Plant Profile: Weeping Willow (Salix babylonica)
Karen Weeping willow is a deciduous tree native to northern China but widely grown in Europe and the US. It is a member of the willow family, Salicacaea, that also includes…
Book Review: The Dirt Cure
There is a lot of talk about eating healthy foods recently but the concept of healthy food seems to differ considerably. Dr. Maya Shetreat-Klein’s book, The Dirt Cure, explains the…
Plants for Rain Gardens: Native Grasses for Sunny and Wet Conditions
When choosing plants for a rain garden you have to consider not only light conditions but the moisture content of the soil. Rain gardens can have parts with 1. shallow…
Plant Profile: Longspur Columbine (Aquilegia longissima)
This rare herbaceous perennial is native to Texas and Arizona. It is a member of the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae, that also includes peonies, hellebores, and clematis. The fragrant, nodding, pale…
Plant Combination: Purple Poppy Mallow (Callirhoe involucrate) and Artemisia (Artemisia stelleriana) ‘Silver Brocade’
Hot, dry, sunny places such as strips along driveways can be difficult to plant but this combination thrives there. The intense magenta color of purple poppy mallow’s flowers are toned…
Plant Profile: Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Common yarrow, also known as milfoil, is a rhizomateous herbaceous perennial native to the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere Asia, Europe and North America where it grows in open…
Book Review: The Hermit in the Garden
We have all seen garden gnomes that resemble one of Disney’s seven dwarfs but have you ever wondered how gnomes entered the garden scene? Gordon Campbell’s book, The Hermit in…
Old Time Recipes for Home Made Wines: Blackberry Wine
Taken from the pages of my grandmother’s book, Old time recipes for Home Made Wines, published in 1909, this blackberry wine recipe is one of four that my paternal Grandmother…
Plant Profile: Peach (Prunus persica)
A native of China, the peach is a small deciduous short lived tree in the rose family, Rosaceae, and in the same genus as plums, cherries, almonds, and apricots. Nectarines…
Why Visit a Botanical Garden?
There are many botanic gardens all over the world that contain a wealth of wonderful experiences. They vary in size from small five acre gardens to huge gardens that cover…