Old Time Recipes for Home Made Wines: Malt Wine, or English Sherry
Karen My paternal grandmother, Helen S. Wright included in her book Old Time Recipes for Home Made Wines, a recipe for something she called “malt wine, or English sherry”. The name…
Plant Profile: Sulphur Cosmos (Cosmos sulphureus)
Native to Mexico, Central and northern South America, this half-hardy annual has naturalized in North America and is considered invasive in some areas. It is a member of the aster…
Plant Profile: Rose ‘Mrs. Oakley Fisher’
Pointed buds open to single, lightly cupped flowers up to 3″ across with petals that are a mixture of copper, orange, and apricot. The petals tend to be lighter and…
Plant Profile: Rock Knotweed (Persicaria vaccinifolia)
An Himalyan native, this semi-evergreen perennial is also called whortleberry-leaved knotweed and creeping fleeceflower and is a member of the knotweed family, Polygonaceae, that also includes dock, rhubarb, and buckwheat.…
Plant Profile Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium purpureum)
Joe pie weed is a clump-forming herbaceous perennial native to eastern and central North America where it grows in moist sites. It is a member of the aster family, Asteraceae,…
Edible Mushrooms: Common Brain Fungus (Helvella crispa)
Also known as white saddle, and elfin saddle, this sac fungus (Ascomycetes) may be found growing singly or in troops in deciduous or coniferous woods on calcareous soil in most…
Plant Profile: Adam’s Needle (Yucca filamentosa)
Also known as Spanish bayonet, spoon-leaf yucca, needle-palm, and silk-grass, Adam’s needle is a clump-forming evergreen perennial and a member of the asparagus family, Asperagaceae, that also includes agave, lily…
Plants That Attract Beneficial Insects: Fern-Leaf Yarrow (Achillea filipendula)
This clump-forming perennial is a native of central and southwestern Asia but has naturalized in parts of Europe and North America. As a member of the aster family (Asteraceae), it…
Plant Profile: Dwarf Morning Glory (Convolvulus tricolor aka C. minor)
Native to southern Europe and North Africa, this annual or tender perennial is a member of the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae, that also includes sweet potato, water spinach, and dodder.…
Genus: Geums for the Garden
Often called avens, Geum is a genus of over 50 species of herbaceous perennials in the rose family, Roseaceae, that also include cherries, almonds, and lady’s mantle. Plants are valued…