Beneficial Insects: Yellow Jackets
Karen If you have ever been chased and stung by a yellow jacket you must be surprised that the title of this post suggests that they are good insects. The truth…
Plant Profile: Korean Angelica (Angelica gigas)
This tall biennial or perennial is a native of Asia where it inhabits forests and grasslands. It is a member of the carrot family, Umbelliferae, that also includes celery, sea…
Six Spring Bulbs for a Pink-Themed Garden
When the cherry trees begin to bloom in the spring with their pink cotton candy colored flowers the garden is bathed in soft light that seems to go perfectly with…
Plant Profile: Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
Cardinal flower is a clump-forming herbaceous perennial native to North America where it grows in moist to wet areas such as stream and river banks, pond edges, marshes and swamps.…
Book Review: Waterwise Plants for Sustainable Gardens: 200 Drought-Tolerant Choices for All Climates
As restrictions make water more precious and increasingly expensive having a beautiful garden becomes more difficult. Waterwise Plants for Sustainable Gardens by the husband and wife team, Lauren and Scott…
Weeds and Their Control: Dodder (Cuscuta spp.)
Dodder is a unique weed because of its parasitic nature. It twines itself around another plant and attaches itself by means of haustoria, root-like structures that penetrate the host plant…
Plant Profile: Blue Lobelia (Lobelia sipilitica)
This clump-forming herbaceous perennial, also known as blue cardinal flower, is native to eastern United States where it grows in moist to wet places such as floodplains, bottomlands, along streams…
Plant Profile: Common Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum)
Common boneset is a native herbaceous perennial found east of the Rocky Mountains where it grows in wet or moist conditions such as swamps and stream banks. Although it can…
Book Review: Nuts to You!
Do you enjoy watching squirrels as they scurry around? This charming book by Lois Ehlert explores the antics of a squirrel in the city. This furry critter delights the reader…
Insects and their Control: Blister Beetles (Epicauta spp.)
The common name “blister beetle” is given to 7,500 species of beetles in the Meloidae family that secret cantharidin, a chemical that causes blistering of the skin. They have a…