Plant Profile: Italian Alder (Alnus cordata)
Karen A native of Corsica, the timber was used as piles to support the buildings of Venice. The foliage is dense with small heart-shaped leaves that are bright, glossy green, and…
Book Review: About Amphibians
Many children need some help to find frogs, toads and salamanders appealing and Cathryn Sill’s book, About Amphibians, is an excellent resource. The book introduces the basic facts about these…
Botanical Latin: Calochortus
Calochortus (Cal o KOR tus) derived from the Greek words kalos meaning beautiful, and chortos meaning grass The members of this genus have strikingly beautiful flowers and grass like leaves.…
Plant Profile: Striped Maple (Acer pensylvanicum)
Also known as moosewood, this native of eastern United States and adjacent Canada is an under-story tree known for the vertical white stripes on the greenish gray bark of is…
Birds in the Garden: Plants that Attract the Wren Family (Troglodytidae)
Known for their loud songs and friendly ways, wrens are familiar backyard birds in most parts of the United States with House wrens being the most common. Members of the…
Plant Profile: Rose ‘Rose de Rescht’
Spherical buds open to crimson flowers with tightly packed neatly arranged petals, and sometimes a button eye. The flowers are in clusters of three to seven and are carried on…
Book Review: Chez Panisse Café Cookbook
Here is a cookbook that elevates fresh ingredients to a new level. Chez Panisse Café Cookbook, like the other cookbooks written by Alice Waters, focuses on foods that are locally…
Plant Combination: Coral bells (Heuchera micrantha var. diversifolia) ‘Palace Purple’ and Variegated Hakone Grass (Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’)
These two herbaceous perennials will provide color in a shady spot all season long. The chocolate purple color of the wide coarse leaves of coral bells contrasts nicely with the…
Plant Profile: Century Plant (Agave americana)
This native of Mexico, and southeastern United States is a tender evergreen perennial or shrub. Large sword-like leaves form a basal rosette to six feet tall. The leaves are gray…
Plant Problems and Their Control: Brown Rot (Monilinia fructicola) of Stone Fruits
Brown rot is a common disease of stone fruits including peaches, nectarines, cherries, and plum. It may also affect almond and pome fruits such as apples and pears. It is…