Plant Profile: Silver Streak Bamboo (Bashania fargesii)
Karen This native of high elevations in central China is a vigorous, rhizomatous bamboo that spreads quickly by runners. It is excellent for erosion control, as a hedge, screen or windbreak,…
Plant Combination: Coreopsis verticillata ‘Moonbeam’ and Missouri Evening Primrose (Oenothera missouriensis)
The large bright yellow flowers of Missouri evening primrose echo the color of the Coreopsis ‘Moonbeam’ while providing contrast in size, shape, and texture. The primrose flowers are funnel-shaped, three…
Plant Profile: English Hawthorn (Crataegus laevigata)
This European native is a deciduous shrub or small tree with inch long prominent thorns that are sharp and tough enough to pierce a car tire. In fact, it has…
Book Review: Frogs
When spring arrives and ponds come alive male frogs can be heard croaking and frog eggs may be seen floating in the water. What better time to introduce young readers…
Green Roses
A true green rose is hard to come by but there are several roses that might be worthy of note. Keep in mind that most of the roses that claim…
Plant Profile: Pineapple Guava (Feijoa sellowiana aka Acca sellowiana)
A native of subtropical South America, pineapple guava is an evergreen multistemmed shrub or small tree in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, that also includes clove, allspice and eucalyptus. The plant…
Five Spring Bulbs for a Blue/Violet-Themed Garden
A summer border featuring salvia, delphinium, Russian sage, wishbone flower, aster, and Browallia all in shades of blue to violet is cool and refreshing. The foliage, of course, adds the…
Plant Profile: Red Horsechestnut (Aesculus x carnea)
This small to medium, deciduous, flowering tree is a hybrid between Aesculus hippocastaneum, native to southeastern Europe, and Aesculus pavia, native to Southeastern United States, probably originating in Germany in…
Book Review: The Rain Garden Planner
Since the 1990s rain gardens have increasingly attracted attention as a way of managing water quality in an ecologically responsible way. Terry Wallace’s book, The Rain Garden Planner, provides you…
Weeds and Their Control: Shepherd’s Purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris)
A native of Europe and Asia Minor, shepard’s purse is a winter or summer annual that has spread throughout the United States including Alaska and Hawai. It is a member…