Book Review: Yard and Garden Makeovers
Karen The phrase “form follows function” coined by American architect Louis Sullivan takes on new meaning in this book Yard and Garden Makeovers by George Kay and Brian Kay. Although the…
Botany for Gardeners: Taxonomy of Dicots-Identifying the St. John’s Wort Family ( Hypericaceae)
The St. John’s Wort family is small and consists of trees, shrubs, and herbaceous annuals and perennials that live in temperate and warm climates. The most famous member of the…
Plant Profile: Indian Pipe (Monotropa uniflora)
Also known as corpse plant and ghost plant, Indian pipe is a herbaceous perennial native to various areas in Asia, South America, and North America, but rarely seen. Unlike most…
Birds in the Garden: Plants That Attract the Woodpecker Family (Picidae)
Most woodpeckers feel at home in trees where they build cavity nests and find food. Their favorite food is insects but they also like fruits and nuts. With a shade…
Plant Profile: Rosa ‘Pumpkin Patch’
Small clusters of plump coppery buds open to large very double flowers on upright compact medium sized bushes. The foliage is glossy and medium green. Plants are considered heat tolerant…
Book Review: Bats
Bats are scary to most people yet few have actually seen one. In her book, Bats, Gail Gibbons presents bats in a positive way and creates an appealing image for…
Beneficial Arachnida and How to Attract Them: Wolf Spiders
If you have seen a large, hairy spider with long legs in your garden it might be a wolf spider. Actually wolf spider refers to a family of spiders and…
Plant Profile: Royal fern (Osmunda regalis)
Royal fern is a deciduous perennial found on all continents except Australia. Its family, Osmundaceae, date back 230,000,000 years to the Permian days before man and other mammals but when…
How to Care for Bonsa: Miniature Holly (Malpighia coccigera)
A native of the West Indies, this is an evergreen shrub that is also called Singapore holly. It has small shiny-green leaves that have spiny-toothed edges and resemble those of…
Plant Profile: Osage Orange Maclura pomifera)
This deciduous small to medium sized tree is a native in parts of Arkansas, Texas, and Oklahoma but has spread widely through the Great Plains where was planted in the…