Book Review: Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook
Karen I love my vegetable garden so, of course, I am interested in using the products of my labor well. Although I am not a vegan or even a vegetarian, I…
Birds in the Garden: Plants that Attract the Chickadee and Titmouse Family
Chickadees and titmice are considered social, friendly birds and are frequent visitors to backyards and feeders. They usually live together in small flocks in woods eating primarily insects, seeds, and…
Plant Profile: Flannel Bush (Fremontodendron californicum)
Flannel bush is an evergreen shrub or small tree native to California, Arizona, and Baha Mexico where it may found in canyons and on mountain slopes in chaparral and open…
Selecting Low Maintenance Perennials
Everyone would like to have a lush garden without doing any work but, let’s face it, that is not going to happen unless you have a gardener. By selecting plants…
Plant Profile: Variegated Bulbous Oat Grass (Arrhenatherum elatius bulbosum ‘Variegatum’)
A native of Europe, variegated bulbous oat grass is a cool weather deciduous perennial grass that forms an attractive slowly spreading loose clump. The bluish green leaves are 12-16” long…
Book Review: The Well-Tended Perennial Garden
If you grow perennials you know that they bring great rewards but need some work to keep them performing at their best. Tracy DiSabato-Aust’s book, The Well-Tended Perennial Garden gives…
Bamboo in the Garden: Runners and Clump Formers
Every gardener’s nightmare is having a plant take over the garden and resist all attempts to eradicate it. Bamboo, unfortunately, is one of those plants that puts fear into the…
Plant Profile: Silver Streak Bamboo (Bashania fargesii)
This native of high elevations in central China is a vigorous, rhizomatous bamboo that spreads quickly by runners. It is excellent for erosion control, as a hedge, screen or windbreak,…
Plant Combination: Coreopsis verticillata ‘Moonbeam’ and Missouri Evening Primrose (Oenothera missouriensis)
The large bright yellow flowers of Missouri evening primrose echo the color of the Coreopsis ‘Moonbeam’ while providing contrast in size, shape, and texture. The primrose flowers are funnel-shaped, three…
Plant Profile: English Hawthorn (Crataegus laevigata)
This European native is a deciduous shrub or small tree with inch long prominent thorns that are sharp and tough enough to pierce a car tire. In fact, it has…