Plant Profile: Redbay (Persea borbonia)
Karen Redbay is an evergreen tree or large shrub native to coastal areas of southeastern US where it grows in sandy low woods, swamps, pond margins, and pine savannas from North…
Beneficial Insects and How to Attract Them: Green Lacewings
Green lacewings belong to the insect family Chrysopidae and are one of several families called lacewing. They are the most common form of lacewing with over 1200 different species worldwide…
Plant Profile: New York Aster (Aster novi belgi AKA Symphyotrichum novi-belgi)
New York aster, also called Michaelmas daisy, is a herbaceous perennial native to the Atlantic Coastal Plain from Maine to Georgia where it grows in low areas, moist meadows, thickets,…
Book Review: Grow Your Own: Understanding, Cultivating, and Enjoying Cannabis
Grow Your Own by the owners of Raven Grass in Olympia Washington introduces the reader to the world of marijuana covering a wide range of topics with a focus on…
Botanical Latin: Convallaria
Convallaria (kon val AIR ee a)from the Latin word convallis meaning valley + the suffix aria meaning a place containing In Song of Solomon 2.1 of the Vulgate Bible the…
Plant Profile: Arizona Cypress (Cupressus arizonica aka C. glabra)
Arizona cypress is a coniferous evergreen tree native to western US from Texas west to Utah and California, south to central Mexico where it grows in woodland edges, clearings, and…
Old Time Recipes for Home Made Wine: Mead
Mead, also called honey wine, is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey with water sometimes with the addition of spices, hops, grains or fruits. Archeological evidence indicates that it…
Plant Profile: Rock Candytuft (Iberis saxatilis)
Rock candytuft is a perennial subshrub with a woody base native to the western Mediterranean. It is a member of the mustard family, Brassicaceae, that also includes rockcress, alyssum, and…
Book Review: Improving Your Soil
Good soil is basic to any garden and Keith Reid’s book, Improving Your Soil, is a comprehensive guide for learning how to create the best soil for your plants. Written…
Book Review: The Sun King’s Garden
Ian Thompson’s book, The Sun King’s Garden, presents a cultural, social, and political history of the times that surround the creation of the gardens of Versailles. He shows how the…