Plant Profile: Quaking Grass (Briza media)
Karen Meyers Native to meadows and pastures of Europe and Asia, this creeping perennial grass is a member of the grass family, Poaceae, that also includes wheat, rice, and bamboo. It is…
Book Review: The Complete Beer Course
This revised, updated and expanded second edition of The Complete Beer Course by Joshua M. Bernstein, reflects the many changes in the craft beer industry since 2013 when the first…
Edible Mushrooms: Shield-Shaped Entoloma (Entoloma clypeatum)
Karen Also known as the Roman shield, this gilled mushroom appears in clusters or troops from spring until summer usually under hawthorn and other trees in the rose family such as…
Plant Profile: Dakota Mock Vervain ( Glandularia bipinnatafida)
This short-lived herbaceous perennial is a member of the verbena family, Verbenaceae, that also includes teak and lantana. It is native to open grasslands and prairies from Wisconsin to California,…
Plants for a Mary Garden: “Our Lady’s Delight,” Pansy (Viola tricolor)
Before the early 19th century the name pansy referred only to the plant that we call Johnny jump up, not the large flowered hybrid that we know by that name…
Book Review: DIY Guide to Ponds, Fountains, Rain Gardens & Water Features (Revised Editiion)
This comprehensive up-dated edition provides information on all the aspects of designing and installing home garden water features such as ponds, rain gardens and various moving water features such as…
Plant Profile: Water Forget-Me-Not (Myosotis scorpioides)
Also known as scorpion grass, this rhizomatous herbaceous perennial is in the borage family, Boraginaceae, that also includes lungwort, heliotrope, and Siberian bugloss. It is native to Europe and Asia…
Book Review: When will it be Spring?
Catherine Walters’ book, When Will it be Spring, is the charming story of a mother bear and her cub looking forward to spring as they get ready to hibernate. Written…
Edible Mushrooms: Gypsy Mushroom (Cortinarius caperatus aka Rozites caperata)
The gypsy mushroom is a mycorrhizal fungus occurring singly, in small groups, or troops from summer into fall in the woodlands of the colder areas of Europe (especially Scandinavia) Asia,…
Plant Profile: Northern Wolfsbane (Aconitum lycoctonum)
This herbaceous perennial is is native to Europe and parts of western Asia, where it grows in woodlands and moist meadows between the lowlands and the subalpine zone. It is…