Gardens in Art: Lovers in the Garden
Karen This manuscript illumination by Pietro Crescenzi show two lovers siting on a turf bench inside an enclosed garden. The garden has high walls that provides both protection and privacy. The…
Plant Profile: Colocynth (Citrullus colocynthis)
This evergreen tender perennial vine is native to the sandy arid soils of the Mediterranean Basin and Asia, and goes by many common names including bitter apple, bitter cucumber, desert…
Plants of the Bible: Cucumber (Cucumis sativus)
Originally native to south Asia, cucumber has been cultivated for at least 3,000 years. It is an annual creeping vine with hairy stems carrying hairy triangular leaves on long petioles.…
Edible Mushrooms: Tubular Chanterelle (Chanterellus tubaeformis aka Craterellus tubaeformis)
Also called trumpet chanterelle and winter chanterelle, this mushroom is widespread and common throughout the northern North America growing in large colonies in wet sites of deciduous and coniferous woods…
Plant Profile: Pistachio (Pistachia vera)
Native to the Middle East this small deciduous tree is a member of cashew family, Anacardiaceae, that also includes mango, poison ivy, sumac, and smoke tree. With a spreading growth…
Invasive Plants and Their Native Alternatives : Weeping Willow (Salix babylonica aka Salix x sepulcralis)
Native to northern China, weeping willow is a deciduous tree valued for its beautiful form especially when sited on the edge of a pond or lake where its reflection adds…
Plant Profile: Twisted Acacia (Acacia raddiana aka Vachellia tortilis aka Acacia tortilis)
Also known as umbrella thorn and Israeli babool, this mediium to large tree is native to arid and semi-arid regions of Africa but grows also in the Middle East including…
Plants of the Bible: Corncockle (Agrostemma githago)
Corncockle is an upright annual native to Europe where it grows in disturbed sites such as fields and roadsides. It was considered a weed of wheat fields until the twentieth…
Plants of Colonial Williamsburg: Sweet Marjoram (Origanum majorana aka Majorana hortensis)
A native of North Africa and Southwest Asia, marjoram is a tender perennial and a member of the mint family, Labiatae, that also includes basil, rosemary and beebalm. Plants form…
Plant Profile: Snowdrop Bush (Styrax officinalis)
Native to southern Europe and the Middle East, this deciduous flowering shrub grows on dry rocky slopes, wood, margins and thickets and is a member of a small family, Styracaceae.…