Plant Profile: Teddy Bear Cholla (Cylindropuntia bigelovii)
Karen Native to hot desert areas of northwestern Mexico, California, Arizona, and Nevada, the teddy bear cholla is a shrub or small tree in the cactus family, Cactaceae, and closely related…
Book Review: Flower Porn
Karen Meyers Flower Porn, by English floral designer Kaiva Kaimins, presents a playful modern approach to floristry with a focus on color palettes and seasonal flowers. With tonal-inspired aesthetics in mind, Kaimins’…
Common Diseases of Tomato and Their Control: Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus
Also known as TSWV, this viral disease infects up to 1000 different plant species including ornamentals, vegetables, field crops and weeds. It is carried by at least 9 species of…
Plant Profile: Russian Stonecrop (Sedum kamtschaticum)
Also known as orange stonecrop, this sprawling herbaceous perennial is native to northern China and along the Pacific coast of Siberia including the Kamchatka Peninsula. It is a member of…
Plants of Ancient Pompei: Sweet Cherry (Prunus avium)
Also known as wild cherry, and bird cherry, this deciduous flowering tree is native to Europe, northern Africa, and southwestern Asia, and is the main ancestor of the cultivated cherry.…
Plant Profile: Mezereum (Daphne mezereum)
Also known as February daphne, spurge laurel or spurge olive, this deciduous shrub is native to limestone soils in mixed woodlands of most of Europe and western Asia, north to…
Book Review: Tea
Written by the owners of the Camellia Sinensis Tea House in Montreal, Tea is a comprehensive guide to non-herbal tea from the major tea producing countries of the world: China,…
Common Diseases of Tomato and Their Control: Fusarium Wilt
Caused by one of three races of the fungus Fusarium oxysporum, this warm weather disease affects peppers, eggplant, potatoes, and legumes as well as tomatoes, and survives on weeds such…
Plant Profile: American Basketflower (Centurea americana)
Also called American starthistle, this annual is native to the southern central US and northeastern Mexico. It is a member of the aster family, Asteraceae, that also includes daisy, yarrow,…
Plants of Ancient Pompeii: Opium Poppy (Papaver somniferum)
The opium poppy is a herbaceous annual native to Greece and western Asia and is a member of the poppy family, Papaverceae, that also includes bleeding heart and corydalis. It…