Plant Profile: Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
Karen 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…
Plant Profile: Blue Throatwort (Trachelium caeruleum)
Native to the western Mediterranean, this tender evergreen perennial is commonly grown as an annual in temperate climates. It forms a clump of stems bearing narrow, dark green to reddish…
Rose Garden Themes: Beverages- Liqueurs
There are many liqueurs but there only a few roses named for them. There are even fewer roses that are readily available but I could not resist including two that…
Plant Profile: Chinese Flame Tree (Koelreuteria bipinnata)
This small deciduous tree native to China is grown as a shade tree as well as for its showy yellow flowers in summer and its lovely rose pink seed capsules…