Shakespeare’s Garden: Turnip
Karen The turnip (Brassica rapa) belongs to the mustard (Brassicaceae) family that also includes cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprout and radish. Brassica rapa has several subspecies including bok choi, pak choi,…
Plant Profile: Chimney Bellflower (Campanula pyramidalis)
Chimney bellflower is a short-lived herbaceous perennial and a member of the Campanulaceae family that also includes balloon flower, ladybells (Adenophora) and Lobelia. It is native to southeastern Europe including…
Book Review: Grow It Cook It
If you want to get children interested in eating more vegetables and fruits the DK book, Grow it Cook It, is a good place to start. It involves hands on…
Invasive Plants and Their Native Alternatives: Chaste Tree (Vitex agnus-castus)
Also called monk’s pepper, chaste tree is a sprawling deciduous shrub a native to the Mediterranean region and western Asia where it grows in moist soil such as those along…
Plant Profile: American Climbing Fern (Lygodium palmatum)
This twining deciduous vine is one of 40 species of climbing fern vines and is native to low open woods, sandy clearings, streambanks, and bog margins from Maine to Ohio…
Botanical Latin: Chionodoxa
Chionodoxa (ky on o DOX a )from the Greek chion meaning snow and doxa meaning glory The common name, glory of the snow, reflects the Greek meaning of the botanical…
Plant Profile: Green Sage (Salvia viridis aka S. horminum) NO PIC
Also called annual clary and orval, this annual plant is native to the area from the Mediterranean to the Crimea and into Iran. It is a member of the deadnettle…
Book Review: Shrubs
Andy McIndoe’s book, Shrubs, offers suggestions for choosing the right shrub for every place in the garden. He covers basic shrub care and considers many different kinds of sites and…
Old Time Recipes for Home Made Wine: Tomato Wine
Tomato wine has been around from the mid 1800s but has never been very popular. Although it resembles white wine in aroma and taste it is also rather acidic which…
Plant Profile: Chaste Tree (Vitex agnus-castus)
Also called monk’s pepper, chaste tree is a sprawling deciduous shrub and a member of the mint family, Lamiaceae, that also includes basil, deadnettle and ajuga. It is native to…