Book Review: Little Seasons Spring Seeds
Karen Meyers Mirka Hokkanen explores the coming of spring and the lifecycle of seeds in her book, Little Seasons Spring Seeds. Written for children ages 2-6, the author shows the great diversity…
Plants for a Mary Garden: Larkspur (Consolida ajacis aka C. ambigua) “Mary’s Tears’
The name “Mary’s Tears” is derived from the resemblance of the droplet-shaped larkspur flowers to tears and is associated with the sorrow and compassion of Mary especially during the Passion…
Plant Profile: Spotted Dead Nettle (Lamium maculatum)
Also known as spotted henbit and purple dragon, this herbaceous perennial is native to Europe and Asia where it grows in a variety of habitats from open grassland to woodland.…
Book Review: Complete Guide to Growing and Cultivating Herbs & Spices
Linda Gray’s book, Complete Guide to Growing and Cultivating Herbs & Spices, is a comprehensive look at cultivating and utilizing a wide variety of plants that provide flavorful additions to…
Plants for a Mary Garden: Bachelor’s Button (Centaurea cyanus) ‘Mary’s Crown’
Bachelor’s button has been valued for thousands of years. Evidence from ancient Egypt suggests that its flowerheads were used for grave decorations, and it became a symbol of life and…
Plant Profile: Great Mullein (Verbascum thapsus)
Also called common mullein and woolly mullein, this native of Europe, Africa and Asia, is a herbaceous biennial and a member of the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae, that also includes butterfly…
Book Review: What a Bee Knows
What a Bee Knows, by Stephen Buchmann, is a guide to understand the complexities of bee behavior. As a pollination ecologist, the author has extensive experience with bees and the…
Plants for a Mary Garden: Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis),”Sweet Mary”
Lemon balm has a long history as a medicinal herb and was valued for its calming, healing, and uplifting properties. The ancient Greeks believed it had the power to improve…
Plant Profile: Quaking Grass (Briza media)
Native to meadows and pastures of Europe and Asia, this creeping perennial grass is a member of the grass family, Poaceae, that also includes wheat, rice, and bamboo. It is…
Book Review: The Complete Beer Course
This revised, updated and expanded second edition of The Complete Beer Course by Joshua M. Bernstein, reflects the many changes in the craft beer industry since 2013 when the first…