Plant Profile: Snowbell ( Styrax japonicus)
Karen A short allee of snowbells form the entrance of our formal rose garden. The small size and dainty texture of the trees standout against the Japanese Privet hedge that surrounds…
A Visit to the Live Market, Hong Kong, China
For a very interesting experience at zero cost, visit a live market in any large city. The vegetables, fruits, meats and fish for sale will boggle the nose as well…
Plant Profile: Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare aka F. officinale)
Fennel is a herbaceous perennial and a member of the carrot family, Apiaceae, that also includes celery, sea holly, and dill. It is native to the shores of the Mediterranean…
Plant Profile: Flowering Quince (Chaenomeles x superba)
I first became interested in flowering quince because of a Japanese print I was given as a gift many years ago. The irregular branching pattern and the simple red flowers…
Botany for Gardeners: The Root-Systems
Roots are important to a plant for anchorage, absorption of water and nutrients, support of the stem, and storage of food and nutrients. Some plants need long roots that can…
Plant Profile: Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare)
Tansy is a herbaceous perennial and a member of the aster family, Asteraceae, that also includes daisy, yarrow, and lettuce. It is native to Europe and Asia but was introduced…
Why Roses for Valentine’s Day?
Every year at Valentine’s Day millions of roses are sent to significant others as an expression of love. No other flower comes close to being as popular as the rose,…
Botany for Gardeners: The Root-Characteristics and Functions
Most of the plants in our garden have roots. We take the roots for granted and usually don’t consider them an important visual feature of our garden but they are…
Plant Profile: Kalenchoe (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana)
When I saw a bright yellow kalenchoe plant at one of the local dollar-stores I could not resist buying it. Yes, it was small but it is such an easy…
Plants with Special Meanings for Valentine’s Day: Gift Suggestions
Valentine’s Day always conjures up visions of flowers among other things but why just give the flowers? Why not give a whole flowering plant that would last much longer than…