Plants of the Bible: Box (Buxus sp.)
Karen Box is a slowgrowing evergreen shrub or small tree with small leaves and clusters of small yellow-green, apetalous male and female flowers in the leaf axils of the same plant.…
Old Time Recipes for Home Made Wine: Strong Mead
Although mead is not considered a wine it is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey with possible additions of fruit, spices. grains or hops. It dates back to 7000…
Plant Profile: Horsemint (Mentha longifolia)
Also called wild mint, this herbaceous perennial is native to moist and wet habitats of Europe, western and central Asia, and southern and northern parts of Africa. Plants rapidly grow…
Weeds and Their Control: Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii)
Amur honeysuckle is a deciduous shrub and a member of the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae, that also includes snowberry, weigelia, and abelia. It is native to eastern and central Asia but…
Plant Profile: Apple (Malus domestica aka M. pumila)
The domestic apple is a deciduous tree native to central Asia and has been grown for thousands of years in Asia and Europe. It is a member of the rose…
Plants of the Bible: Rue (Ruta graveolens)
Also called herb of grace, rue is an evergreen mounding subshrub native to the Balkan Peninsula where it grows on dry hillsides, often on limestone. The ancient Greeks used rue…
Edible Mushrooms: Fairy Ring Champignon (Marasmius oreades)
Also known as Scotch bonnet, fairy ring champignon are well known in Europe and North America where they appear in rings, troops, or arcs from late spring to fall in…
Plant Profile: Spikenard (Nardostachys jatamansi)
Also called nard, nardin and muskroot, this aromatic herbaceous perennial is native to the montane and subalpine zones of the Himalayas where it grows on steep, grassy slopes. Growing 4-20″…
Gardens in Art: Medieval Secular Garden- Emily in Boccaccio’s Teseida
This scene by Barthelemy d’Eyck is from the manuscript, Teseida, an epic poem written by Giovanni Boccaccio c. 1340-1341. It shows Emily, the younger sister of the amazon Hippolyta, sitting…
Plant Profile: White Anemone Clematis (Clematis montana var. grandiflora)
Native to China, this deciduous climber is a member of the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae, that also includes delphnium, columbine, and hellebore. The vines grow up to 40′ long and have…