Plant Profile: Japanese Skimmia (Skimmia japonica)
Karen Native to Japan, China, and Southeast Asia, this evergreen shrub is a member of the citrus family, Rutaceae, that also includes rue, curry tree, and boronia. The plant grows up…
Old Time Recipes for Home Made Wines: Rose Wine
This post is about wine made from roses NOT wine made from grapes. The latter, spelled rosé, is a common, popular light drink especially appreciated in the summer and a…
Plant Profile: Swamp Azalea (Rhododendron viscosum)
Also known as clammy azalea, and swamp honeysuckle, this flowering deciduous shrub is native to the wetlands of eastern and southern US and a member of the heath family, Ericaceae,…
Plant Profile: False Indigo (Amorpha fruticosa)
This deciduous shrub is native to North America from eastern Canada throughout much of the US and into northern Mexico, where it grows along stream and pond edges, moist open…
Plants of Ancient Pompeii: Sacred Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)
The sacred lotus is an aquatic perennial native to Asia and cultivated in China for over 3000 years for its ornamental, medicinal, and culinary value. Although an exotic in Italy,…
Plant Profile: Hydrangea paniculata ‘Tarvida’
Hydrangea paniculata is a deciduous woody shrub growing up to 12′ tall. It is native to eastern and southern China, Japan, Sakhalin, Taiwan, and Kuril Island and belongs to the…
Book Review: The Very Hungary Caterpillar
Eric Carle’s book, The Very Hungary Caterpillar, follows the life of a caterpillar from egg to butterfly with a focus on all the eating the caterpillar must do to pull…
Genus: Illicium for the Garden
Illicium is a genus of 40- 50 species of broadleaf evergreen shrubs and small trees and belong to the the starvine family, Schisandraceae. They are found principally in east and…
Plant Profile: Sweet Box (Sarcococca confusa)
The evergreen shrub is a member of the boxwood family, Buxaceae, and probably native to western China. It grows 3-5′ tall and wide, is densely branched and has glossy leathery,…
Plants of Ancient Pompeii: Cucumus (Cucumber and Melons)
The genus Cucumis is in the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae, and includes at least two species valued by the ancient Romans for food: cucumber (Cucumis sativus,) and muskmellons (C. melo). Plant…