lucky enough to visit this garden in March, after the rainy season, you are in for a big treat. You probably expect to see lots of cactus…
Plant Profile: Netted Iris (Iris reticulata)
This iris, native to the area of the Caucausus makes its appearance early, about the time that the snow drops, glory-of-the-snow and early crocuses bloom. One of my favorite early…
Name This Plant Game: Spring Bulbs 1
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: Grecian Windflower (Anemone blanda)
Native to southeastern Europe, Turkey, Lebanon, and Syria Grecian windflower is a herbaceous perennial belonging to the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae, that also includes delphinium, clematis, and hellebore. The plants grow…
Eight Interesting Facts about Aphids and Suggestions for Control
Does your heart sink when you see a favorite plant covered with tiny insects exuding a sticky gop, perhaps accompanied by a black dust? You can see that the insects…