Plant Profile: Rayless Sunflower (Helianthus radula)
Karen Also known as pineland sunflower, this tender perennial is native to southeastern US from South Carolina to Florida and eastern Louisiana where it grows in sandy uplands, along moist to…
Growing Bulbs in the Natural Garden
Karen Meyers Internationally acclaimed designer, Jacqueline van der Kloet, shares her extensive knowledge and expertise in her book, Growing Bulbs in the Natural Garden. Comprehensive in nature, the book includes the basic…
Groundcovers for Shade: Hardy Begonia (Begonia grandis)
Blooming from mid-summer to through fall, this herbaceous perennial produces white or pink male and female flowers 1″ across in pendant clusters on the same plant. Branching stems carry heart-shaped…
Plant Profile: Thinleaf Sunflower (Helianthus decapetalus)
Also called rough sunflower and ten-petal sunflower, this herbaceous perennial is native to the woodlands and forests of Eastern and Central US. It is a member of the daisy family,…
Plants for a Mary Garden: Common Speedwell (Veronica officinalis) Our Lady’s Resting Place
According to the Bible, Mary made several significant journeys in her adult life that could have involved a resting place along the way: to the hill country of Judea to…
Plant Profile: Java Glorybower (Clerodendrum speciosissimum)
This tropical evergreen shrub is also known as pagoda flower and giant salvia and is native to Java where it grows in forest clearings in the low mountains. It is…
Book Review: Grow
Riz Reyes’ book, Grow, is a beautiful introduction to 14 plants and one fungus. Written for children ages 8-12 in grades 3-7, the book present the plants and fungus as…
Groundcovers for Shade: Siberian Bugloss (Brunnera macrophylla)
With delicate sprays of dainty flowers and handsome foliage, this rhizomatous, herbaceous perennial brightens up the garden from spring until fall. The forget-me-not-like flowers with true` blue petals surrounding a…
Plant Profile: Rose Glory Bower (Clerodendrum bungei)
Also called, Mexican hydrangea, this suckering deciduous shrub is native to China, Vietnam, and Taiwan where it grows along roadsides and on mountainous slopes of mixed forests. It is a…
Plants for a Mary: Longleaf Speedwell (Veronica longafolia aka Pseudolysimachion longifolium) Our Lady’s Faith
The link between Veronica longafolia and the Virgin Mary is vague but probably began in the Middle Ages when the plant was believed to have medicinal properties and was used…