Weeds and Their Control: Soapwort (Saponaria officinalis)
Karen Soapwort goes by many names including bouncing bet, wild sweet william, and latherwort. A member of the carnation family (Caryophyllaceae) it is native to Europe and Asia but has naturalized…
Plant Profile: Sitka Mountain Ash (Sorbus sitchensis)
Sitka mountain ash is a deciduous shrub or small tree endemic to areas in the Pacific Northwest from Alaska and Yukon south to Montana and California, where it grows in…
Garden Plants for Flower Arrangements: Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis)
Lily of the valley is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial native to the temperate parts of the Northern Hemisphere and is often grown as a ground cover. It grows best where…
Plant Profile: Thunberg’s Astilbe (Astilbe thunbergii)
Thungbergs’s astilbe is a herbaceous perennial native to East Asia. It is a member of the saxifrage family, Saxifracaceae, that also includes Bergenia, foamflower (Tiarella), and coral bells (Heuchera). The…
Book Review: Nature’s Art Box
If you like to collect cones, twigs, leaves, flowers and other of nature’s bounty, Laura C Martin’s book, Nature’s Art Box, will give you a multitude of ways to use…
Growing Plants from Seed: Spider Flower (Cleome hasslerana)
Spider plant is an annual that heavily self-sows so once a few plants established more plants are likely to follow in the following years. The flower color is variable and…
Plant Profile: Two-Winged Silverbell (Halesia diptera var. magniflora)
Two-winged silverbell is a deciduous small tree or large shrub native to southeastern US where it grows in moist woodland edges, streamside’s, and swales from South Carolina and Tennessee south…
Beneficial Insects and How to Attract Them: Tiger Beetles
There are over two thousand species of tiger beetle worldwide and over one hundred in North American where they can be found in sandy areas such as beaches and sand…
Plant Profile: Dusty Miller (Artemesia stellerana)
Also known as beach wormwood, and old woman, this evergreen perennial or subshrub native to China, Korea, Siberia, and Japan where it grows in sandy soil, including sand dunes and…
Book Review: A Butterfly Is Patient
As a gardener I rejoice at seeing butterflies in my garden and love to share my experience with my grandchildren. Dianna Hutts Aston’s book, A Butterfly Is Patient, is the…