Plant Profile: Tube Clematis (Clematis heracleifolia)
Karen Tube clematis is a deciduous sub-shrub and a member of the buttercup family, Ranuncluaceae, that also includes anemone, delphinium, and columbine. Native to China and Korea, it grows 1-4′ tall…
Book Review: Clara Caterpillar
Clara Caterpillar, by Pamela Duncan Edwards, is a delightful book that follows the life cycle of a butterfly from egg to adult. The story line is new but Edwards’ treatment…
Old Time Recipes for Home Made Wine: Spruce Beer
My paternal grandmother, Helen S. Wright, included one recipe for spruce beer in her book, Old Time recipes for Home Made Wine. Spruce beer was important to the indigenous people…
Plant Profile: White Turtlehead (Chelone glabra)
Also called snakehead and balmony, this herbaceous perennial is a member of the plantain family, Plantaginaceae, that also includes foxglove, snapdragon, and angelonia. It is native to North America from…
The Language of Flowers: Rose Acacia (Robinia hispida)
Rose acacia is a flowering deciduous shrub and a member of the pea family, Fabaceae, that also includes mimosa, lupine, and alfalfa. It is native to eastern and central US…
Plant Profile: Rose ‘Touch of Class’
Also known as Marechal Leclerc, this French Hybrid Tea commemorates the hero of the liberation of Paris in 1945, Marechal Philippe Leclerc. It has pointed coral buds that slowly open…
Book Review: Root to Leaf
If you are familiar with the term “nose to tail’ you will appreciate Steven Satterfield’s book Root to Leaf that reflects the same approach to cooking. With a concern for…
Poisonous Plants: Common Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)
Common foxglove is a biennial or short-lived herbaceous perennial that is native to disturbed sites in Europe and Asia but naturalized in parts of North America and has become invasive…
Plant Profile: Canna glauca
Canna glauca is a herbaceous perennial in the Cannaceae family that is most closely related to ginger, bird of paradise, and banana. It is native to the West indies and…
Plant Combination: Day Lily ‘Happy Returns’ and Spiderwort (Tradescantia virgiana aka T. x andersoniana)
Start the season with the sparkling blue of spiderwort while the day lily foliage emerges; then add the lemon yellow of the “Happy Returns’ flower and you have a very…