Plants of the Bible: Black Mulberry (Morus nigra)
Karen Black mulberry is a deciduous tree originally from southwestern Asia and a member of the mulberry family that also includes figs, Osage-orange, and banyan. It has wide spreading branches that…
The Language of Flowers: Milkweed (Asclepias spp.)
Asclepias is a genus of herbaceous perennials and a member of the dogbane family, Apocynaceae, that also includes blue star (Amsonia), periwinkle (Vinca), and oleander (Nerium). There are over 140…
Plants of the Bible: Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera)
Date palm is a tender evergreen tree that probably orginated in the Fertile Crescent and has been cultivated since 7,000 BC. It is a member of the palm family, Arecaceae,…
Gardens in Art: Medieval Farm-Garden Complex
One of the best and most well-known sources of information on medieval gardening is Petrus Crescentius, jurist from Bologna Italy, who worte an agricultural treatise based on classical and medieval…
Gardens in Art: Medieval Monastic Garden-St. Gall
The plan of St. Gall dates from 820-830 AD and showed an ideal Benedictine monastic compound including buildings and gardens for a total of 110 monks, 115 visitors, and 150…
Gardens in Art: Medieval Landscape from De proprietatibus rerum
This watercolored illustration from the 13th century work De proprietatibus rerum (On the Properties of Things) shows some of the plants that grew during the Middle Ages in Europe. De…
Gardens in Art: Nebamun’s Garden
A wall painting from the Tomb-chapel of Nebamun in Thebes (present day Luxor), Egypt, gives us a look at the kind of garden the ancient Egyptians enjoyed at the time.…
The Language of Flowers: Michaelmas Daisy aka New York Aster (Aster novi-belgii aka Symphyotrichum novi-belgii )
Michaelmas daisy is a common name referring to at least two asters, one European (Aster mellus)and the other North American (Aster novibelgii). This entry refers to the latter but the…
The Language of Flowers: Aztec Lily (Sprekelia formosissima aka Amaryllis formosissima)
In spite of its name, Aztec lily is not a lily and belongs to the amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae, that also includes snowdrops, narcissus, and crinum lily. It is native to…
Plants of Colonial Williamsburg: Elecampane (Inula helenium)
Also called horse-heal, scabwort, and elfwort, and wild sunflower, elecampane is a herbaceous perennial and a member of the aster family, Asteraceae, that also includes daisy, yarrow, and lettuce. It…