Gardens in Art: Medieval Garden in Songe du Vergier
Karen A miniature from a 15th century French illuminated manuscript shows six people in a garden. The manuscript, Songe du Vergier, is a treatise on the rules of succession to the…
Plant Profile: Persian Ivy (Hedera colchia)
Native to the cloud forests, stream valleys and mountains of the Near and Middle East, this evergreen climbing shrub is a member of ginseng familia, Araliaceae, that also includes Fatsia…
Plants of the Bible: Mustard (Brassica nigra)
Native to areas of northern Africa, Europe, and Asia, this winter annual grows 4-8′ tall and has a dull gray branchless stem and 10″ long stalked leaves that are obovate…
Shakespeares Garden: Harebell
The harebell of Shakespeare has been identified as the wild hyacinth, Hyacinthoides non-scripta (syn. Scilla nutans), called English bluebell in modern times. It is a perennial spring blooming bulb native…
Plant Profile: Armand Clematis (Clematis armandii)
Native to central and southern China to northern Myanmar this fast growing evergreen vine is a member of the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae, that also includes columbine, monkshood, and hellebore. The…
The Language of Flowers: Aspen (Populus tremula)
Aspen is a deciduous tree and belongs to the willow family, Salicaceae, that also includes poplars and cottonwoods. Populus tremula is native Europe and Asia and should not be confused…
Plant Profile: Purple Wintercreeper (Euonymus fortunei ‘Coloratus’)
Native to China, Korea, and Japan, Euonymus fortunei is a woody evergreen or semi-evergreen member of the bitterseet family, Celastraceae, that also includes crucifiction thorn. The species can be grown…
Plant Profile: Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum)
This perennial bulb goes by many common names including bird’s milk, grass lily, nap-at-noon, summer snowflake, starflower, and ten-o’clock lady. It is native to damp habitats in Europe, northern Africa,…
Plants of the Bible: Dove’s Dung ( Ornithogalum umbellatum)
This perennial bulb goes by many common names including star of Bethlehem, bird’s milk, grass lily, nap-at-noon, summer snowflake, starflower, and ten-o’clock lady. It is native to damp habitats in…
How to Care for Bonsai: Gingko bibloba
Also known as the maidenhair tree, this deciduous tree is native to China. It is considered a living fossil because it has been on earth for 270 million years as…