Plant Profile: Jetbead (Rhodotypos scandens)
Karen Jetbead is a mounding deciduous shrub growing 3-6’ tall and is native to Japan and central China. It was introduced into the US in 1866 as an ornamental and has…
Garden Plants for Flower Arrangements: Gas Plant (Dictamnus albus)
Also called dittany and burning bush, gas plant is a herbaceous perennial with a woody base and is native to southwestern Europe and Asia where it lives in forests edges,…
Plant Profile: Aquilegia glandulosa
Siberian columbine is a herbaceous perennial native to central Asia and Siberia. It is a member of the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae, that also includes delphinium, anemone, and monkshood. The compact…
Book Review: Wildlife Friendly Vegetable Gardener
Loosing prized vegetables and fruits to a variety of wildlife can make gardening very frustrating and discouraging. Tammi Hartung’s book, The Wildlife-Friendly Gardener, presents an approach to gardening that emphasizes…
Plant Profile: Rose ‘Lavaglut’
The dark red flowers are open, flat, and full of petals with golden stamens visible in the center. Although small in size, the flowers are usually produced in large clusters…
Collecting Seed: Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)
There are about twenty species of Digitalis and of those about four a good garden plants. One of these, common foxglove (D. purpurea), is the most popular and the one…
Plant Profile: Wayfaring Tree (Viburnum lantana)
Wayfaring tree is a large deciduous shrub growing up to 15’ tall and wide and a member of the moschatel family, Adoxaceae, that also includes elders (Sambucus). It is native…
Beneficial Insects and How To Attract Them: Damsel Bugs
There are over five hundred species of damsel bugs worldwide, forty of which are found in North America. They belong to the insect family Nabidae and the most common ones…
Plant Profile: Autumn Crocus (Colchicum autumnale)
This autumn blooming perennial is a member of the Colchicaceae family and not related to spring blooming crocus that is in the iris family, Iridaceae. It is also called naked…
Book Review: The Fruits We Eat
We all recognize that fruit is a healthy food and tastes sweet and delicious yet how much do we or our children really know about this special food? Gail Gibbons’…