Book Review: Birds
Karen One of the most welcome visitors to a garden are birds. Adults and children love them and Kevin Henkes’ book Birds inspires the same kind of feelings. If you have…
Botany for Gardeners: Taxonomy of Dicots – Identifying the Magnolia Family (Magnoliaceae)
The large white or pink flowers on the various kinds of magnolia trees are a welcome sight in the garden. Although less showy, the flowers of the tulip tree (Liriodendron)…
Plant Profile: New Zealand Tea Tree (Leptospermum scoparium)
This evergreen shrub or small tree is upright, fine textured, and has dense branching. The narrow leaves are fragrant, dark green to bronze and prickly; the five petaled flowers are…
Blue flowered Perennials for the Rock Garden
Blue is always a welcome color in the garden. It brings calmness and serenity; can cool down reds and orange or provide contrast with yellow. Blue flowers go well with…
Plant Profile: Pearlbush (Exochorda racemosa)
Pearlbush is a large, spreading deciduous shrub native to China but adapts well to a variety of conditions. In spring the bush is covered with white flowers that emerge from…
Book Review: Natural Gardening in Small Spaces
An increasing number of gardeners are interested in making their gardens environmentally friendly but many assume that they need a lot of space. Not true. Noel Kingsbury’s book, Natural Gardening…
Insects and Their Control: Common Asparagus Beetle ( Crioceris asparagi)
Brought to North America from Europe, the common asparagus beetle was first observed in the United States on Long Island in the mid 1800s. It spread rapidly and by the…
Plant Profile: Sand Myrtle (Leiophyllum buxifolium)
Sand myrtle is a small wide-spreading evergreen shrub native to the East coast of North America from New Jersey to Georgia. It has a rounded habit, fine texture, and tiny,…
Five Late Spring to Early Summer Pink Blooming Perennials for the Rock Garden
There are many shades of pink and all can enhance a rock garden. Pair pastel pink with white for a soft look, hot pink with medium blue to suggest playfulness,…
Plant Profile: Hollyhock ‘Queeny Purple’ (Alcea rosea ‘Queeny Purple’)
If you have a small garden or are tired of staking hollyhocks, consider ‘Queeny Purple’, a dwarf hollyhock standing only 36” high. ‘Queeny Purple’ has large purple-magenta flowers with fringed…