Plant Profile: Alpine Wood Fern (Dryopteris wallichiana)
Karen Alpine wood fern is a semi-evergreen or deciduous perennial fern native to the Himalayas, Hawaii, Mexico and Jamaica where it grows in woodland settings at high elevations. It has a…
Flowering Shrubs for High Altitude Gardens
The short growing season and cold temperatures of the mountains offer challenges to flowering shrubs as they must grow and produce flowers and seeds in a short time as well…
Plant Profile: Peachleaf Bellflower (Campanula persicifolia)
Peachleaf bellflower is an herbaceous perennial native to the mountains of Europe, North Africa, and Asia where it grows in meadows and woodland edges. It forms a evergreen basal rosette…
Book Review: Agaves
Agaves are a varied genus that is quickly attracting admirers as xerscaping becomes more desirable . Gregg Starr’s book, Agaves: Living Sculptures for Landscapes and Containers, introduces readers to over…
Old Time Recipes for Home Made Wines: Gooseberry Wine
Helen S. Wright, my paternal grandmother and author of Old Time Recipes for Home Made Wines, took quite a shine to gooseberry wine and includes eight in her book. She…
Plant Profile: Male Fern (Dryopteris filix-mas)
Male fern is a semi-evergreen native to Europe, Asia and North America where it grows in damp woodlands as well as rocky areas. The plants have a rhizome with a…
Plant Combination: Sneezewort (Helenium hybrid) ‘Coppelia’ and Menzies’ Burnet (Sanguisorba menziesii)
Enliven the mid-border of the late summer garden with this perennial combination of sneezewort ‘Coppelia’ and Menzies’ burnet. The show begins in mid summer when the burnet begins to bloom…
Plant Profile: Golden Thread-leaf Cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera)‘Filifera Aurea’
Chamaecyparis pisifera is a coniferous evergreen tree native to Japan that has given rise to several garden worthy plants and ‘Filifer Aurea’ is one of them. It has reddish-brown bark…
Book Review: Container Theme Gardens
Container gardening is versatile and can be the perfect way to enhance your garden or bring color to a patio or balcony. Nancy J. Ondra’s book, Container Theme Gardens, gives…
Five Fabulous White Rambling Roses for the Garden
Rambling roses are not the same as climbing roses, although both kinds of roses will climb. Rambling roses have small flowers and usually flower only once where as climbing roses…