Seven Interesting Facts about Sugar Plums
Karen Christmas Eve evokes many pleasant memories in our minds and one of them is sugar plums. Tchaikovsky had a sugar plum fairy in The Nutcracker and Clement C Moore had…
Plant Profile: European Silver Fir (Abies alba)
This native of central Europe from the Pyrenees to the Carpathians and the Balkan Peninsula, is a tall evergreen tree reaching 180 feet in the wild but half that size…
Book Review: New Front Yard Idea Book
The front yard is the most public area of a home yet how many people spend the time and money to create an appealing space that welcomes visitors and reflects…
Wine for Christmas Dinner: Dry Riesling
When the Christmas table is covered with many different dishes of food it can be difficult to decide what wine might best go with them all. Why not try a…
Plant Profile: Veitch’s Silver Fir (Abies veitchii)
A native of Japan where it grows in wet forest in cool, moist soil, Veitch’s Silver Fir is a conical evergreen tree with horizontal branches to the ground. The densely…
How to Care for Bonsai: Camellia (C. japonica, C. susanqua)
Camellias are evergreen trees or shrubs native to eastern and southern Asia. There are over 100 species of camellia including C. sinensis the plant that produces the beverage tea, and…
Plant Profile: Nordmann Fir (Abies nordmanniana)
This stately evergreen tree, native to Asia Minor and the Mediterranean, has a dense pyramidal form with many branches from the ground up. Dark, shiny green needles with two white…
Book Review: Creative Concrete Ornaments for the Garden
Concrete offers many possibilities for creating garden ornaments and Sherri Warner Hunter’s book, Creative Concrete Ornaments for the Garden provides you with all you need to know to get started.…
Botany for Gardeners: Taxonomy of Gymnosperms – Identifying the Pine Family (Pinaceae)
The Pine Family includes the gymnosperms that are most familiar to everyone; pine, spruce, fir, and hemlock plus the not so familiar larch. It also includes Douglas fir which is…
Plant Profile: Rosa ‘Sexy Rexy’
The medium pink flowers of this compact floribunda open flat into camellia like blooms with lightly ruffled petals. They are produced in large clusters of 5-15 on strong straight stems…