Stewartias for the Garden
Karen Stewartias are a beautiful group of flowering trees and shrubs that come into bloom right after the spring flush of flowers by other plants but before summer settles in. Most…
Plant Profile: Opium Poppy (Papaver somniferum)
A native of Greece and western Asia, the opium poppy is the oldest poppy in cultivation, dating back to ancient Sumerian times, 4000 BC. The ancient Minoans, 2000-1450 BC, made…
Easy Hybrid Tea Roses for the Garden
Hybrid tea roses have a reputation for being difficult to grow, requiring great attention to fertilizing, application of pesticides, and pruning. Inspired by the Earth-Kind Program which focuses on shrub…
Plant Profile: Prairie Smoke (Geum triflorum)
A native of north America, this rhizomaceous perennial wildflower forms mounds of gray-green fern-like leaves that are pinnately divided into seven to nine narrow toothed leaflets. The plant is soft…
Book Review: How Do You Know It’s Summer?
A picture of children in bathing suits eating watermelon introduces young children to summer in Lisa Herrington’s book, How Do You Know It’s Summer? A picture of the same tree…
Plant Combination: Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) ‘Magnus’ and Ornamental Oregano (Origanum x ‘Rotkugel)’
Take a popular garden plant like purple coneflower ‘Magnus’ and combine it with a lesser known plant like ornamental oregano and you have a unique combination. These two herbaceous perennials…
Plant Profile: Viola labradorica
Native to moist woodlands in Canada, northern United States and Greenland, Labrador violet does well even in much of the South. It is a low growing herbaceous perennial and spreads…
Genus Adenophora (Ladybells) for the Garden
Ladybells are herbaceous perennials in the bellflower family, Campanulaceae, that also includes balloon flower and lobelia. The genus has about 50 species most of which are native to Asia, some…
Plant Profile: Indian Pink (Spigelia marilandica)
Indian Pink is a clump-forming perennial native to southeastern US and parts of the Midwest where it thrives in moist woodlands. The glossy green leaves are lance-shaped to ovate, one…
Book Review: Garden Design
Whether you want an English style garden, a Japanese garden or a prairie garden there are certain underlying design principles that will lead to success. Sylvia Crowe, a distinguished and…