A Visit to Houmas House and Garden, New Orleans Plantation
Karen The area around New Orleans has numerous plantations with antebellum mansions that are open to the public but Houmas House offers more than just a grand mansion. It boasts a…
Plant Profile: Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)
There are few flowers that can light up a their surroundings like nasturtiums can. Their intensely colored flowers in red, yellow and orange add zip to any garden border and…
How to Attract Butterflies to the Garden in Spring
The garden is usually filled with butterflies in summer but often has few in spring. True, many are still sleeping, but you can attract those that are “out and about”…
Plant Profile: Crown Imperial (Fritillaria imperialis)
If you want an unusual flower for your garden in late spring, try crown imperial. At 3 feet tall it is no shrinking violet and with its whorl of downward…
A Visit to the New Orleans Botanical Garden
Situated on 12 acres, the New Orleans Botanical Garden is a little gem in City Park very near the New Orleans Museum of Art and across the street from the…
Plant Profile: Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica)
Every year I have a private little war with the stinging nettles that grow in both my rose garden and formal garden. No matter how many I pull up, there…
Plant Profile: Grape Hyacinth (Muscari armeniacum)
One of the earliest bulbs in my garden to emerge in the spring is grape hyacinth. The dense spikes of fragrant cobalt-blue urn-shaped flowers resemble upside down bunches of grapes…
A Vist to the Yuen Po Street Bird Garden, Hong Kong China
One of the free, entertaining sites in Hong Kong is the bird market, also called the Yuen Po Street Bird Garden. Located in Kowloon near the Prince Edward or Mong…
Plant Profile: Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus gunnii)
There are many different species of eucalyptus but this one is a good choice because it is more frost tolerant than most and can be kept as a shrub if…
Botany for Gardeners: The Stem-Modifications
Most stems grow up from the root and aid the plant by holding up the leaves and flowers, carrying water and food between the root and upper parts of the…