Book Review: Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt
Karen It is easy for most of us to see the value of a flower or vegetable garden but do we ever think about what is going on beneath the plants…
Weeds and Their Control: Cleavers (Galium aparine)
Cleavers is an annual weed that goes by many names including scratch-grass, goosegrass, stickywilly, bedstraw, and catchweed. It is in the bedstraw family, Rubiaceae , a large and diverse family…
Plant Profile: Scarlet Oak (Quercus coccinea)
Scarlet oak is a long-lived deciduous tree belong to the oak family, Fagaceae, that also includes beeches and chestnuts. It is native to central and Eastern US where it grows…
Buphthalmum for the Garden
Buphthalmum are a genus in the aster family, Asteraceae, that also includes goldenrod, daisies and lettuce. It includes two cultivated species, both clump-forming herbaceous perennials native to southeastern Europe. Their…
Plant Profile: Musk Mallow (Malva moschata)
Musk mallow is a short-lived herbaceous perennial native to Europe, southwestern Asia, and northwestern Africa where it is found growing on dry fertile soils. It has naturalized elsewhere and grows…
Book Review: The Beaded Garden
When the gardening season is over for the year what does a gardener do? If you like crafts perhaps the idea of making flowers out of beads will appeal and…
Old Time Recipes for Home made Wines: Scurvy-Grass Wine
My paternal grandmother, Helen S Wright, included a recipe for wine made from scurvy grass in her book, Old Time Recipes for Home Made Wines . In times past scurvy-grass…
Plant Profile: Italian Aster (Aster amellus)
Also known as European Michaelmas daisy, this herbaceous perennial belongs to the aster family, Asteraceae, that also includes daisy, yarrow, and lettuce. It is native to Europe and western Asia…
Plant Combination: Armenian Cranesbill (Geranium psilostemon) and Star of Persia (Allium cristophii)
Two shades of purple make this a striking combination border during late spring and early summer. Armenian cranesbill produces dark magenta-purple cupshaped flowers with black centers on a large loose…
Plant Profile: Mountain Fleece (Polygonum amplexicaule aka Persicaria amplexicaulis)
Mountain fleece is a clump forming herbaceous perennial native to the Himalayas and Pakistan where it grows in moist areas. It is a member of the knotweed family, Polygonaceae, that…