Book Review: Square Foot Gardening for Kids
Karen Mel Bartholomew has been known for decades for his Square Foot Gardening books that present his unique approach to vegetable gardening. With this book Bartholomew extends his expertise to children…
Old Time Recipes for Home Made Wines: American Champagne
My paternal grandmother, Helen S. Wright, must have been fond of champagne as she collected several recipes for her book, Old Time Recipes for Home Made Wines published in 1909.…
Plant Profile: Swiss Cheese Plant (Monstera deliciosa)
This evergreen liana is a native of the tropical jungle from southern Mexico to Panama and is a member of the arum family (Araceae) that includes jack-in-the-pulpits, peace lilies, and…
Botanical Latin: Coeloglossum
Coeloglossum (Co el o GLOSS um): from Greek koilos meaning hollow and glossa meaning tongue Coeloglossum is the generic epithet of an orchid with only one species, C. viride, also…
Plant Profile: Fascicularia bicolor
Fascicularia bicolor is an evergreen terrestial perennial and native of Chile where it grows in rocky ground on the southern coast. It a member of the bromeliad family (Bromalaceae) that…
Book Review: Food Not Lawns
Sustainability, ecological design, and permaculture are growing trends and Food Not Lawns is part of that trend. The author, Heather C. Flores, is an activist and urban gardener who advocates…
Garden Plants for Flower Arranging: Wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox)
Wintersweet is a vigorous deciduous shrub native to China where it grows in mountainous forests. The small pendent flowers are fragrant and have yellow tepals with purple centers. They appear…
Plant Profile: Creeping Fushia (Fuchsia procumbens)
Creeping fushia is a deciduous, prostrate shrub endemic to the North Island of New Zealand where it is found along the coast including dunes, salt marshes, and gravel beaches.. It…
Five Best Old Garden Roses: Albas
Picking the “best” roses is an objective process and in this case, the ratings of the American Roses Society have been used. Every year the American Rose Society enlists the…
Plant Profile: Purple Milk Thistle (Galactites tomentosa)
Purple milk thistle, also called boar thistle, is an annual or biennial and a native of the Mediterranean area where it grows in disturbed soil such as wastelands, pastures, and…