Growing Plants From Seed: Green Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris)
Karen Green beans, also called snap beans and string beans, are in the same genus and species as kidney beans, navy beans, and pinto beans but differ in that their pods…
Book Review: Growing a Feast
We often hear the phrase “farm to table” but Kurt Timmermeister’s book , Growing a Feast, brings a whole new meaning to it. The author chronicles his two year experience…
Plant Profile: Annual Baby’s Breath (Gypsophila elegans)
Annual baby’s breath is a short lived annual native to the Caucasus where it grows in disturbed sites such as roadsides, meadows, and fields. It is a member of the…
Beneficial Insects and How to Attract Them: Damselfly
Damselflies belong to a group of insects that have very small antennae, very large eyes, two pairs of transparent wings, and colorful elongated bodies. There are over 2500 species of…
Plant Profile: False Goat’s Beard (Astilbe biternata)
Astilbe biternata False goat’s bedard is a herbaceous perennial native to the southern Appalachian Mountains where it grows in moist mountain woodlands, roadsides, ditches, and seepage slopes. It belongs to…
Book Review: The Friendship Garden Green: Thumbs Up
Gardening and friendship have a long history of going together and Jenny Meyerhoff’s book, The Friendship Garden: Thumbs Up, adds another dimension to the relationship. Written for children in grades…
Explorer Series: Climbing Roses
The Explorer roses were developed at the agriculture research station in Ottawa, Ontario and l’Assumption, Quebec to withstand the cold Canadian winters. Using Rosa rugosa, R. kordesii, Hybrid Teas, and…
Plant Profile: Red Mulberry (Morus rubra)
Red mulberry is a deciduous small to medium sized tree native the open woods, clearings, and roadsides from Massachusetts to Michigan, south to Florida and Texas. It is a member…
Plant Profile: Shingle Oak (Quercus imbricaria)
Shingle oak is a deciduous tree native to midwestern and eastern US growing in upland forests and wooded slopes from Pennsylvania to Minnesota, south to North Carolina and Kansas. It…
Plant Combination: Yellow Foxglove (Digitalis grandiflora) and Coral Bells (Heuchera) ‘Key Lime Pie’
Yellow foxglove planted with ‘Key Lime Pie’ coral bells makes a lovely combination in a partly shady spot in late spring to early summer. The many shades of chartreuse produced…