Plant Combination: Tulip ‘Angelique’ and Common Bleeding Heart (Dicentra spectabilis)
Karen What could be more romantic that pale pink tulips growing beside the dainty flowers of bleeding heart? A color echo is created by the soft pink of the tulip and…
Plant Profile: Twinleaf (Jeffersonia diphylla)
A native of North America, twinleaf is found in damp woods on limestone soil from Ontario, Canada, south to Georgia and Alabama, and northwest to Iowa and Minnesota. It is…
Birds in the Garden: Plants that Attract the Vireo Family (Vireonidae)
The vireos are a group of small to medium sized birds with dull gray to greenish plumage that allows them to blend in with the foliage they inhabit. They are…
Plant Profile: Sneezewort (Achillea ptarmica)
A native of Europe and western Asia, sneezewort is a rhizomaceous perennial that spreads and naturalizes if the soil is good. It is a membet of the aster family, Asteraceae,…
Book Review: Trees: Their Natural History
Since trees are an important element in many landscapes knowing how to care for them is critical for success. Peter Thomas’ book, Trees: Their Natural History, is an excellent resource…
Plant Combination: Speedwell (Veronica longifolia) ‘Eveline’ and Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) ‘Pomegranate’
Starting in late spring speedwell ‘Eveline’ puts forth its purple-pink spikes and is joined a month later by the magenta flowerheads of Achillea ‘Pomgranate’. The two bloom together for over…
Plant Profile: Skunkleaf Polemonium (Polemonium pulcherrimum )
This clump forming perennial is native to western North American from Alaska to California and into Arizona and New Mexico where it grows in dry rocky areas of mountains from…
How to Care for Bonsai: Crepe Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica)
A native of China and Japan, crepe myrtle is a deciduous flowering tree or shrub grown extensively in southern United States and in Mediterranean climates including Southern California. In mid…
Plant Profile: Rosa ‘ Jacques Cartier’ (Rosa ‘Marchesa Boccella’)
With exceptional hardiness, this rose is also healthy and especially beautiful. The clear pink flowers are quartered and have an abundance of petals clustered around a green eye. They are…
Book Review: Monarch Butterfly
When butterflies grace the garden they always are welcome and stimulate the minds of young children. Do the children realize where they came from? If not, read this wonderful book,…