Plant Profile: Thompson’s Aster (Aster thomsonii)
Karen Thompson’s aster is a herbaceous perennial native to the western Himalyas. It is a member of the Asteraceae family that also includes sunflowers, daisies, and lettuce. Hairy stems carry dark…
Book Review: Eat your Drink
The phrase “farm-to-table” is familiar to everyone who enjoys fine dining but how about “farm-to-glass”? In his book, Eat Your Drink, author and mixologist, Matthew Biancaniello, shares his experience in…
Old Time Recipes for Home Made Wine: Rhubarb Wine
Rhubarb is one of those wine foods that you either hate or love and rhubarb wine is not at the top of most people’s favorite wine list. There is, however,…
Plant Profile: Silk Bay (Persea humulis)
Silk bay is an evergreen shrub or small tree native to peninsular Florida where it grows in sandy low woods, and margins of swamps and ponds. It is a member…
Edible Flowers: English Lavender (Lavendula angustifolia)
Although known as English lavender this strongly aromatic shrub is not native to England but to the western Mediterranean especially the Pyrenees and northern mountains of Spain. It is a…
Plant Profile: Rose America
Pointed, ovoid buds are carried singly or in clusters of four to five, and open up to flowers with heavy salmon pink petals that are pale on the reverse. The…
Book Review: Grass Roots: The Rise and Fall of Marijuana in America
The importance of activist in the political process is the focus of Emily Dufton’s book, Grass Roots: The Rise and Fall of Marijuana in America. The author looks at the…
Weeds and Their Control: Herb Bennet (Geum urbanum)
Also known as wood avens, colewort, and St. Benedict’s herb, this herbaceous perennial is a member of the rose family, Rosaceae, that also includes cherry, lady’s mantle, and Potentilla. It…
Plant Profile: Marlberry (Ardisia escallonioides)
Marlberry is an evergreen small tree or large shrub native to southern Florida where it grows in pinelands, marl ridges, and hummocks. It is a member of the primrose family,…
Garden Plants for Flower Arrangements: Red Barrenwort (Epidmedium x rubrum)
Also called bishop’s hat, red barrenwort an herbaceous rhizomaceous perennial and a member of the barberry family (Berberidaceae). It is a hybrid between E. alpinum and E. grandiflorum and is…