Wine for Christmas Dinner: Dry Riesling
Karen When the Christmas table is covered with many different dishes of food it can be difficult to decide what wine might best go with them all. Why not try a…
Plant Profile: Veitch’s Silver Fir (Abies veitchii)
A native of Japan where it grows in wet forest in cool, moist soil, Veitch’s Silver Fir is a conical evergreen tree with horizontal branches to the ground. The densely…
How to Care for Bonsai: Camellia (C. japonica, C. susanqua)
Camellias are evergreen trees or shrubs native to eastern and southern Asia. There are over 100 species of camellia including C. sinensis the plant that produces the beverage tea, and…
Plant Profile: Nordmann Fir (Abies nordmanniana)
This stately evergreen tree, native to Asia Minor and the Mediterranean, has a dense pyramidal form with many branches from the ground up. Dark, shiny green needles with two white…
Book Review: Creative Concrete Ornaments for the Garden
Concrete offers many possibilities for creating garden ornaments and Sherri Warner Hunter’s book, Creative Concrete Ornaments for the Garden provides you with all you need to know to get started.…
Botany for Gardeners: Taxonomy of Gymnosperms – Identifying the Pine Family (Pinaceae)
The Pine Family includes the gymnosperms that are most familiar to everyone; pine, spruce, fir, and hemlock plus the not so familiar larch. It also includes Douglas fir which is…
Plant Profile: Rosa ‘Sexy Rexy’
The medium pink flowers of this compact floribunda open flat into camellia like blooms with lightly ruffled petals. They are produced in large clusters of 5-15 on strong straight stems…
Christmas Ornament: Holly Leaf Elf
Making Christmas ornaments is a lot of fun especially when shared with children. This quick simple ornament uses easy to find materials and can be done by young children once…
Plant Profile: Noble Fir (Abies procera)
Noble fir is the largest of the firs in terms of height, diameter and wood mass and perhaps that is why it earned its common name. Native to the mountains…
Book Review: Pete the Cat Saves Christmas
Fans of Pete the Cat know that Pete is a cool, likeable guy, with a positive attitude and he shows himself to be just that in Eirc Litwin’s Christmas story…